Many home cooks don’t consider chocolate work to be within their wheelhouse. It can be a daunting task, what with how finicky chocolate can be. And who wants to waste a block of high-quality Callebaut or Guittard if the recipe doesn’t turn out right? Using tempered chocolate is imperative when making any confectionary, but many home cooks will avoid the tempering technique out of intimidation. This does not have to be the case! Armed with only a bowl, a double boiler, a rubber spatula, and a digital thermometer, you too can achieve the tempered chocolate of your pastry dreams!
First of all, what exactly is “tempering”? This term refers to the act of heating, cooling, and agitating chocolate to stabilize it so it may be formed into different shapes without melting at room temperature. Properly tempered chocolate is glossy and smooth in appearance and should break apart with a resounding snap. Improperly tempered chocolate is signified by white streaks, graininess, or having a melty texture even at room temperature.
There are multiple techniques used to temper, but we recommend the “seeding” method, as it’s most approachable in a home kitchen. To start, finely chop your chocolate with your Forge to Table bench knife. You’ll melt about ⅔ - ¾ of your total amount of chocolate over a double boiler, and chop up and add the rest as “seed” to gradually bring down the temperature of the melted bulk. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir in the seed chocolate, and it will melt in to effectively cool the bulk to its desired working temperature, bringing it into temper.
The desired temperature of your chocolate depends on whether you’re using dark, milk, or white chocolate, as each one has different requirements. We highly recommend using a digital thermometer to accurately read the temperature of your chocolate as you melt it and cool it down, as both must be within the correct range to achieve a proper temper. Each type of chocolate must be brought to the following temperatures:
Dark: Melt to 114℉ - 118°F, cool to 88℉ - 90℉
Milk: Melt to 105℉ - 113°F, cool to 84℉ - 86℉
White: Melt to 100℉ - 110℉, cool to 84℉ - 86℉
Monitoring the temperature of the chocolate is crucial in this stage. Be very careful while first melting your chocolate over the double boiler, as overheating can prevent the chocolate from ever coming into temper. Avoid bringing the chocolate to 120℉ or higher. You also want to be extremely careful to not let any water from the double boiler get into the chocolate, as water makes chocolate seize up and turn grainy. Remember- the enemies of chocolate are excessive heat and water!
You can now use the chocolate for confectionary work, like filling a mold for making truffles or piping delicate decorations for topping off a pastry. We recently did some experimentation with different kinds of chocolate bark, as tempered chocolate is a perfect canvas for making this easy treat to showcase a variety of flavors. It makes a great gift to give in person or send in the mail, and it’s a great shareable snack to have on hand at home.
To prepare the bark, use an offset spatula to evenly spread the tempered chocolate in a ¼ - ½ inch thick layer on a piece of parchment paper. We recommend taping the parchment down on a flat surface before even melting the chocolate so it’s completely smooth and stable, as you need to work quickly once the chocolate is ready so it doesn’t set before you have a chance to add your toppings. We raided the pantry for sweet, salty, crunchy, and fruity toppings for our bark, and it only took about half a cup or less of each ingredient to top a full pound of chocolate.
Sprinkle your toppings of choice across the surface of the chocolate, and let the bark set completely. You can expedite this process by transferring the sheet of parchment to the fridge or freezer. Once it’s fully set, use your Forge to Table Bench Knife to chop up the bark into equal-sized pieces.
While we encourage you to have fun and get creative with different varieties of toppings for your bark, if you’d like to recreate the flavors we made in the test kitchen, the following combinations were absolute winners:
Dark chocolate with freeze-dried raspberries, pistachios, and white chocolate drizzle;
Dark chocolate with candied ginger and honey roasted pecans;
Dark chocolate with slivered almonds and toasted coconut;
Milk chocolate ‘banana split’ with banana chips, salted peanuts, and dried cherries;
Milk chocolate ‘snack mix’ with potato chips, pretzels, and caramel popcorn.
Chocolate Bark Many Ways
Customizable chocolate bark? We’re all over it! The technique of tempering chocolate is necessary when working with high-quality chocolate and lends a satisfying snap when the chocolate is bitten. Get creative, share the goodness, and have fun for the holidays!
Recipe by Samara Wald
Photography by Sam Burgess
Forge To Table
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Ingredients:
Dark Bark:
12-16 ounces high-quality dark chocolate
¼ cup candied ginger, chopped
½ cup white sesame seeds
Milk Bark:
12-16 ounces high-quality milk chocolate
¼ cup honey roasted peanuts, crushed
½ cup banana chips, crushed
White Bark:
12-16 ounces high-quality white chocolate
¼ cup freeze-dried raspberries, crushed
½ cup shelled pistachios, crushed
Directions:
GATHER TOPPINGS. To start, decide what flavors of chocolate bark you want to make. There are endless options, including kettle corn, pretzels, banana chips, potato chips, marshmallows, peppermint candies, roasted peanuts, freeze-dried raspberries, etc. Break the toppings into small pieces so they stick to the chocolate easier.
CHOP CHOCOLATE. Finely chop your chocolate of choice with your Forge to Table Bench Knife until small shavings. Add about ⅔ total chopped chocolate to a medium bowl over a pot of boiling water double boiler. Reserve remaining chopped chocolate as “seed” to gradually bring down the temperature later.
MELT CHOCOLATE. Use a clean rubber spatula to gently stir the chocolate over the hot pot so it will melt completely. Be careful while first melting your chocolate over the double boiler, as overheating can prevent the chocolate from tempering properly. Also avoid any water from coming in contact with the liquid chocolate, as it will seize and not temper.
TEMPER CHOCOLATE. Once the chocolate is melted, remove the bowl from the double boiler. Using a digital thermometer and reserved chopped “seed” chocolate, fold into melted chocolate in small amounts to cool the chocolate to the temperature range: Dark: Melt to 114℉ - 118°F, cool to 88℉ - 90℉ // Milk: Melt to 105℉ - 113°F, cool to 84℉ - 86℉ // White: Melt to 100℉ - 110℉, cool to 84℉ - 86℉
COOL & GARNISH. Once cooled to the proper range, spread tempered chocolate onto a Silpat or parchment paper and spread with an offset spatula or Forge to Table Bench Knifeuntil about ¼” thick. Quickly garnish with desired toppings prepared earlier. The chocolate will set in a matter of minutes, so work quickly to make sure the toppings don’t fall off.
SERVE. Once the chocolate bark is completely set, use your Forge to Table Bench Knife to break it into approximately 1-ounce pieces. Reserve pieces in a plastic container for up to 6 weeks and share the holiday goodness!
Chef’s Notes:
Get creative with your toppings! The entire tempered chocolate piece can be divided into sections of flavors, so even if you’re only using one kind of chocolate you can get a variety of flavors and textures.
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