Dipping chocolates / petits fours / biscuits
Needed:
receiving bowl
dipping fork
paper
Temper the chocolate and pour it into the receiver. Ensure that the
receiver is well filled. That way the tempered chocolate remains at
temperature for as long as possible without becoming
overcrystallised too quickly (becoming too thick).
If you are using a hard coating or a baker's coating, you need not
temper the chocolate: the coating melts at 40°C and cools very
quickly after the dipping (see later).
Are you working on marble or a cold plate? Then put a piece of
cloth or something warm under the chocolate receiver so that the
temperature of the chocolate doesn't decrease too rapidly. That
prevents too rapid a crystallisation.
The closer the temperature of the filling is to the temperature of
the tempered chocolate, the better the end result. Naturally this
is impossible for certain fillings (e.g. buttercream fillings). In
that case, ensure that the filling is not too cold and is still
stiff enough to be dipped. With coatings, temperature plays a
lesser role. You can even dip deepfrozen fillings.
Step 1
Are you right handed? Then place the filling to be dipped on the
far left, the receiver with the chocolate in the middle and the
paper to slide the pralines on to the right. If you are left handed
then reverse these instructions.
Push the filling quickly into the tempered chocolate until only the top of the filling sticks out above the chocolate.
Pull the chocolate over the filling with the dipping fork.
Lift the praline out of the chocolate with the dipping fork. Take care that ±2/3 of it lies at the top of the fork and 1/3 projects over the fork top.
With up and down movements shake the surplus chocolate off the filling. With each upward movement touch the upper surface of the tempered chocolate in the recipient. This lets the surface tension of the chocolate 'pull' the surplus chocolate off the praline.
Brush the fork off against the edges of the recipient.
Place the praline with the front side down onto the paper.
Pull the fork gently from under the praline.
Before you completely withdraw the fork, gently push the praline a little forward. This avoids an unesthetic thickening or socalled 'foot' under the praline.
Step 1
Push the filling into the tempered chocolate with the upper surface
downwards.
Turn it round with the dipping fork.
Remove the praline from the chocolate. Ensure that ±2/3 lies at the top of the fork and 1/3 sticks out over the fork top.
With up and down movements, shake the surplus chocolate off the praline. With each upward movement touch the upper surface of the tempered chocolate in the recipient. This lets the surface tension of the chocolate 'pull' the surplus chocolate off the praline.
Brush the fork off against the edges of the recipient.
Place the praline with the front side down onto the paper.
Pull the fork from under the praline.
Before you completely withdraw the fork, gently push the praline a little forward. This avoids an unesthetic thickening or socalled 'foot' under the praline.
- Have you finished with the dipping? Then don't place the pralines immediately into the refrigerator, but first let them set at room temperature for about a quarter of an hour. Abrupt temperature changes take off the chocolate glaze and should the chocolate layer be thin, can even break it. Is it really too warm in the workroom (over 20°C)? Then allow the pralines to set in the workroom for a few minutes before placing them in the fridge (at 10°C).
- Are you using a coating of imitation chocolate? Then put the pralines into the fridge as quickly as possible. Don't wait until you have dipped all the pralines. As soon as you have a small quantity ready: cool them! This is because the sharp temperature change is necessary to protect the glaze of the coating.
- For a medium chocolate shell:
All chocolates with a medium basic viscosity (
)
are suitable for enrobing with a medium thick layer. They have a
viscosity designed to be used in a wide range of techniques,
including the enrobing of pralines.
The basic viscosity of white chocolate is a little too fluid. For a medium chocolate shell you can opt for the basic viscosity or choose a type with a little less cocoa butter: 2% to 3% less. You identify these by the letter B or C before the basic code. - For fine enrobing:
Some chocolate lovers and craftsmen want the chocolate layer of an enrobed praline to be as fine as possible. A more fluid chocolate type, one that contains 2% to 4% extra cocoa butter, is more suitable in this case. Through its greater fluidity, it is possible to apply a thinner chocolate layer over the filling. You identify these types by the number 2, 3 or 4 that goes before the basic code number (
).
