Recipe: Chocolates

Chocolate Recipe:

For something a little different today, a recipe for some home made chocolates.

You will need:

A good quality white chocolate bar or white chocolate drops
A good quality dark chocolate bar or dark chocolate drops
Freeze dried strawberry pieces
Double cream
Vanilla extract or a vanilla pod
Chocolates mold - the silicon rubber ones work very well.

Get the best quality chocolate you can, it makes a real difference.

To begin, break the white chocolate into chunks and melt in a heat proof bowl over a pan of gently heated water - do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.

Blitz the freeze dried strawberries in a food processor.

Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the freezed dried strawberry pieces.

Coat the mold with the melted white chocolate and either rotate the mold or use a small pastry brush to ensure that there is a fairly even coat of chocolate. Put the mold into a fridge for a few minutes for the chocolate to firm up. You may need to repeat this process to get a thick enough coating. Retain some of the chocolate for closing the molds later.

In the meantime, heat the cream in a pan with the vanilla extract or the seeds from the vanilla pod - do not let the cream come to a boil. Break the dark chocolate into a heat proof bowl. When the cream is hot, pour the cream onto the dark chocolate. Pour on a little of the cream at a time as you are looking for a thick consistency, not too runny. Stir until the chocolate is melted into the cream, adding more of the hot cream if needed, and the mix has a smooth consistency but is thick enough to hold it's shape. You can put it in the fridge for a few minutes to cool. - Then fill the mold with the ganache to a level just below the top of the mold, smooth with the back of a teaspoon or a palatte knife. Once all the molds are filled, place into the fridge to set.

If necessary remelt the remaining white chocolate and finally pour onto the molds to 'seal' the chocolates. Put into the fridge for 20 minutes to completely set and then carefully turn out the chocolates from the mold.

As these chocolates use fresh cream they should be eaten within a couple of days of making them.

You can add flavourings or liqueur to the ganache filling, add this to the cream when it is being heated and stir in before pouring it onto the dark chocolate.