Whipped Chocolate with carbonated strawberries

 by Dr. D
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Whipping chocolate is a very simple process. All whipping up a foam requires is a fat, water and sugar (or another material) to stabilize the mixture. You don't even need to add eggs! It creates a new texture while making it easier to infuse different flavors into the chocolate.

While carbonating fruit may be a little more tricky, it isn't rocket science (although there is a certain amount of science involved). All you need to do is compress enough carbon dioxide gas in the presence of the fruit in order to force the carbon dioxide into the fruit.

Here are directions to making an interesting new treat.
 
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Step 1: Making a foamy emulsion

The theory behind whipped chocolate is the same as that for whipping cream up into a foam. You must start with an emulsion of fat and water. Air is forced into the cream (or chocolate) by beating. Then, instead of the air leaving the cream, the fat droplets stop it from reaching the surface. Thus, little bubbles are created inside of the cream, supported by the fat. The cream swells up and voila, you have whipped cream: an airy substance able to support its own weight without collapsing.

So what we have to do is create a fat emulsion imitating cream and it should whip up into a foam. The way you make chocolate imitate cream is make sure the chocolate has the right amount of fat and water. About 70% cocoa solids works well, so use dark chocolate. Then we melt it all down in order to homogenize it, spreading all of the ingredients out equally within the liquid.
jman0527 says: Nov 13, 2012. 9:21 AM
Dear god america, we have now carbonated fruit. whats next carbonated steak. OK i will be honest i want to try it.
susanchen2011 says: Aug 6, 2012. 8:15 PM
The taste is very good.
Caulerpa says: May 4, 2010. 12:20 PM
Could you use crisco instead of bacon fat?
Dr. D (author) in reply to CaulerpaMay 4, 2010. 4:17 PM
Well, I suppose you could, but there wouldn't be much point in that.  The bacon fat was added for flavor.  If you don't want it, you could omit it altogether and just decrease the water (juice, tea, etc.) a bit to keep the fat/water proportions in line.  Or you could add another flavorful fat in place of the bacon fat.  How about toasted hazelnut oil?
Formatt says: Dec 1, 2009. 5:32 PM
I tried this not long ago and I was blown away.
What a winner of a thing!
I'm going to make it for my friends (even the one trying "vegan" for a time with the bacon fat as a secret ingredient) and blow their socks off as well!
I'm also considering making a truffle kind of deal with it for that enhanced hard chocolate outside and airy inside textural freak out.
Thanks for the killer recipe.
Yum.
sires6 in reply to FormattJan 25, 2010. 2:31 PM
Ok, Formatt, I will be nice.  I am a vegetarian and the thought that one of my friends would "sneak" bacon fat into a food I would eat is just cruel.  I am allergic, and while your friend might not be, it's just mean to undermine their attempts to do something that they feel is for their good.  It's like slipping drugs into an addict's mug, "just for fun".

Please think of that next time you want to do something for your friends.
voemaster says: Dec 2, 2009. 2:52 PM
THAT LOOKS AWESOME!!!!! nice instructables good job

