We are almost ready for Christmas. Today kiddos made a gingerbread house all by themselves! Mommy couldn’t be more proud. It looks like I can pass the baton to them starting from now. Since I had some spare time this year, we played around with chocolate and made some delicious cherry merry chocolate bars. Friends, expect some packages hand delivered to your door!
Merry Christmas!
Homemade chocolate bars
(Adapted from savourydays)
400 g dark chocolate (I use Valrhona 71%) (chopped)
Suggested toppings:
- Middle-eastern feast: Rose petals, roasted pistachio, freeze dried berries, and sea salt.
- Tropical land: chopped dried mango, dried pineapple, toasted coconut flakes, and roasted sunflower seeds.
- Orange burst: candied orange peels and cocoa nibs.
- Wonder berries: dried cherries, freeze dried berries, dried blueberries, macadamia.
To temper chocolate:
- Put a bowl over a pan with boiling water.
- Note: You should remove the pan from the heat to avoid the water from continuing to boil.
- Add 300 g chopped chocolate.
- Use a spatula to stir until all chocolate is melt and reach 115F-120F (or 45-50C)
- Remove the bowl from the pan, and set the bowl on a kitchen towel placed on a countertop.
- Add a few pieces of the remaining chocolate in the chocolate bowl.
- Use the spatula to gently stir until all melt.
- Repeat step 5 and 6 until the chocolate’s temperature reduces to 82-84F (or 28-29C).
- Remove any unmelt chunk of chocolate.
- Use a hairdryer to gently heat the chocolate in step 7 to reach 86-87F (or 30-31C)
- Note: Be very careful. This process should take 15-20 seconds only.
- Note: Make sure to hold the hairdryer really high to avoid splatter the chocolate liquid everywhere. I learnt it the hard way.
- Use the hairdryer to also gently blow dry the chocolate mold for a few seconds.
- Quickly pour the chocolate on step 9 into the mold.
- Sprinkle with toppings.
- Refrigerate 30 minutes-1 hour.
Nga's cuisine 