Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Chocolate-covered Blueberries

by Libby

Beauvoir had never liked dark chocolate. It seemed unfriendly. ... And on the wooden counter sat small mounds of very dark chocolate. Long rows of them, like tiny monks. He picked one up, turning it this way and that. Then he ate it. (The Beautiful Mystery, Kindle, p.64)

Jean-Guy Beauvoir has just made one of his more pleasant discoveries at the secluded monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups in the Quebec wilderness. And with his usual loyalty, he shares it with Gamache in a companionable moment amidst the investigation of a murder within the small, reclusive monastic community.

Gamache picked up a chocolate and held it between his large fingers. It looked microscopic there. Then he ate it. And Beauvoir smiled to see the astonishment, and delight, on Gamache’s face. “Blueberry?” Beauvoir nodded. “Those tiny wild ones. Chocolate covered. They make them by the bucketload here. I found the chocolaterie when I was looking for the monks. Seems like the better find.” (The Beautiful Mystery, Kindle, p.84)

Both are still recovering in the aftermath of the raid that went devastatingly wrong. But Beauvoir, the more fragile of the two, has been buoyed, being three months into a deeply loving and committed relationship with Annie.

Beauvoir now seemed happy. Indeed, happier than Gamache had ever seen him. Not the feverish, giddy highs of the addict, but a settled calm. Gamache knew it was a long and treacherous road back, but Beauvoir was at least on it. Gone were the mood swings, the irrational outbursts. The rage and the whining. Gone were the pills. The OxyContin... (The Beautiful Mystery, Kindle, p.34)

And we see the return of Beauvoir's wonderful appetite for food. I've always enjoyed it! He approaches it with such gusto, and he doesn't hold back in the early meals at the monks' table. But for me, Jean-Guy Beauvoir will always be associated with those chocolate-covered blueberries.

Throughout The Beautiful Mystery they are referenced, and along with his messages to Annie, seem to parallel Beauvoir's state of mind, and the spiralling changes that will take hold.

The Beautiful Mystery is a haunting work, as much for its setting as the harrowing contrasts of good and evil, light and dark: the deadly tensions amongst the monks contrasted with the wondrous beauty of their Gregorian chants; the delights of flavour rich, seasonal foods contrasted with the bitter pills of an addictive drug; the integrity and devotion of those who love contrasted with the machinations of those who seek to damage and destroy.

Early in the book it's easy to wallow in the happiness Beauvoir experiences with Annie, the love and playfulness they share. But also evident, and slightly unsettling, is something of Beauvoir's internal struggle, where self-doubt and anxiety reside. There is an unfamiliar vulnerability as he worries about Gamache's acceptance of his relationship with Annie, once it has been revealed.

They were a good team. A great team. Suppose he isn’t happy? The question snuck up on Beauvoir, out of the woods. Suppose he doesn’t want Annie to be with me? But that was, again, just fancy. Not fact. Not fact. Not fact. (The Beautiful Mystery, Kindle, p.22)

However Beauvoir and Gamache's familiar camaraderie as the investigation initially proceeds, his appetite for the monastery food, and his care and playfulness with Annie are reassuring.

“I found some more chocolate-covered blueberries and brought them back to my cell. I’ll save some for you.” ... “I miss you,” Jean-Guy wrote. “ Merde! All the chocolates are gone! How did that happen?” Then he rolled over, the BlackBerry held lightly in his hand. But not before typing, in the darkness, his final message of the day. “ Je t’aime .” He carefully wrapped the chocolates and put them in the nightstand drawer. For Annie. He closed his eyes, and slept soundly. (The Beautiful Mystery, Kindle, p.105)

But, just like the monastery's defences are breeched as its music has drawn the attention of the world and the Vatican, so too, over the course of the story, are Beauvoir's. His self-doubt and vulnerability are fuel to Gamache's nemesis, Sylvain Francoeur, whose ominous arrival signals the descent of Beauvoir into an eventual state of paranoia. And as Francoeur preys on him, relief from confusion and angst is soon close at hand, and it is not found in chocolate-covered blueberries.

Beauvoir thought about the tiny pills the size of wild blueberries. The ones still hidden in his apartment. And the burst they brought. Not of musky flavor, but of blessed oblivion. (The Beautiful Mystery, Kindle, p.186)

It is harrowing witnessing Beauvoir gradually isolate himself, even from Annie, increasingly powerless to control the turmoil he is feeling, as the OxyContin and Francoeur do their work.