momomommy says: Oct 29, 2008. 10:10 PM
I have to say to those worrying about bacon blasphemy...a true bacon lover would love it no matter what it came in. I'm a serious lover of both bacon and chocolate and together...oh my god. Is there anything better on this planet? Actually there is...bacon chocolate, AND carbonated strawberries!! This is so going to be the dessert for my next dinner party!
x z i t in reply to momomommyMar 14, 2009. 12:09 AM
a true bacon lover would be a fat american
momomommy in reply to x z i tMay 21, 2009. 3:16 PM
LOL, if you say so...I'm 5'1" and 110lbs...not exactly what I'd call fat...more bacon for me!!
namraps in reply to x z i tMay 21, 2009. 2:16 PM
Could that be a blanket statement? My Grandfather passed in his sleep in 2007 at the ripe age of 93. No family member could recall Papa weighing more than 150/160 pounds. (He was 5'9") Papa ate bacon and eggs, and sometime fried potatoes, every day of his life. We were setting around talking about his diet lifestyle. He never smoked (except for a good cigar once in awhile) and was only a social drinker. We did the math and came up with some pretty amazing figures: 5580 pounds of bacon and 67,988 eggs. O.K. I realize this is an isolated case, but how long would Papa lived if he given up the bacon and eggs? Bacon Rules!
hammertong in reply to namrapsNov 8, 2009. 9:23 PM
 Thank you. Stories like this just prove bacon's supremacy as the ultimate food. I try to eat healthy: no sugar, proper nutrition, no preservatives... I can not go without bacon though. Eggs are also just about the best source of protein available. Good stuff.
dontwealllovebuda92 in reply to x z i tMar 15, 2009. 7:31 AM
lol exactly. only turkey bacon for this skinny young man.
belsey says: Jan 5, 2009. 5:31 PM
I really want to try this... but where do I find dry ice?
x z i t in reply to belseyMar 14, 2009. 12:07 AM
ralphs and vons too
pyrotechnical in reply to belseyMar 9, 2009. 7:16 PM
albretsons has it, just ask someone and they'll take you to that back where you get it. I think smiths has it too, but i'm not sure.
Dr. D (author) in reply to belseyJan 6, 2009. 8:39 AM
Try http://www.dryicedirectory.com/ for some listings.
Around here, Ralphs grocery has a little freezer of it near the front. There's also a butcher shop with frozen exotic meats that sells it. Sometimes Wal Mart does, too. Just be aware if you haven't worked with it before that it's so cold it burns and you need to wear insulated gloves. Have fun!
Postscript624 says: Nov 13, 2008. 1:52 PM
Hey, this sounds nice! Just a question on your ingredients though. Does it have to be bacon fat? It's not that I'm against using it because of its origin, but I think it might be easier not having to fry up all that bacon and scraping up the fat. Do you think, like, Crisco or something might also work?
Dr. D (author) in reply to Postscript624Nov 13, 2008. 2:39 PM
Sure, you could use any fat. But don't add extra fat thinking you have to. Only add the fat if it's enhancing the flavor. There's enough fat already in the chocolate to make it work if you only add hot coffee (or juice, or water, or . . . ). You just might have to cut down on the coffee a bit to keep the fat in line with the water. Feel free to experiment. The worst that could happen is you'll have to eat some not-whipped chocolate. How bad can that be? We tried whipping buttered white chocolate and failed miserably, but it made absolutely wonderful hot chocolate when mixed with hot milk! (I guess the cocoa solids help to support the whole matrix.)
jessyratfink says: Nov 12, 2008. 9:08 AM
I can't believe everyone is so afraid of the bacon + chocolate! I'd definitely try it - chocolate is great with salty and savory - that's why you see so many people dipping french fries in chocolate shakes. ;) Know what else goes great with chocolate? Chilies and roasted garlic! Yum!
Dr. D (author) says: Oct 31, 2008. 2:58 PM
Update: We tried the cooler method with lots of dry ice (about 7 lbs..) and bananas, apples, and grapes. We placed packing peanuts over the dry ice and paper plates of sliced fruit over that, then sealed it shut with packing tape. The packing peanuts held the fruit far enough away from the dry ice that it didn't freeze. The cooler cracked from the pressure- it was styrofoam - but we reinforced it with more tape and kept going. After three hours, all of the fruit had become carbonated. The apples tasted like crunchy sparkling cider. The bananas were wild-tasting: creamy and fizzy at the same time. The grapes were really good, too. I'm going to put some watermelon in there if my friend ever comes back with the cooler of fruit. He went off to give away samples. Thanks, Tiedyedsoul! It didn't take as long as I'd thought it would, so you can have your cooler-carbonated fruit the same day. Oh, another thing . . . the bananas and apples hardly turned brown at all! The carbon dioxide must've acidified the fruit and kept it from turning very brown. If you have leftover dry ice after Halloween, throw some sliced fruit in a cooler with it and try a new fizzy-tasting healthy snack! Just be sure to serve IMMEDIATELY or your fruit will go "flat"!
barkinseal says: Oct 29, 2008. 9:52 PM
What a cool and yummy idea! I can't wait to try it. I've seen the Vosges chocolate with bacon and wondered what it would be like. I think they'll go together as well as food and science.
crapflinger says: Oct 27, 2008. 1:27 PM
i'm by no means a "food prude"...but putting bacon in chocolate is blasphemy! i don't care if it does taste great....it's the principle of it all...now bacon soap...that makes sense
Dr. D (author) in reply to crapflingerOct 27, 2008. 2:59 PM
Okay, okay. I get that reaction a lot. But did you TRY it? I have made a number of converts. If you try it and don't like it, just whip the chocolate without the bacon fat and skip the bacon bits. (I have to admit, it's better for you that way.)
crapflinger in reply to Dr. DOct 28, 2008. 5:11 AM
NEVER! BLASPHEMER! BURN HIM AT THE STEAK! (of course....check to see if he floats first...) there are certain things that should never be messed with! i understand that there are things that you can add to food that you'd never expect to work and they turn out great (once had sweet potatoes with onions....it was awesome!)...but putting bacon in chocolate is like....putting bacon in chocolate.... i'll have to check to be sure but i think it's against the geneva convention.
Dr. D (author) in reply to crapflingerOct 28, 2008. 8:34 AM
http://www.vosgeschocolate.com

Mini Mo's Bacon Bar Mini Mo's Bacon Bar Applewood smoked bacon + Alder wood smoked salt + deep milk chocolate
$2.50 Vosges Favorite

Burn me at STEAK with a drizzle of chocolate, please! Molecular gastronomy is not for the faint at heart. ;-)
crapflinger in reply to Dr. DOct 28, 2008. 12:50 PM
....just want to make sure here....this is healthy friendly ribbing from me molecular gastronomy IS great and even the stuff that comes out as being god awful (it does happen...some of the stuff is crap and should never be repeated) pushes a boundary that usually leads to some new process that does work well
Dr. D (author) in reply to crapflingerOct 29, 2008. 3:15 PM
No problem! I agree.
tyedyedsoul says: Oct 28, 2008. 11:12 AM
WOW thank you so much. This looks so goods. Great instructable.I went on a camping trip not to long ago and used a piece of dry ice in my cooler. When we got where we were going (about a 2 day trip) the peaches from the cooler were fizzy when you bit into them. No one else would eat them, said it was to weird, I thought they were fantastic. Thanks to this I now know it's OK too carbonate my fruit. Good things are bound to be found. Thanks.
Dr. D (author) in reply to tyedyedsoulOct 28, 2008. 2:25 PM
That's cool! I never stopped to think you could carbonate your fruit by accident, but it makes sense. The "cooler method" is good for those without a pressure cooker, I guess. It will probably just take longer.
Dr. D (author) says: Oct 28, 2008. 8:57 AM
Okay, anybody out there daring enough to try it with the bacon? If you try it and don't like it, slip the rest (minus bacon bits) to an unsuspecting chocolate lover (without any heart conditions, bacon allergies, or dietary restrictions, of course!). Watch their reaction. I don't think it will involve mentioning bacon.
Trebawa says: Oct 27, 2008. 4:05 PM
This looks delicious (except minus the bacon bits)! By the way, I totally agree with you; it is neither necessary nor kind to insult cookware. (check the left box on step 6's image).
canida says: Oct 27, 2008. 2:52 PM
Sweet! A nice combination of food hacks.
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