How to Make Chocolates At Home?
1. Fill water in a vessel and bring it to boil.
2. Break the chocolate in smaller pieces and put it in a bowl (this ensures even melting).
3. Keep the chocolate bowl over the water and melt the chocolate.
4. Make sure there are not lumps and that the water is not vigorously boiling. Overheating will lead to hardening of the cocoa solids and make the chocolate lumpy.
5. Once the chocolate reaches a smooth liquefied stage add any flavor as desired and pour it into a mold.
6. Put the molds in the freezer for 15 to 20 mins till set and then de-mold.
This is chocolate in its simplest form and there is scope for experimentation in terms of flavors, additions etc. However there is so much more you can do with chocolates like brownies, fudges etc though they will require much more practice.
Truffles are also fairly simple to make and similar to normal chocolate but with the addition of cream. The ratio of cream to chocolate is 30g per 250g.
1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces in a bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the cream till it boils and then pour it over the chocolate.
3. Let it sit for 2 minutes.
4. With a whisk gradually start mixing the chocolate till you get a homogenous mixture.
5. Add in some butter (around 35 to 40g for 250g of chocolate) and whisk well.
6. Refrigerate this mixture for minimum 6 hours.
7. Once cool, roll them into 1 inch balls and then dust with cocoa powder to avoid them becoming sticky.
Here too you can add any type of fruit puree to give it some twist or add some essence for variation.
Chocolate is known to lift your spirits and also have medicinal qualities if eaten in limited quantities. Make sure you treat yourself once in a while because you deserve it!
