Tempering Archives - A Home Chocolatier

Tempering Chocolate at Home (The Video)

Here is my Youtube video version of “Tempering Chocolate at Home”

Its intended to go with my recent Tempering blog and will be added to it soon.

The process of tempering chocolate can look a little daunting, however it’s very rewarding but can take a little time and patience to master. Its a really precise and basically a chemistry process. The chocolate tempering process allows for hardening crystallisation to occur. Tempering chocolate gives it its distinctive snap and shine. The Tempering blog gives full details and you may find the video useful.

Tempering Chocolate at Home

The process of tempering chocolate can look a little daunting, however it’s very rewarding but can take a little time and patience to master. Its a really precise and basically a chemistry process. The chocolate tempering process allows for hardening crystallisation to occur. Tempering chocolate gives it its distinctive snap and shine. The blog gives full details and you may find the video useful.

Before you start tempering chocolate make sure that the kitchen is free of any moisture / steam. Check your bowl is dry before you start, if water makes contact with the hot melted chocolate it will make it seize and go very gritty. A top tip is to wipe dry the underside of the glass mixing bowl with a towel when removing from the saucepan (bain marie).

The method described is for dark chocolate but notes are included below for tempering milk chocolate and also white chocolate.

Equipment:-

Chocolate tempering thermometer / thermospatula (Lakeland).

Small Marble or Granite Tempering slab (Lakeland).

Chocolate Scraper (Lakeland).

250mm long S/Steel Palette Knife (Lakeland).

200mm dia Heat Proof Glass Bowl (Pyrex).

Small Metal Saucepan (to act as bain marie).

Method for Dark Chocolate:-

1 Place the finely chopped dark chocolate into a heat proof glass bowl and place over a barely simmering saucepan of water (bain marie). Ensuring that the water does not touch the bottom of the glass bowl.

2 Gently heat / melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally and checking the temperature regularly with a thermometer and when it reaches 55deg C (131deg F) remove the bowl from the saucepan being careful to dry the underside of the bowl. Now carefully pour two thirds of the melted chocolate onto a granite or marble tempering slab, keeping the remainder of the chocolate warm, in the bowl but off the heat.

3 Using a chocolate scraper work the chocolate from the centre to the sides of the slab and back to the centre again at least 3 or 4 times. Check the temperature as you work the chocolate, it needs to be lowered in temperature to 27deg C (80deg F). This is the temperature dark chocolate crystallises Now pour/scrape the chocolate back into the bowl (which is off the saucepan / stove) with the remaining chocolate and stir together. Check the temperature it needs to now drop to 30deg C to 31deg C (86deg F to 88deg F) as the optimum working temperature for dark chocolate. Dip the end of the palette knife into the bowl of chocolate and its should set smoothly with a slight shine.

Notes on Tempering Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate

Due to the different amounts of cocao solids the temperature at stages 2 and 3 will need to be adjusted as follows:-

At Stage 2
The temperature should reach between 45deg C to 50deg C (113deg F to 122deg F)
At Stage 3
The temperature chocolate crystallises is 26deg C (79deg F)
The optimum working temperature is 28deg C to 29deg C (82deg F to 84deg F)

Now you are ready to work with the chocolate and create something wonderful!

Rose Truffles

I wanted to create Rose Truffles with just a hint of rose flavour.

I found a method of making a dark chocolate (70%) ganache with rose petal infused sugar syrup. The infusion tasted really great and when added to the dark chocolate (70%) it gave it a good background.

I enrobed the Rose Truffles in dark tempered chocolate (70%) dipping them and using a fork to lift them out of the bowl. I formed a forked ripple in the top and finished each with an edible dried rose petal.

There are people who may find the taste of Rose in these truffles to be to much of a background taste. I wanted the truffles to be subtle and leave a hint of rose in the mouth after you had eaten them. From the feed back I have had I think I achieved the right result.