Then he wrote back, describing where he was. Telling her they were making progress. He hesitated before hitting send, knowing while he hadn’t exactly lied, neither had he told her the complete truth. Of how he was feeling. His confusion, his anger. It seemed both directed at Francoeur and undirected. He was mad at Frère Raymond, mad at the monks, mad at being in the monastery instead of with Annie. Mad at the silence, broken by interminable masses. Mad at himself for letting Francoeur get under his skin. (The Beautiful Mystery, Kindle, p.240)

By the book's conclusion we are left stunned and saddened at Beauvoir's spiralling decline into a state of insecurity, suspicion and paranoia. As one of the monks prophetically tells Gamache:

“Most people don’t die at once.” ... “They die a bit at a time,” ... "They lose heart. They lose hope. They lose faith. They lose interest. And finally, they lose themselves.” (The Beautiful Mystery, Kindle, p.277)

Is this Beauvoir? His loss of trust, growing resentment and feelings of blame toward Gamache and his ultimate desertion of him are shocking. And with the choices made, we are left with someone we no longer quite recognise as Jean-Guy...and one final reference to the chocolate-covered blueberries.

Jean-Guy looked down as they banked. A few monks were outside the walls, picking wild blueberries. He realized he didn’t have any of the chocolates to take back to Annie. But Beauvoir had a sick feeling that it no longer mattered. (The Beautiful Mystery, Kindle, p.371)

Inspirational site

Last year two dear friends and I toured the Eastern Townships region and visited the Abbaye de Saint-Benoit-du-Lac. It was Louise Penny's inspiration for Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups. We were fortunate to witness a service in Gregorian chant, but alas, the Abbaye had run out of the chocolate-covered blueberries for which they are renowned!

Chocolate-covered blueberries

While I would love to be able to use wild blueberries (for their 'immediate wallop of flavour') in this recipe, the only ones available here are cultivated. Good dark chocolate for the covering is readily available, though. But this recipe isn't just a matter of dipping the blueberries in melted dark chocolate. I have been uncovering something of 'the beautiful mystery' of tempering chocolate. This is what chocolatiers do to coat fruit and all manner of tempting fillings. 

Tempering is what gives chocolate its sheen and snap and stops it from melting on your fingertips as soon as you touch it. Tempering is about re-stabilising the crystals in the cocoa butter in the chocolate once it has been melted, through a temperature control process. Tempering prevents the chocolate from getting a whitish bloom when it sets.

A digital or chocolate thermometer is best used for tempering to get accurate  readings needed for success. You need to use chocolate with a high cocoa butter content, and that is why couverture* chocolate is used by chocolatiers with its minimum cocoa butter content of 32%. 

* The Hot Chocolate and Regret post gives the lowdown on couverture chocolate.

300g/10.5oz blueberries

380g/13.5oz dark couverture chocolate

* I used Valrhona couverture with a cocoa mass of 66%.

1.  Wash and completely dry the blueberries.

2.  Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place 3/4 of the chocolate (set aside the other quarter) into a bowl that will fit snugly over a saucepan. No moisture must get into the chocolate.

3. Heat about an inch (3cm) of water in the saucepan until boiling. Reduce the heat so that the water is barely simmering and not steaming.

4. Place the bowl of chocolate over the saucepan (the bowl must not touch the water) and stir continuously with a flexible spatula as the chocolate melts.

Keep checking the temperature of the chocolate until it slowly reaches 116-119F/46-48C (don't let it exceed this temperature range).

 

5.  Immediately remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate.

6.  Continuously stir the chocolate to gradually reduce the temperature (it will take a while) to 82-84F/28-29C to temper it.

7.  Now raise the temperature of the chocolate to the optimal working temperature of 88-91F/31-32C by placing the bowl in another bowl of warm water with a temperature of no more than 91F/32C. Stir continuously, moving the chocolate from the sides of the bowl as you do.

Maintain this temperature while dipping the blueberries. If you exceed this temperature the chocolate will come out of temper, and you will need to re-temper.

8.  Use a skewer to dip each blueberry into the chocolate. Allow excess chocolate to drip off.

9.  Use a second skewer to help ease the blueberry onto a tray lined with baking paper.

 

10.  Allow to set.

11.  As you work stir the chocolate occasionally and keep the temperature constant in the 86-88F/30-31C range.

12.  Eat the chocolate covered blueberries within two to three days. Leftover chocolate can be spread onto a sheet of baking paper and later broken into bite-sized pieces for eating, making hot chocolate or stored for later use.

I need to practise tempering to learn to manage the temperatures better, particularly when you have a load of berries to painstakingly dip, one by one. It will be worth it though as I really love the burst of the berry as you bite into and snap through the chocolate covering, and let it all melt in your mouth. The chocolate has a deep, rich flavour without being sickly sweet. And serving them with a glass of whisky is quite a match!

---

 [1]