Yesterday we were invited to 'Sommerfest', a party that my boss was throwing for the first weekend of Summer. In typical Köln fashion it rained nearly the entire day and the temperature required a jacket. Hopefully the party functioned like a reverse rain dance and we will get nothing but sunshine and clear skies for the next couple of months.
My contribution to the mounds of beautiful food at the party was a selection of homemade chocolates...
The top row are white and dark chocolates with a tangy raspberry jelly center and the bottom row are milk chocolate truffles with a dark chocolate chili ganache, and the same but rolled in coconut.
Here is a shot of what they looked like in the center.
It was my first real attempt at making chocolates since doing so as a kid in mums kitchen. It also brought back memories of "helping out"(read:getting in the way and annoying everyone) in the kitchen at my father's restaurant, Doms. I was often given the job of peeling things, but when I was very well behaved I was allowed to make the Chocolate baskets, which would then be filled with fruit and topped with cream. There is something quite magical about chocolate, and I used to love to paint the melted chocolate onto the mold and then watch it transform into a solid, and yummy, dessert.
These chocolates take a little bit of effort to make, but the satisfaction of creating such a yummy treat from scratch make it well worth it.
To make these yourself you need a couple of bits a equipment that you may not have but which are indispensable, a cooking thermometer, and a chocolate mold tray (I have a silicone one which makes it very easy to turn out the chocolates when they are set.
Chocolates with Raspberry center (makes around 20)
Equipment
- Food thermometer
- Fine Sieve
- Chocolate molds
- Double boiler, or a stainless steel bowl that fits into a saucepan.
Ingredients
- 300g Chocolate (The best quality you can afford)
- 125g Rasberries
- 3 Gelatin sheets, Gold.
- 1/4 cup Apple Juice
- 2 Tsb Suger
- In a small saucepan, add the Raspberries, Apple juice and Sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook until the raspberries break down into a mush.
- Strain the mixture through a sieve and use the back of a spoon to push the pulp through, leaving behind the seeds and set aside.
- Now for the slightly tricky part. To temper the chocolate so that you get a beautiful shine when it sets, and a lovely crack as you bite into it you need to follow the following directions.
- Finely chop your chocolate and put 3/4 of it in the double boiler (making sure the pot on top is not touching the water below) stirring gently but constantly, bring the temperature of the chocolate up to 46 degrees Celsius for dark chocolate (43 for milk or white)
- Remove the bowl from the heat and add the remaining chocolate and continue to stir gently until it drops to under 29 degrees C
- Place back on the heat 10 seconds at a time until the temperature of the chocolate reaches 31.5 degrees(30.5 for white and milk choclate) - It is now perfectly tempered and ready to use. It is important that you don't leave the chocolate over the water or allow it to exceed 32.5 degrees at this point. Also - Make sure that water NEVER comes into contact with your chocolate. It will make it seize up and will be unusable.
- Fill your molds with the melted chocolate, wait a couple of minutes and then tip the molds upside down over your bowl of chocolate or a piece of baking paper.
- Scrape the remaining chocolate of the top of the mold and tap vigourously to remove any airbubbles (if you don't, your chocolates will like like they were nibbled by mice)
- While your chocolate sets, soak your gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 mins and put the raspberry mixture on the heat. Shortly before it reaches a simmer, take the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the softened gelatin sheets until dissolved.
- Cool the mixture down over an ice bath (or cold water in the sink) and fill the cavities in the chocolate molds, leaving a space at the top to seal it in with more chocolate.
- Place the molds in the fridge for 10-15 mins to let the jelly start to set.
- Try to keep the chocolate as close the 30 degree mark as you can. This requires putting it on the heat for 5-10 secs every couple of mins.
- Test the jelly with your finger and it it feels slightly firm it is time to add the last bit of chocolate.
- Fill each mold up and then scrape away the excess chocolate so they are level. Again, give them a tap to get out the air bubbles.
- Put the in the fridge for 30 mins and then take them out and de-mold them, trimming the bottoms of the rough bits of chocolate the will be jutting out.
