Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Learning about Chocolate


Last week, the boys went on a field trip to a chocolaterie in Brussels: Planete Chocolat.   I had already chaperoned an event with Colin's class, so I was able to go with Aidan's class this time around.   We spent a couple hours learning about the cocoa bean, watching how Belgian chocolate is molded, and enjoying some samples, of course! 






Planete Chocolate




Aidan's class




My sweet red!




Chocolate molds with lots of different designs




Aidan and his buddies





Planete Chocolat





We learned about what goes into dark, milk, and white chocolate. 
Dark:  Cocoa powder, sugar, and cocoa butter
Milk:  Cocoa powder, sugar, cocoa butter, and powdered milk
White:  Cocoa butter, sugar, and powdered milk









Mannekin Pis made of Chocolate




Enjoying a hot chocolate made with nothing but the best!




Atomium made of chocolate








Filling the molds
Temperature is very important when in comes to making candy




Cocoa beans are inside these fruits hanging on the tree.  Only the red fruits are ready to be picked.  Inside the fruit, you will find pulp and the cocoa beans are hidden within that pulp. 




When cocoa beans are pressed, two items are made:  1. cocoa powder 2. cocoa butter




This is the flower that blooms on the tree before the fruit grows. 




The best part:  sampling the chocolate!







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