Couverture
For easter present i thought i'd try my hand at a bit of chocolate 'making'. I was quite pleased with the end result of my eggs, although not perfect given the rush i had to finish them in! They generally look quite good and fit together well, although their finish has been blemished with the odd finger print due to not having enough time to fully set in the fridge. But i am pleased, particularly with the dark chocolate striped egg and least so with the dotty dark chocolate egg!
Aside from just having to take the time to keep an eye on temperatures, it was quite a simple process which didn't require much specialist equipment; i made use of the jam thermometer we had anyway, bought a mould cheaply off Ebay and got the belgian couverture chocolate reasonably priced off the internet (although this could be substituted with a cheaper chocolate. The quality affects the visual and audio finish so if making chocolates with children, for example, then a bog-standard chocolate would be fine and slightly less work as it wouldn't require tempering).
Couverture chocolate has a higher cocoa butter content which, when tempered, gives the chocolate more shine, a better snap and a creamier flavour all of which i can vouch for! I bought mine from Cakes, Cookies and Crafts and it arrived promptly a few days later...i can see myself using the website quite a bit! The instructions for tempering on the packet were for using the microwave method, which i didn't feel really comfortable with, so decided to use the traditional hob-method for which instructions arrived with the egg mould. Will get round to typing it up when i've got the booklet with me.
I made hollow shells and filled each one with something praline-based...it's always nice to find a little treat inside an easter egg! With the left over melted chocolate i made a few simple chocolates in some rubber shell moulds we have. I filled each hole about 2/3 with chocolate then put a small dollop of salted caramel in the middle before flattening the top off with a bit more chocolate. Nothing special looking, but they are rather tasty and a good little way to use up left overs!
I put the eggs in a little 4-hole egg box which was saved from an easter present a few years ago- simple and quaint, i rather like it with the nice ribbon tied around it. I'd definitely make my own chocolate things again as it's not an expensive undertaking and, although slighty time consuming, is fun and carries the satisfaction of being homemade. However, i will definintely make sure that any chocolate has the full time in the fridge to make sure it's fully set before handling...i don't want anymore fingerprints!
Hot cross buns have been flowing out of the bread ovens at work of late and it's just making me want to make mine all the sooner, although that may now have to be post-dissertation. One of the most exciting things i brought home was a chocolate panettone due to it's great taste and texture but also the prospect of making a rather fancy bread and butter pudding out of it! I know it could be considered a shame to use panettone for such thing, but i can't resist...i think it's going to be delicious.
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