This week is chocolate week! While most would approach this week with excitement and anticipation, I felt queasy. I've seen the movie Chocolat. It's complicated and from my past experiences with chocolate desserts, it is not simple. You can burn it quickly. You can cool it too quickly. There are plenty of places to go wrong.
Today, we melted dark chocolate and blond chocolate, which tastes a lot like toffee. We melted it over the double boiler and poured 3/4 onto the table. Use a chocolate spatula and a scraper to cool the chocolate. Slowly scrape and wipe the balde on the spatula. flattent eh chocolate with the spatula and start again until the chocolate is at 35 degrees Celsius. Return the chocolate to a small bowl. The bowl should be small so the chocolate does not cool too much, nor too quickly. mix vigorously for a minute. DO the same over a double boiler and then again off the fire. Dip a piece of alumnium foil in some of the chocolate and put in the fridge to test the crispiness of the sample. Once the sample is good, you can pour the chocolate onto a cookie sheet that is covered in parchment paper. Once you flatten the chocolate out with the spatula, throw it into the fridge until it crystallizes.
When the chocolate doesn't stick to touch, you can cut it with a multi-roller at 3cm x 3cm. Place another sheet of wax paper on top and flip it. Peel off the bottom of the chocolate. Just like that you have beautiful little squares.
Using a chocolate fork, coat the chocolate squares. If the chocolate did not crystallize properly, it will melt when dipping in the chocolate. If so, melt it all and temper it again. If it works, lay each piece on a parchment paper. Let the chocolate start to cool and place almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, apricots, craisins, raisins, orange confit and lemon confit. Let them rest and cool completely.
Feeling
Like a chocolatier!!