Home-made chocolate bars!

I hope your weekend was restful and soothing, and that you're fresh and ready for an express week that will once again go by faster than lightning. Today it's chocolate time, just to protect yourself from the last of the cold, snug in your little bulge. I'm so nice! Don't freak out, it's really not complicated - all you need is a bit of space and a kitchen thermometer (probe type). But as for space, I've got a kitchen that looks like a thimble and I've done it! Idid it! Don't worry, make room and prepare your ingredients! To work with chocolate, you generally need to temper it if you want to do it properly... Tempering chocolate results in a clean, shiny surface that breaks cleanly, unmoulds perfectly and keeps well. I've attached all the explanations for tempering chocolate. Mercottewho will explain better than I can the whys and wherefores and, above all, the hows...

Variation N°1: Milk chocolate with meringue filling for 2 or 3 bars:
  • 3 egg whites
  • 180g caster sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 400g milk chocolate (dessert chocolate)

Before you start tempering, prepare your meringues. To do this, simply remove your eggs from the fridge about 15 minutes beforehand. If they're too cold, this doesn't always work. Once the yolk and white perfectly the pinch of salt and you're ready to go. Beat the eggs until stiff, adding the sugar little by little. The mixture should set fairly quickly, and your meringue will be set when the mixture forms horizontal stalactites on your mixer (about 4/5 minutes). On a sheet of baking parchment, shape your large meringues with a tablespoon. It doesn't really matter what shape you give them, as they'll be crumbled into crumbs to garnish your tablets... Bake for 50 minutes at 110°C. Once your meringues are ready, crumble them into small pieces and set aside. Now you're ready to start tempering. YOUHOU TOO PARTY. Once the chocolate has reached the right temperature, apply a first layer of chocolate using a silicone brush, then cover the entire surface with a small ladle or spoon. Leave to cool on the window for around 5 to 10 minutes. Once the chocolate has set, fill the mold with the meringue powder, compressing the meringue so that there are as few air bubbles as possible. Finish with a final layer of milk chocolate. To smooth the whole, use a spatula to remove any excess chocolate. Leave to cool at room temperature for a few hours, or if you're in a hurry, pop them in the fridge...

Variation N°2: White chocolate with raspberry ganache... for 2 or 3 bars:
  • 300g raspberries (frozen is perfect)
  • 5cl heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 1 tsp agar agar (or 3 sheets gelatin)
  • 400g milk chocolate (dessert chocolate)
To begin, cook the raspberries over a low heat, add the liquid cream and caster sugar and stir. Once the mixture is hot, add the agar agar and cornflour, continuing to cook. Cook over a low heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the ganache from the pan and pour into a bowl. Set aside in a cool place for 20 to 30 minutes, until the ganache has reached the right consistency. Stir occasionally. You can temper your white chocolate as before, coating your molds with a thin but even layer, waiting for the chocolate to set and garnishing with raspberries, finishing with a final layer of white chocolate and voilà! For these 2 recipes, I recommend chilling them in the fridge, but I must confess that they didn't last long in my house... Enjoy, I confess to a strong preference for milk chocolate + meringue!
March 12, 2012
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