Chocolate Leaf How To Recipes

CHOCOLATE LEAF HOW-TO

Steps:

• Melt about 1/2 cup chocolate in a microwaveable bowl (follow package instructions on melting).
• Dip one side of the leaves generously into the chocolate.
• Place leaf, chocolate side up, on a plate and refrigerate until chocolate hardens.
• After chocolate hardens, slowly peel off the leaves.

CHOCOLATE CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Makethe creme brulee: Heat creamand 1/4 cup sugar in a smallsaucepan over medium heat,stirring, until sugar dissolvesand the cream just begins tosimmer. Add chocolate, andwhisk until melted and smooth.
• Whisk remaining 3 tablespoonssugar with the egg yolksin a medium bowl. Slowly pourcream mixture into yolk mixture,whisking constantly. Straincustard through a fine sieve.
• Pour custard into four 4-ounceramekins. Transfer ramekins toa roasting pan, and fill pan withenough boiling water to reachhalfway up the sides of ramekins.Bake until custards are justset, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.Carefully remove from water,and let custards cool.
• Assemble the cremes brulees: Refrigerate for 1 hour. Top each with 1 tablespoon sugar. Hold asmall handheld kitchen torch at a 90-degree angle 3 to 4 inches from surface of custard. Moveflame back and forth until surface is caramelized. Alternatively, broil custards on top rack untilcaramelized, 1 to 2 minutes.

CHOCOLATE LEAVES

Steps:

• Place the metal leaf template onto parchment paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate over the template. Remove the stencil and allow to harden. If you don't have a stencil, use a paintbrush to spread bittersweet chocolate over a real leaf on the shiny side, keeping the thickness to about 1/8-inch. Allow the chocolate to set completely then gently peel back the leaf from the chocolate.
• 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). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• 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. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. 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. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• 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. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.

CHOCOLATE-MINT LEAVES

Steps:

• Using paintbrush, coat underside of 1 leaf with a thick layer of chocolate. Drape leaf, chocolate side up, over a skewer set on a parchment-lined baking sheet, top. Repeat. Refrigerate until set, about 10 minutes.
• Gently grasp each leaf with tweezers, and peel from chocolate. Use chocolate leaves to decorate as desired, or store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 2 days.