I had found my cruising speed for posting on the blog, once a week, at the weekend, and then… the coronavirus invited itself into our home (well, most probably). Needless to say, I was a long way from being able to think about baking and blogging. Thank you to all of you who checked in on me via the blog or on Instagram <3
I’m back on my feet and it feels good! I haven’t made a special cake for Easter, I have to admit…If you’re looking for a recipe, I’ll point you to a chocolate, caramel and peanut entremets to die for, as well as an all-chocolate layer cake, much simpler to make and sure to make an impression on your children! For other chocolate recipes, don’t hesitate to use the blog’s little search engine (type “chocolat”).
So today I’m sharing with you a recipe for crunchy praline chocolate bonbons that will please young and old alike, but which requires a bit of dexterity since the chocolate needs to be tempered.
I’m not going to give you a lecture on tempering chocolate because, on the one hand, I’m still a little way from mastering it (I have a lot to learn in this area) and on the other hand, because other bloggers have done it very well. So I’ll point you to Maxime’s blog, Empreinte Sucrée, which explains everything about everything!!!
Here, I used the tempering method with Mycryo (but of course you can do it without, and there again, I invite you to go and read Maxime’s article which explains how). My tempering was successful since my chocolates came out of the moulds very easily, but in terms of shine, it’s not quite there yet! I still have a lot to learn, I told you ???? The ideal for making chocolates is to use polycarbonate moulds. Admittedly, they’re more expensive, but there’s no comparison. Wait for the sales, special offers etc… but do get yourself some, they’re the best!
In the meantime, take care of yourselves and your loved ones, that’s the main thing right now. And above all… stay at home! It’s the best way to protect yourself and to protect others. If you’re not out of flour, eggs or butter, now is the time to get baking.
Ingredients & Method
2 components · Full recipe
Crunchy praliné ganache
Ingredients
- 100 g (3.5 oz) praliné (hazelnut or hazelnut-almond)
- 40 g (1.4 oz) dark chocolate (66%)
- 20 g (0.7 oz) gavottes (crêpes dentelles), crushed
Method
1
Melt the dark chocolate over a bain-marie (or in the microwave in short bursts, stirring between each). Allow to cool slightly.
2
Mix the praliné into the melted chocolate, then fold in the crushed gavottes.
3
Set aside at room temperature while you prepare the chocolate shells.
Tempering the chocolate & assembling the bonbons
Ingredients
- 500 g (17.6 oz) dark chocolate (66–70%), for tempering
Method
1
Finely chop the dark chocolate. Melt two-thirds of it (about 330 g (11.6 oz)) over a bain-marie, stirring regularly, until it reaches 50–55°C / 131°F.
2
Remove from the heat and add the remaining third of chopped chocolate. Stir vigorously until the temperature drops to 28–29°C / 84°F. This is the seeding method.
3
Return briefly to the bain-marie if needed to bring the temperature back up to 31–32°C / 90°F — the working temperature for dark chocolate. The chocolate is now tempered.
4
Clean and polish the chocolate mould with a dry cotton cloth to ensure the bonbons release cleanly.
5
Pour the tempered chocolate into the mould, filling all the cavities to the rim.
6
Tap the mould firmly on the work surface to release any air bubbles, then invert it over the bowl of chocolate, letting the excess drip out. Tap again to ensure an even shell.
7
Turn the mould right side up, scrape the top clean with a palette knife, and leave to set for a few minutes.
8
Fill each cavity with the crunchy praliné ganache, leaving a 2 mm gap at the top for the base.
9
Allow to set at room temperature for about 1 hour, or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
10
Cover the filled mould with more tempered chocolate (rewarming it gently to 31–32°C / 90°F if needed). Scrape level with a palette knife to seal the bonbons.
11
Leave to set completely at room temperature (ideally around 18–20°C / 68°F), then refrigerate briefly if needed. If your chocolate is well tempered, simply turn the mould over — the bonbons will drop out cleanly. If they resist… the chocolate was not properly tempered.
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