Magic and Mayhem - Working with my Mum

As Mother’s Day approaches and I started thinking about Mums, I asked my staff if they had stories they would like to share about their Mothers such as fond memories or lessons learnt.  As I was talking to my Mum about Nana and the stories we had about her I realised I had a pretty big story about my Mum to share so I thought I would right a blog about what it is like to work with your Mum.

Mum and I have worked together collectively for around 15 years, my current stint in the family business has been nine years!

When people ask me what it is like to work with my Mum I tend to  start with “Well, it has its moments”.  I mean that too, lots of moments, fabulous and not so great ones all rolled into one.

One of my favourite moments I shared with Mum was winning the Top Shop Award for ‘Best New Store’ the year after we first opened our store in Devonport and the next year we won 'Best Shop' in the food category.  

Those awards happened because when I said to my Mum “I could open the chocolate shop for you” she put her faith in me and let me do it.  That is what I love about working for my Mum.  The huge amount of support when I choose to put myself out there and try something new, even when it isn’t business related and I need to reduce my hours at work to do it.

Mum and I many years ago after a Top Shop win

One of my least favourite moments is Mum and I having a complete barney at each other (something we very rarely did anyway, even as I was growing up).  I can’t even remember what it was about but I can remember the argument and feeling like I was a teenager again.  I would not concede and neither would Mum (clearly I get my stubbornness from her!).  We’ve since done personality tests and found we have the same type (Myers Briggs) and once I got over the horror of finding out we did have the same personality, it explained a lot.

Through the years we have learnt to have more clear divisions at work so it is clear what area each of us looks after.  I tend to look after retail, the website and marketing.  Mum looks after the factory, sales and pretty much all the bits and pieces that come up when you run a chocolate business.  We both work on seasonal ranges and projects like our re-branding.  The re-branding has certainly been a project that has seen many a 'sparky' conversation between us.  Mum makes decisions based on gut instinct and emotion, I like facts and logic this is probably where we come most unstuck.

A lesson that I have learnt from my Mum through working for her is how to be brave.  I admire my Mum enormously for taking on a chocolate business with no chocolate experience.  Mum had lots of business experience and had run her own business but chocolate was new to her.  Lucky for us when we purchased Devonport Chocolates in 1999, it basically had one product range, the Truffle Logs.  Making these involved a lot of arm work and hand dipping but at their core weren’t too hard to make.  Of course my Mum, being who she is, could not just take over a business and keep running it as it was and she took herself off to chocolate school to learn how to make the chocolates and truffles we now have in our range.  As I slowly start setting up a business of my own (in the music field) and I start to get nervous about it, I think back to how extraordinary it was for Mum to take on Devonport Chocolates and turn it into what it is today.

So what is it like to work for your Mum?  It is like being wrapped in a hugely supportive and comforting blanket one day and then the next day being kicked out of it and being told to fend for yourself.  I read this quote the other day on a card we have just brought in for Mother’s Day and it is so very me.  “Every now and then I open my mouth and my Mum comes out”, I’m learning that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Summer Chocolate Milkshake

Summer is here and what better way to enjoy the hot chocolate mix you have left over from winter than in a summer milkshake.

Ingredients:

250ml milk
2 large scoops of icecream (I used vanilla)
3 x heaped dessert spoons of Devonport Chocolates Dark Hot Chocolate mix

Optional
80g Devonport Chocolates 55% cocoa solids dark chocolate callets (chocolate buttons or drops)
Cream (i used cream in a can for ease of use)
Chocolate spoons, chocolate frogs, brittle to decorate.

Method:

Place milk, ice cream and hot chocolate powder in a blender or milk shake maker and blend until smooth. (See it is really easy).

If you would like to decorate your hot chocolate like the picture:
Put the chocolate callets in a microwave bowl, place in microwave on medium power for one minute and stir well, repeat this until chocolate is melted.  Place melted chocolarte in a zip lock bag, cut the corner and drizzle around the inside of the glass you are serving the milk shake in.  Pour the milk shake in the glass, top with cream and an assortment of goodies if you choose.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries Tips and Tricks

Summer is here and we often get asked if there is anything in particular you need to know about chocolate dipping strawberries, and yes there certainly is.

Chocolate dipped strawberries are (in our opinion) one of the best things about Summer, and here is what you need to know.  These tips and tricks are for using coverture chocolate (chocolate with cocoa butter, not vegetable fat).

1.  If you want your chocolate to look lovely rich and glossy, and you want to dip the strawberries in advance (like the day before), you are going to need to temper your chocolate.  Now don't be frightened, you can do this using your microwave at home, a digital thermometer will make it easier.  For instructions on tempering chocolate click here.

2.  Make sure your strawberries are washed and dried then left at room temperature (we recommend this for eating too, you get much more flavour from the strawberry).

3.  Prepare a baking tray (oven tray or cookie tray) with baking paper on it.

4.  Hold the strawberry by the green leafy part and dip in your tempered chocolate.  Gently shake the excess chocolate off and place on your baking tray.

