MATT CLARK makes his own chocolates for Easter on a course at Bettys Cooking School.

ROBIN Kendall has good news for chocoholics everywhere. He says eating 20 grams of pure chocolate a day is not only a fine way to pass a couple of minutes; it can also ward off nastys like heart disease.

Which was more than enough of an excuse to book an afternoon with Robin to learn the black art of dark chocolate.

As Bettys head chocolatier he makes it look easy, but because so much can go wrong, even Robin can’t afford complacency.

Like a naughty child, he says, chocolate always tries to show you up. Which is why Bettys Cookery School offers master classes for those of us who are dying to have a go, but fear their kitchen might end up like an explosion in Willy Wonker’s factory.

In collaboration with the school’s senior course tutor Lisa Bennison, Robin even promises he can show me how to make a box of Raspberry Ganache Chocolates that are good enough to impress Bettys founder Frederick Belmont.

But Robin obviously hadn’t heard about my lack of culinary prowess when he handed over a bag of what looks like Cadbury’s buttons.

“Actually they are chocolate drops made from the Criollo cocoa bean which is sourced in Venezuela and very rare,” says Robin.

Most of the chocolate we’re used to is made from Forastero beans from Brazil and Africa. But the luxurious Criollo beans are lower yielding and therefore considerably more expensive. The beans are placed in wooden crates to ferment and set out to dry in natural tropical sunlight.

Then they are bagged and sent to Betty’s chocolate supplier, Felchlins of Switzerland, where they are roasted and processed to make them smooth and mellow.

When the chocolate comes to Bettys it’s transformed from blocks into shiny, smooth bars which break with a loud snap.

The process is called tempering and here it is still done the traditional way – by hand.

First the chocolate is melted in a glass bowl over a heavy based saucepan containing two inches of water.

“Never use a microwave,” says Robin. “That’s a swear word around here.”

Chocolate is temperamental and must be heated carefully to a maximum of 55ºC to prevent it burning.

To prevent it seizing, once the chocolate has almost melted, the bowl is taken away from the water Now comes the tempering process where you continue to stir the chocolate until it has fully melted, then pour it on to a clean, dry work surface, ideally marble or a granite, but not wood.

Work the chocolate by spreading it across the surface back and forth with a palette knife for at least two minutes or until the chocolate starts to thicken a little and has reached its working temperature of 27ºC.

Then, using a scraper, transfer the chocolate back into the bowl, stir well again and it’s ready to go.

Now you know how to temper it’s time to make something delicious. Let’s try Bettys recipe for raspberry ganache chocolates. This recipe is based on using a chocolate mould for 24 oval chocolate shells. The quantities of ingredients will vary depending on the type of chocolate mould you are using.


Raspberry ganache chocolates

Ingredients and equipment
350g temperered dark chocolate
1 chocolate mould for 24 chocolate shells
1 x piping bag

For the raspberry ganache filling

90g milk chocolate
170g dark chocolate
65ml whipping cream
6g glucose syrup
80g fresh raspberries
15ml crème de framboise (raspberry liquor)

Method

First polish the mould with a clean, dry cloth. Pour in enough tempered chocolate into the moulds to line the base and sides of each shell/hole.

Tip the mould upside down and allow the excess chocolate to drain back into the bowl. You need to get the right thickness. If it’s too thin the finished chocolates will break when you tip them out.

If the chocolate is too thick it will flood back into the mould and there will be no room for the filling. Allow the chocolate to set up at room temperature or for a short period in the fridge. Keep the remaining chocolate in the bowl for later.

To make the raspberry ganache filling: partially melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat and store to one side.

Using a small heavy-based pan, bring the cream and glucose syrup to the boil. Using your fingers break up the raspberries and add to the pan with the crème de framboise. Allow to cool a little.

Gradually pour the raspberry cream mix over the partially melted chocolate and mix with a whisk. If either the raspberry mix or melted chocolate is too hot the ganache may split. To check the chocolate is fully melted, fold with a spatula until the chocolate is smooth.

Pour the ganache into a piping bag and place in the fridge to cool.

Do not leave the ganache there too long or it will not be a pipeable consistency.

Once the filling has cooled, pipe into the prepared shells leaving at least a 2-3mm gap from the top. Allow the ganache to settle and skin over.

To ‘back off’ the chocolates, retemper the chocolate in the bowl. Pour the correctly tempered chocolate over the filled chocolate shells and remove the excess with a palette knife.

To do this hold the mould in one hand and carefully run the edge of the palette knife across the top to scrape off the excess chocolate. If the chocolate shells have been overfilled the filling will drag across the mould.

Once the chocolate has set, tip the mould over and tap it on the work bench. Move any chocolates that have released from the mould to one side as you may need to tap the mould a few times to release all the chocolates.

Store the chocolates in a cool, dry place (ideally 16-18°C) but not in a fridge.