Oxford residents got a preview to a sweet Valentine’s Day last week during a Chocolate 101 seminar held at the Oxford Public Library Tuesday night.
Christie Kojima, owner of The Chocolate Moose in Clarkston, talked about the many different types of chocolate, how they’re used in baking and how not to use it.
‘This is one instance you need to know about chemistry,? she told the audience.
For example, ‘real? chocolate contains cocoa butter, which makes it an ‘unstable? product that can spoil quickly.
If it’s not tempered, or cooled and heated so that it will properly solidify with a stable cocoa butter crystal formation, you could have serious problems.
‘Working with real chocolate is a very difficult process,? she said.
Kojima also gave the attendees short-cut tips on how to create their own chocolate molds, where to purchase the best chocolate for baking, as well as where to order special boxes and bags for occassions like a shower or wedding.
Afterward, the group got to nibble on some peppermint bark ala The Chocolate Moose.