Tempering chocolate is easy as 1, 2, 3

Convectional Wisdom


DIPPED — Tempered chocolate hardens quickly at room temperature and has a satisfying snap to it when bitten into. Courtesy ofDarleen Principe

DIPPED — Tempered chocolate hardens quickly at room temperature and has a satisfying snap to it when bitten into. Courtesy of Darleen Principe

I have never been big into Valentine’s Day. Despite being a sucker for chick flicks, I’m not much of a romantic when it comes to real life.

There is another February celebration, however, that has recently become one of my favorites: Galentine’s Day.

If you’re a fan of the comedy series “Parks and Recreation,” you already know what I’m talking about. But for those less familiar with the show, Galentine’s Day is when Leslie Knope (played by Amy Poehler) celebrates her closest gal pals by throwing a ladies-only party the day before Valentine’s Day.

 

 

The non-official holiday has made its way into some real-life friend circles, including my own. One of my best friends hosts a Galentine’s Day brunch every year, complete with party favors and some kind of fun crafting session. Of course, I always like to bring the dessert.

The last couple of years, I’ve been lucky enough to find some beautiful, sweet, early-season strawberries at the farmers market (the perks of living in Ventura County). I’m hoping to get my hands on some again this year. If I do, I’ll most certainly dip them in dark chocolate and bring them to brunch.

The key to great chocolate-dipped strawberries— aside from the strawberries themselves, of course—is tempering the chocolate.

Without getting too much into the science, tempering is what gives chocolate that satisfying snap when you bite into it. Tempered chocolate hardens quickly at room temperature with a smooth, shiny finish. Think candy bars and those hollow chocolate Easter bunnies.

Untempered chocolate, on the other hand, takes much longer to dry and sometimes ends up with a dull, blotchy finish. It never fully hardens, so it’s usually soft when you bite into it, and it melts very easily in your hands.

So how do you temper chocolate?

I’ll be honest. It requires patience and precision. But it’s not difficult as long as you don’t try to rush the process. Also, having a food thermometer comes in handy.

Start with a pound of semi-sweet chocolate. A little less is OK, but note that it’s trickier to control the temperature of small batches. I like to use coin-shaped baking wafers or pastilles. Chocolate bars or blocks work well too, but make sure to chop them up into small pieces first.

Melt 2/3 of the chocolate and heat to 115 F in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, fill a small saucepan about halfway with water and bring it to a simmer. Put the chocolate in a large, stainless steel bowl and place that over the simmering saucepan. Keep mixing slowly with a rubber spatula, and take the bowl off the heat as soon as it reaches 115 F.

At this point you can lower the fire on the stove, but don’t turn it off yet. You’re going to need the simmering water again soon.

Cool the melted chocolate to 82 F by mixing in the remaining 1/3 of the solid pieces little by little. This process is called seeding. It may take a while, but seeding is important on a molecular level, so no refrigerating or other shortcuts!

Mix in a few solid chunks and let them melt before adding more. If you run out of solid chocolate before it reaches 82 F, that’s OK. Just keep mixing it slowly.

Reheat the chocolate to 88- 90 F. Place the bowl back on the double boiler and continue mixing slowly. As soon as it reaches 88-90 F, it will be “in temper” and ready for dipping.

If the chocolate goes over 90 F at this stage, it will go out of temper and you will have to start over.

An important disclaimer: Do not get any water in the chocolate or else it will seize. Even one drop of water will throw off the molecular structure of the chocolate, so be careful when moving your bowl on and off the double boiler.

If you want to use milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet, bring the mixture down to 80 F in the cooling stage, and up to 86-88 F in the reheating stage.

That’s it! If you stick to the correct temperatures and avoid water-related mishaps, you should have a batch of perfectly tempered chocolate for dipping strawberries, pretzels, cookies . . . the possibilities are endless.

The best part? Any leftover chocolate you may have will just harden into bark. Save it for your next tempering project or keep it for yourself as a treat!

Principe is a home baker, freelance journalist and former Acorn editor who lives in Simi Valley. Reach her at dar.principe@gmail.com.