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Headlines continue to reiterate the current global supply shortfall and moreover, the ongoing seasonal intense Harmattan winds in West Africa are exacerbating the bullish prices situation. Since the start of the 2023/24 season, arrivals at Ivorian ports are estimated to be down by 34% year-on-year to 1.051 million tonnes as at 4 February 2024. In Ghana, graded and sealed cocoa purchases were down year-on-year by 35% to 351,000 tonnes. For the month under review, the nearby contract i.e., MAR-24 price in London and New York averaged US$4,540 per tonne and US$4382 per tonne, respectively. Compared to the nominal average price...

The world of chocolate is a realm of rich flavors, velvety textures, and delightful indulgence. But amidst the variety, there's one type of chocolate that often sparks a debate: white chocolate. Is it a true member of the chocolate family, or is it merely a pretender, a pseudo-chocolate? Join us as we unravel the mysteries surrounding white chocolate and discover its true identity.  Defining White Chocolate: Before diving into the debate, let's clarify what white chocolate actually is. White chocolate is crafted from cocoa butter, milk solids, and sugar, giving it its signature ivory hue. Unlike traditional chocolate, which contains...

Panning is a process that involves coating food items, such as fruits, nuts, or cereals, with multi thin layers of chocolate and finished with a sugar syrup to create a sweet and crunchy outer layer and protect them from heat. The process of panning has been used for centuries by the ancient Greeks to create a sweet treat. In this blog, we will present the basic process of panning and provide some tips for achieving great results. The basic process of panning involves five main steps: preparing the food item, coating the product with chocolate, making the sugar syrup, coating...

Nougatine is a confectionery that was first created in the 1850s by French confectioner Jean-Louis-Bourumeau in Nevers. “Nougatine” refers to a clear or light-brown nut-based bark obtained by cooking sugar until converted into caramel. (Not to be confused with nougat which is a sweet made from egg whites, sugar, honey and nuts). If “nougat” is often consumed as is, it is rarely the case for nougatine which you can find in many desserts, pastries and chocolate confections. In fact, nougatine in often considered a base ingredient for French Pastries & Chocolatiers. At Manufacture CLUIZEL, we create our own filling recipes, including nougatine Our nougatine is handmade, fine, airy, and truly mind-blowing. It is 100% natural and particularly complex. Whether thin or thick,...

To understand what a Praliné is, we must first look at the vocabulary around this word. There are indeed 3 very similar words and yet, not to be confused : the Praline, the Pralin and the Praliné. “Praline” is a confection made from roasted almonds coated with caramelized sugar and eventually food color (i.e: Praline Rose from Lyon) “Pralin” is made from roasted, caramelized and ground almonds and hazelnuts. It’s in powder form and can be used in baking. It’s a step before praliné paste. “Praliné paste” is derived from pralin. After another fine grinding to smoth the powder into...