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Chocolate dip - hard shell?
at Sun, 19 Oct 2003 00:28:42 GMT in
>,
(Robocheese) wrote :
>
>
> I'm trying to make some protein bars that are fresh marshmallow based
>with nuts and things added. That part is ok. I also want to Hand Dip the
>pieces in chocolate.
>
> What is the secret of HARD shell dipping?...
> Can anyone with experience tell me what to buy
You need to buy "Couverture" - the type of chocolate specifically designed
for coating, among other things, with a high percentage (>40%) cocoa
butter. This isn't as hard as it sounds - most quality chocolate bars are
couverture grade, e.g. Ghirardelli, Valrhona, Michel Cluizel, Guittard.
(Not Hershey's, Dove, etc.) Don't buy "compound coating", the stuff often
found in supermarkets in small cubes packaged in sort-of thin plastic ice
cube trays. This tastes much worse and is usually softer also.
> and the temperatures
> and
>so forth please? I've tried several chocolates and had not come up with
>a good shell yet.
The key here is tempering. Once you've melted the chocolate, which you do
inside a double-boiler, take a cold, nonporous surface (a marble slab is
perfect) and spread about 1/2 to 2/3 of the chocolate onto it. Immediately
start spading it around with a palette knife or metal spatula (i.e.
alternately spreading and folding it) until it just begins to solidify.
Quickly scrape it back into the rest of the melted chocolate and stir until
everything is uniform. It is now tempered and ready for coating.
You must now coat quickly, because it will solidify fast at this point. So
have your bars available and immediately dip them in, one at a time. Don't
dump them all in at the same time - this is your ticket to a sticky mess.
Once coated, set them on sheets of wax paper set on cooling racks to dry.
Be sure to dry at room temperature, not in the refrigerator. And make sure
your room is cool - no hotter than 70F.
--
Alex Rast
(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)
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