Milk chocolate has a reputation problem in professional kitchens. Too sweet, too simple, not serious enough. Valrhona Jivara 40% changes that entirely. It’s the milk chocolate that pastry chefs actually reach for — complex, balanced, and technically exceptional.
What Is Valrhona Jivara 40%
Jivara is Valrhona’s signature milk couverture, made from a blend of fine Criollo and Trinitario cacao with whole milk powder. At 40% cocoa solids, it’s richer and less sweet than most milk chocolates, with a depth that makes it genuinely versatile in patisserie.
Flavour profile: Creamy, malty, and smooth with notes of caramel, vanilla, and a subtle hint of biscuit. The cocoa presence is real but gentle — it’s indulgent without being cloying.
Format: Fèves for precise scaling and even melting.
Why Chefs Choose Jivara
- Balanced sweetness: Less sugar than standard milk chocolate — it works in recipes without overwhelming other flavours.
- Excellent fluidity: Melts smoothly and evenly, ideal for enrobing, moulding, and ganaches.
- Versatility: Works across mousses, ice creams, praliné fillings, tarts, and bonbons.
- Pairs beautifully: Its caramel and malt notes complement coffee, hazelnut, salted caramel, and fruit.
How to Use Valrhona Jivara 40%
Ganaches: Use a 2:1 chocolate-to-cream ratio for a firm ganache. Add a pinch of fleur de sel to lift the caramel notes.
Mousses: Jivara makes a luxuriously creamy mousse — lighter and more approachable than dark chocolate, perfect for layered entremet cakes.
Ice cream: The malty, caramel notes of Jivara make an outstanding milk chocolate ice cream base — far more interesting than standard milk chocolate.
Bonbons and moulded chocolates: Excellent tempering behaviour gives a glossy finish and clean snap. Pairs beautifully with hazelnut praliné or coffee ganache fillings.
Tempering: Melt to 45–50°C, cool to 26–27°C, bring back to 29–30°C for working temperature.
Recipe: Valrhona Jivara Milk Chocolate & Hazelnut Tart
A stunning combination — silky Jivara ganache over a hazelnut praliné base in a crisp pastry shell. Rich, elegant, and deeply satisfying.
Serves: 8–10 | Prep: 40 mins | Chill: 2 hours
For the Pastry (Pâte Sucrée)
- 200g plain flour
- 80g icing sugar
- 25g ground hazelnuts
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 120g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tbsp cold water
For the Hazelnut Praliné Layer
- 150g hazelnut praliné paste
- 30g Valrhona Jivara 40% fèves, melted
- Pinch of fleur de sel
For the Jivara Ganache
- 280g Valrhona Jivara 40% fèves
- 200ml double cream
- 20g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
Method
1. Make the pastry
- Blitz flour, icing sugar, ground hazelnuts, salt, and butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add egg yolk and cold water, pulse until the dough just comes together.
- Chill for 1 hour, roll to 3mm, line a 23cm tart tin, chill 30 minutes.
- Blind bake at 170°C fan for 15 minutes, remove beans, bake 8–10 minutes until golden. Cool completely.
2. Make the praliné layer
- Mix praliné paste with melted Jivara and fleur de sel until smooth.
- Spread evenly over the cooled tart base. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set.
3. Make the Jivara ganache
- Place Jivara fèves in a heatproof bowl.
- Heat cream and vanilla paste until just below boiling. Pour over chocolate in three additions, stirring from the centre until smooth and glossy.
- Add butter and stir until fully emulsified.
- Pour over the set praliné layer. Tap gently to level.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
4. Serve
Remove from the fridge 20 minutes before serving. Finish with a scattering of toasted chopped hazelnuts and a pinch of fleur de sel. Serve in thin slices.
Pairing Suggestions
Jivara’s caramel and malt notes pair beautifully with: hazelnut, coffee, salted caramel, banana, and passion fruit. For a more exotic tart, replace the praliné layer with a passion fruit curd — the acidity cuts through the richness perfectly.
Shop Valrhona Jivara 40%
We stock Valrhona Jivara 40% fèves at Nut House — the milk chocolate that belongs in every serious baker’s kitchen.