Painted Chocolate Palette
Serves: 6
Alessia Franecki
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
46
Spice
41
Sweetness
52
Sourness
40
mins
Prep time (avg)
5
Difficulty
Ingredients:
Directions:
1
Using the palette template provided, trace the shape onto a piece of cardboard and cut it out, creating a stencil
2
Spread a 1/8-inch-thick layer of the white chocolate onto a sheet of parchment paper or acetate
3
Let the chocolate set slightly, about 4 to 5 minutes
4
The chocolate will be firm enough to cut but it will not be hard
5
Place the cardboard stencil on top of the chocolate, and with the tip of a sharp paring knife, cut all the way through the chocolate, working quickly before the chocolate becomes too hard
6
Peel off the paper or acetate from what is now the top
7
Remove the cut palette and set aside for assembly
8
To make the paintbrushes, use a cornet half filled with bittersweet chocolate
9
Pipe a 1/8-inch-thick 4-inch-long line onto a clean sheet of parchment paper or acetate
10
Pipe an extra 1/2-inch teardrop at one end of the chocolate line
11
To make the paints, mix the cocoa butter and a small amount of powdered food coloring together (it will be easier if you use a yogurt machine to store and warm your paints)
12
Using a paintbrush, create paint spots on the palette, applying as many colors as you are inspired to do
13
To assemble, set the palette on a plate
14
Rest the ends of the paintbrush in the finger hold
15
Place chocolate bonbons on the palette near each paint color
16
How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres): Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate)
17
There are a variety of ways to temper
18
One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted
19
Be very careful not to overheat it
20
(The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip
21
It will retain its shape even when mostly melted
22
White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain
23
) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat
24
Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps
25
Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl
26
As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it
27
A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer
28
Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding
29
In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate
30
The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount
31
It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk
32
The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering
33
Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface
34
The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F
35
At this stage, it is thick and begins to set
36
This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature
37
If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached
38
This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess
39
A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife
40
If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes