July 22, 2022
I broke down and bought some cocoa butter (not cacao, sue me), and it’s time to see if I can pull off tempering real chocolate with erythritol. First attempt, doing it live!
The normal recipe is (by volume) 1 part cocoa butter, 1 part cocoa powder, 1/4 part sweetener.
Yes volume, it’s literally the worst way to measure.
230, 118, 79g
Cocoa butter will pre-crystallize, and properly crystallized chocolate is glossy, has a nice snap to it, and doesn’t suck.
I’m expecting it will have a cooling effect and a bit of grit from the erythritol, and any water added is supposed to mess it up. Salted butter might be the fix, so let’s try that today. I’m going to have to eyeball it, so wish me luck.
January 20, 2023
Notes on tempering
Melt to 46-50C (115-122F), cool to 28C (82F), heat and hold at 30-32C (86-90F).
Melt in a double boiler, then take 2/3 of the melted chocolate and mess around with it on a cool, non-porous surface (like marble, granite, or just a countertop) – pretend you’re at one of those fancy ice cream places with the chilled slab, and keep the chocolate moving around until it comes down to the target temperature, then bring it back to the double boiler until the hold temperature is reached, then pour it into the molds. Those molds should go in the fridge for a few hours. You can test the temper before pouring by pouring a bit on to parchment paper, let it cool, and see if it snaps.