Is there anything I would change?…. Maybe the dark chocolate could be dialled back in strength from 70% to nearer 60% as it might be slightly smoother. But overall my batch had a grown up kind of taste and worked well.


Rose Truffles (makes approx 36)

Ingredients:-
1 Tablespoon of Dried Rose Petals.

125ml Water.

70g Caster Sugar.

350g 70% Dark Chocolate finely chopped.

2-3 drops of Rose Oil.

Crystallised Rose Petals (optional) to decorate tops of truffles – food safe

Equipment:-
15cm square baking tin (with loose bottom)

Chocolate tempering thermometer

Chocolate lifting forks (optional but very useful)

250mm long sharp knife to form truffle squares.

Sheet of Non Stick Baking Parchment

Method:-
1 Make Rose Infused Syrup. Place Rose Petals in a small saucepan with the Caster Sugar and 125ml of Water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 minute then pour syrup / petals into a heat proof bowl and leave to cool. Cover and leave overnight to infuse.


2 Line the baking tin with parchment. Place 200g of the Dark Chocolate into a mixing bowl. Strain the syrup into a small saucepan (removing all the petals) and add 2 to 3 drops of Rose Oil or 5 to 6 drops of Rose Water if Rose Oil is not readily available. Gently heat the syrup until just boiling, then pour over the Dark Chocolate. Leave for a few minutes for the chocolate to begin to melt, then stir or gently whisk until a silky smooth ganache forms. Pour the the ganache into the lined baking tin. Ensure the mixture is spread level and leave until cold. Cover and then chill the ganache in a refrigerator until firm.


3 When the ganache is chilled and firm remove from the refrigerator. Carefully remove the ganache from the baking tin. Now using a sharp knife (at least 250mm long) cut into 36 truffle squares (each 25mm x 25mm). Return briefly to the refrigerator.


4 Temper the remaining 150g of Dark Chocolate. This gives the finished chocolate its distinctive snap and shine.

Although it can look a little daunting tempering is a very rewarding process but takes time and patience to master.

NB: Before you start to temper the chocolate make sure that the kitchen is free of any moisture / steam. Check your bowl is dry before you start, if water makes contact with the hot melted chocolate it will make it seize and go very gritty. A top tip is to wipe the underside of the glass mixing bowl with a towel when removing from the saucepan (bain marie).

Place the Dark Chocolate into a heat proof glass bowl and place over a barely simmering s saucepan of water. Ensuring that the water does not touch the bottom of the glass bowl. Bring the chocolate up to 55deg C (131deg F) and then pour 2 thirds of the Chocolate onto a granite or marble tempering slab, keeping the remainder in the bowl warm off the heat. Using a chocolate scraper work the chocolate from the centre to the sides of the slab and back to the centre again at least 3 or 4 times. Check the temperature as you work the chocolate it needs to be lowered in temperature to 27deg C (80deg F). Then pour/scrape the chocolate back into the bowl (which is off the saucepan / stove) with the remaining chocolate and stir together. Check the temperature it needs to reach 30deg C to 31deg C(86deg F to 88deg F) as the optimum working temperature to dip the chocolates.

5 Carefully dip one truffle square at a time into the tempered chocolate and lift out tapping the fork on the side of the chocolate bowl to remove excess chocolate. Then gently place the Rose Truffles onto a sheet of non stick baking parchment for the chocolate to cool. Add a Crystallised Rose Petal to the top of each truffle as they are positioned on the baking paper before the chocolate has cooled. Repeat until all the truffle squares are dipped and
decorated.

Rose Truffles


The completed Rose Truffles can be kept in an air tight container (at room temperature) for at least 10 days…. though in my experience they have been eaten well before this!

Equipment:-

Method for Dark Chocolate:-

Notes on Tempering Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate

Now you are ready to work with the chocolate and create something wonderful!

Rose Truffles (makes approx 36)

Ingredients:-

Equipment:-

Method:-