Let's start with a few basic couveture chocolate rules:
- chocolate (generally) hates water - if you're going to use a bain-marie to melt your chocolate, make sure you never drop any water into the melted chocolate - it will seize the mixture
- all pre-tempered chocolate (which is generally what you'd be buying, already has tempered crystals in it. We're not going to talk extensively about that now, just bear that in mind
- if you melt tempered chocolate to it's given range (which is usually printed on the packet!), you will not take the chocolate out of temper (that is, remove the crystals)
- even if you do take the chocolate out of temper, just add a bit more of the tempered chocolate back into it, and that will reseed the chocolate
- calm down, none of this is as complicated as it sounds
- very generally speaking, if you keep the temperature of the chocolate between 26ºC and about 38ºC, you will not have any problems
- if you're going to melt your chocolate in a microwave (which I do), make sure you only do it in 15 second busts, and check the temperature towards the end
- always microwave your chocolate in a plastic, not glass bowl, and use a plastic spoon when mixing
- an infrared / laser thermometer is an absolute god-send for checking the temperature of chocolate, as you don't have to put it into the chocolate
- always use fresh marshmallows - even marshmallows which have been out for 12 hours in an airtight box are too old - the chocolate will peel away, and the mallowpop is too dry
- by far the best thing to set chocolate onto is food-grade acetate, which is inexpensive to buy
- if you're lucky enough to have Neff warming drawer ( I adore mine), you can keep several bowls of chocolate in temper while you're working by keep them at the 1.5 setting - check the temperature again before you begin, and if over 38ºC, you can reseed them with a handful of fresh chocolate
- I've found I can actually keep chocolate in temper overnight in the warming drawer, though it's probably best to take it down the the 1 setting
Chocolate Suppliers:
Vantage House
The Chocolate Trading Company