I have just recently discovered this wonderful food product and am experimenting with using them in a variety of recipes. Also, have been using them to make variations on hot chocolate (the drink)---mixed with coffee and brewed in a press pot is my current favorite.
What have any of you pastry chefs done with them? Let me know-I'll have fun trying out your ideas.

By Corey (Corey) on Sunday, February 09, 2003 - 08:22 pm: Edit

hmm, never saw a nib before.

By Chefrev (Chefrev) on Sunday, February 09, 2003 - 11:55 pm: Edit

Pastry Art & Design had an article with recipes including nibs last January 2002 (cover had Jacques Torres with a chocolate mask over half his face). Some of the items included Hazelnut Nibby Cookies, Cocoa Bean Panna Cotta,Cocoa bean Almond Roulade, and Double Cocoa Bean Ice Cream. They all sound and look great, but alas, I have not made any of them so I can't give a full review of them. Nibs are still new to this area, and finding a supplier has been hard so I gave up...for now.

If you like I can either post or make the recipes available some other way. Would have to either scan them or transcribe them whichever is more apporopriate.

By Kinglear (Kinglear) on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 09:02 am: Edit

Thanks Chefrev, I have those recipes as I was hired as the recipe rechecker and food stylist for that article. The cookies and panna cotta were great, as was the roulade, but the ice cream was a real disappointment.
I made some biscotti with them and a creme caramel where the nibs were infused in the cream before encorporating it with the eggs. That was pretty successful, but I prefer a plain vanilla creme caramel to fancier treatments.
BTW Corey, cocoa nibs are cracked, unprocessed cocoa beans-real crunchy and chocolatey!

By Chefrev (Chefrev) on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 02:04 pm: Edit

Kinglear:

What a nice surprise! That article really stuck in my mind as something I want to try. I've eaten cocoa nib cookies before and the nibs offer a bittersweet crunch you don't get from chocolate chips. MUST try them when I can find a source.

By Ladycake (Ladycake) on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 06:43 pm: Edit

There was a place here in Oakhurst called Chateau Miel that made the chocolate nibs. Their main product was Ice Cap; a product they thought would rival frapuccino. I still have a jar of some of the nibs they gave me to develop products for them. They lost their building here and moved away about 5 years ago; I do not know if they are out of business or not.

By Chefrev (Chefrev) on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 08:41 pm: Edit

I found Scharffen Berger (sp?) nibs in a 6 oz tin for about $8.00. Anyone have a site with larger amounts for less money?

By Kinglear (Kinglear) on Monday, February 10, 2003 - 09:01 pm: Edit

You may try El Rey or Guittard. They are the guys that sent them to me for the shoot. I'm still using the leftovers. A little goes a long way.

By Chefrev (Chefrev) on Tuesday, February 11, 2003 - 06:43 pm: Edit

Thanks!

By Cocolulu (Cocolulu) on Wednesday, September 08, 2004 - 04:27 pm: Edit

i've been using the nibs to top small white chocolate cones (long narrow european mold) the first bite is the stong nib flavor but as you work down the cone the white choc rounds out the cocoa flavor....very tasty