How to Coat with Chocolate

When making chocolates or dipping dried fruit into melted cooking chocolate, we are often disappointed, as the result often turns out to be whitish and “dusty.” This is because the cocoa-butter separates from the cocoa during the melting process and the two substances set separately. Below you will find Gourmed's suggestions for coating with chocolate most effectively...


 

1. Melt the cooking chocolate and remove it from the bain-marie (or the microwave), making sure no water or steam drips into it, as this could destroy it.
    
2. Pour ¾ of the melted chocolate into another sauce pan while stirring continuously, in circular and horizontal strokes with a plastic or wooden spoon, until its temperature rises to 27ο C.
    
3. Simply taste the chocolate to determine whether or not it has cooled enough.
    
4. Pour in the remaining ¼ portion of melted chocolate and stir again, the same way, until temperatures rise to 30-31ο C, thus allowing the cocoa-butter and cocoa to homogenize.