Homemade Chocolates: The Guide
 Photo by Ellen Silverman | Shards of chocolate embedded with surprising flavors and crunchy elements make terrific gifts for much less expense than pricey "artisan-made" chocolates. View full chocolate shards recipe here. |
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 Photo by Ellen Silverman | Line a baking or cookie sheet with parchment or waxed paper (or simply place the paper on the work surface). With a chef's knife or in a food processor, chop the chocolate into 1-inch or smaller pieces. |
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Photo by Ellen Silverman
Place half of the chocolate in a heavy saucepan and place on a flame tamer over a low flame. Alternatively, use a double boiler, making sure that the bowl of chocolate is suspended over NOT in the simmering water. It is essential that no water get into the chocolate or it will seize up and turn to unusable clumps. Stir the chocolate frequently with a rubber spatula until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate until completely melted.
Pour the melted chocolate onto the wax paper and spread it about 1/8-inch-thick with a cake icer. Let the chocolate set about 5 minutes. This is your palette for improvising really fun and interesting combinations.
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Photo by Ellen Silverman
Scatter or arrange your desired embellishments over the chocolate. To dust with ground spices, let the chocolate sit until the surface has firmed up and the chocolate is still pliable, from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how cool the room is. (This way, the spices will stay visible.) Place the spice a fine strainer and gently sift evenly over the chocolate. Sprinkle coarser herbs or sea salt over the chocolate with your fingers.
Let the chocolate set 1 to 2 hours until firm.
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Photo by Ellen Silverman
Break the chocolate into shards.
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Photo by Ellen Silverman
The chocolate will keep up to two weeks in a sealed container at room temperature.
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 Photo by Ellen Silverman | There are many ways to package chocolate a as gift: Pack into cardboard candy boxes (lined with wax or parchment paper), bought or saved from a local bakery; antique or repurposed tins (available at flea markets, yard sales and Ebay); or paper or clear cello bags bought from your local market (they will often sell them by the piece) or online at Paper Mart . View full chocolate shards recipe here . |
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