In between decorating the tree, wrapping gifts, writing Christmas cards, and shopping, I somehow found the time to break out the milk, dark, and white chocolate to make some very yummy and beautiful gifts for friends and family. I felt like the old piano student lady who gave home made meatballs for payment to her teacher in the movie, "The Wedding Singer" as my recipients opened their little brown boxes of heavenly chocolate. I delight in the admiration of my hard work. And it was hard work. I had to taste all that ganache to make sure it was flavored and textured, just so!
So I want to share a picture of my finished product. I put three different types of chocolates in each box. The white chocolate round ones are filled with a dark chocolate mint ganache. The ovals with checkerboard designs are filled with milk chocolate hazelnut ganache. And the bon bon shaped ones with are also filled with a mint ganache.
I purchased brown candy boxes, candy trays, and candy pads, and tucked it all in over green tissue paper which was folded over the candy before closing the box. It was all tied closed with a silver bow. Tres chic, if you ask me. And everyone thought they were professionally made chocolates!
I altered my technique a little this time and added pure cocoa butter to the tempering unit before the seeding stage in order to thin the chocolate quite a bit. It flowed out of the molds a lot more easily and left a nice, large cavity for filling with that wonderful ganache I made.
The best part, was that I got to eat the "ugly" ones. I started imagining flaws in order to treat myself, because they were all quite beautiful as they popped out of the molds; shiny and smooth, with a wonderful "snap". In the end, I do understand the high price charged for artisinal chocolates. Although they use enrobing machines, and create large batches at a time, there is still quite a bit of effort that goes into creating this edible art. The perks (the fun and the exquisite flavors) make it well worth the work.
