A few weeks ago I had a go at ‘tempering’ chocolate; trying to get a professional shine and smoothness of texture … when you break off a piece and it has a satisfyingly crisp ‘snap’ sound. I followed the instructions in Paul A Young‘s book ‘Adventures in Chocolate’, currently the world’s number one chocolate book which has won the Gourmand book award in Paris.
“this way it sets with a nice sheen, no graininess or grittiness”.
“How much was that?”
“£95.”
“Did the client design it?” I asked, looking at the sparkly mini eggs encrusted, fabergé style, into the surface.
“No, he likes and knows my stuff and just said do what you think. The colours are actually in the chocolate, not painted on.”
“Being around sweet stuff so much, we love savoury food,” said Brendan.
“I mostly spend my day off sleeping.”
“Do you ever eat crap chocolate?” I ask Paul.
“No.”
“I mean,” I push on, investigative reporter’s hat on, determined to get to the bottom of this. “If you were stopping at a petrol station, and you fancied a chocolate bar, what would you choose?”
“I always keep a selection of my own chocolates in the glove compartment. I never eat trashy chocolate, there’s no enjoyment,” answered Paul.
“Why chocolate? and what’s so good about your stuff as opposed to say, Thorntons?” I ask Paul.
“There was no defining moment. It just happened! What I make is 100% handmade, natural, no machinery chocolate. It’s the hardest, purest way to make chocolates. Nothing is made industrially. Thorntons is mass production. You can’t make a decision with a machine. I can make new things everyday. With a machine, you’d have to change the set up, it would take too long, be too difficult.”
“I’m not in this for the money. I only use the best suppliers such as Valrhona or Michel Cluizel which have a high cocoa content, are the most expensive. Most of the chocolate I use is French, not Belgian.”
“Why? Does it taste different?” I ask
“It’s just our style. I also check their ethics, don’t trade unfairly, use child labour… If Valrhona weren’t ethical, I’d stop using them.”
“The important thing is to dream. People say ‘you are a dreamer’ like it’s a bad thing. But we are all grownup children. You have to have dreams.” He pauses while stirring the ganache. “One day I’m going to retire, somewhere pale and calm. But this is a long term project, ten, fifteen years.”
Finally, I ask: “Any advice for people wanting to temper at home?”
“Buy my book. Work as cleanly as possible. Have a cool room. Some of it will always end up on the floor…If you make a mistake, melt it down, do another batch. Practise. Get comfortable with it. It won’t happen overnight.”
Jenny
Did they have a conching machine?
I'd love to own a chocolate factory, although I think I'd still have to buy the occasional creme egg…
theundergroundrestaurant
Nothing is done by machine!
Agreed!
marv woodhouse
OMG … now its offical Ms M. that you have the best job in the world!
Will have to check them out the next time I am on London…
vincent
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ButterYum
Greetings from the US. Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving such a nice comment. To answer your question, the berries in the photo are actually "black raspberries". They're very small, and much different than blackberries. You can do a google search to see examples.
Btw, I LOVE you blog!!!
🙂
ButterYum
theundergroundrestaurant
thankyou butter yum just discovered your blog and I love the step by step explanations….
Check out my other blog…the english can cook…about my supperclub…if you have a moment.x
Laura Nickoll
Lovely post, and fascinating behind-the-scenes pics. I visited Paul's Islington shop for the first time last week, picking up some chocolate salt caramels, and a bag of other goodies from the counter to sample. They were truly decadent and special, worth the cost when you realise how much effort has gone into making each one. Thorntons should be wiped off the face of the earth, though I'm a sucker for a kitkat…
theundergroundrestaurant
I have to admit I'm a heathen when it comes to chocolate. Good ole Cadburys for me!