I know that I fall in love with chocolate a long time ago, it’s so charming, everything about it, flavor, smell, texture or even the bad temper of it ^^. I think the chocolate is bad temper because it reacts real soon to the temperature, like the people when can’t resist anything that change so fast, like me, haha.
So, I try so hard to make friend with the chocolate, even I still can’t completely understand it, but I hope some day I will.
Tempering is the way that we can make a relationship with chocolate ^^, and all we have to do is “don’t let the chocolate lose its temper” too hot or too cool will hurt the texture and chocolate will lose its shine too . I tried many way of tempering chocolate before, but most of them is not as good as I want. The problem is making chocolate at home, we use less chocolate and it’s hard to temper a small amount of the chocolate. Until I saw how to tempering in this book: Chocolate Book―クリスマス&バレンタイン、ハロウィンカードつき by 宮原 美樹 (Miki Miyahara) and it’s easy.
Because we use a low temperature tempering, the effect from over heating will be less, and it use less time to bring it back to correct temperature (but it use more time to melt the chocolate, but I think it’s fine).
I try this method once and I know that I really, really love it. The chocolate comes out shiny and use less time to firm up (it mean I temper it right, haha).
I think it’s very good to make the chocolate for someone that we care, as I understand more and more that you have to put a lot of effort when making it. Each process, like choosing the flavor, making the ganache, melt the chocolate, tempering it and molding it. You have to be careful because the result will show on your finished product and it’s easily to see it.
For me this time I make the chocolate for my sister, she likes dark chocolate and candied orange, so I put them together.
The ganache is the Grand Marnier ganache, with a piece of Grand Marnier soaked candied orange, then cover it with dark chocolate. You can change the ganache into the flavor and combination that you or the person that you want to give this chocolate like, I know that it will be great to receive these little treat, esp when it custom made for you ^^.
So, why don’t you start the tradition of making your own chocolate for the one that you love today, maybe you will be the one that everyone look forward to on each Valentine’s day.
Cut the candied orange peel into small pieces, pour enough of the Grand Marnier over until cover all the peel.
Let it soak for 12 or overnight.
Make the ganache:
Bring the cream to boil over low heat, when it becomes boil take of the heat and pour the chocolate into the pan.
Stir until melt, and pour the Grand Marnier into the ganache.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature and put in the piping bag.
Tempering the chocolate for making shell:
Boil a pan of water, then let it cool to 60-65°C
Put 140g of the chocolate in a bowl and place the bowl over the hot water (don’t let the water touch the bowl), stir until the chocolate melt and the temperature of the chocolate is 40°C
Take the bowl off the pan and put 60g of chocolate (a little at a time, you might not use all the chocolate) into the bowl and stir until all of them melt, the temperature should be about 28°C. (If the chocolate won’t melt completely, use a hair dryer to melt it).
Place the bowl back over the hot water pan again and stir until the temperature is 31°C. Keep the chocolate at this temperature, the chocolate is ready to use.
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