5.  Once you have completed your tray of strawberries place in the fridge until the strawberry comes off the baking paper easily.

6.  Keep in cool dry conditions until serving (not your fridge as the strawberries will sweat), around 18-20 degrees is perfect, normally a pantry.

If tempering your chocolate is a bit too scary or you don't have time you can just melt down your chocolate and dip without tempering.  The chocolate won't look as glossy and the trick is you need to dip the strawberries as close to eating as possible, at least the same day, by the next day the chocolate will look very cloudy and dull. To melt chocolate you can put the chocolate in your microwave in a microwave proof bowl, power must be on medium (or the chocolate will burn), and heat up in one minute increments stirring well between each increment until melted.

Here are some ideas for decorating:

Use white chocolate (still needs to be tempered) and divide into three bowls.  Colour it three different types of pink.  You need to use powdered colouring you can get from cake stores not liquid colouring.

Decorate with stripes.  Just place chocolate in a small piping bag and cut a tiny hole in the piping bag, no need for a nozzle.

Dip one half in white chocolate and the other in milk or dark chocolate.

25 Years old and still passionate about chocolate

Devonport Chocolates turns 25 years old this year, and like all major birthdays it comes with a lot of reflection and looking to the future.

The original Devonport Chocolates range,
photo taken when we took over the business in 1999.

Devonport Chocolates started in a humble kitchen with a Mum and Daughter wanting a business challenge.  Gayle MacDuff and her daughter Joanne had the fabulous idea to start a small chocolate kitchen in 1991.  The core product was to be what was called the Truffle Log.  A fairly chunky piece of chocolate that you are meant to slice, perfect as gifts or presented as a dessert on a cheese board. Gayle's selling prowess saw them quickly stocked by Devonport Pharmacy and then they went from there.  After a few years and a move out of the kitchen and into a small industrial unit in Glenfield Gayle and Joanne sold to Linda & Kay who ran Devonport Chocolates as well as having full-time jobs at Air New Zealand.

While Devonport Chocolates was unfolding, my Mum Stephanie was feeling the need to end her long career in publishing.  Stephanie mentioned to _ & _ that if the ever wanted to sell the business she would be interested, she could already see the potential of this exciting business if it has someone to focus on it.  In 1999, Stephanie sat down for her first cup of tea of semi-retirement and the phone range Linda & Kay were selling Devonport Chocolates and would she be interested.  Mum has never looked back.  As a uni student my part-time job quickly became the family business and Mum and I found ourselves working together again, I didn't realise until today what a great circle for the business to have started off with a Mum and Daughter and to have ended up there too (plus a Dad and a brother in the mix too).

Circa 2003, our little chocolate shop in Devonport

Never to sit still for long within the first three years Stephanie had brought Devonport Chocolates back to Devonport by buying an industrial building in Wynyard St, Devonport and building the chocolate kitchen within the building.  We built our own website and opened our little chocolate shop, and somewhere in those crazy few years Stephanie also took herself off to chocolate school in Melbourne to the William Angliss Institute, after recognising that the business would only go so far with Truffle Logs and we now had a little shop that we needed to fill with chocolates.

One of our earlier Christmas ranges, probably around 2000

The first few years of owning Devonport Chocolates are a blur of late nights, early mornings and heaps and heaps of amazing staff.  I remember dreaming decorating holly truffles after doing it for days on end one Christmas.  We have had 2 complete re-brands, I've lost count of how many website rebuilds,  hundreds of amazing staff, thousands of incredible customers from around the world and goodness knows how many new flavours.

There are two groups of people that have been essential to Devonport Chocolates.

The first group are the incredibly loyal Devonport locals.  They were quick to adopt us as there own and proudly give a gift that was made in Devonport, a huge thank you to you all.

Our second group is our fabulous staff.  We have had experienced chocolatiers who have shared their knowledge and trained our staff, we have had people who have started packing chocolates after school and haven't left until they finished uni, some have even since come back to work for us again. Our staff are passionate about our chocolates, they really care about every single one being an amazing experience for our customers and their standards are incredibly high.

So where to from here for Devonport Chocolates.  We have been thrilled with the success of our bean to bar Samoan chocolate, and I'm incredibly proud of my Dad, this has been his baby for a couple of years now and we are looking at what else we can make with these beautiful beans we get from Nusi in Samoa. We never sit still for long so there are a few changes you will start seeing in Devonport Chocolates stores over the next few months as we keep racing forwards.

World Chocolate Day Thursday 7 July 2016

Woo hoo, World Chocolate Day is nearly here, and like all celebration days World Chocolate Day gives you the perfect excuse to indulge in delicious chocolate themed activities.  Of course you can eat chocolate, that is a given but here are some other ideas, or things that you can do and use the fact that you are celebrating World Chocolate Day as the excuse.

1. You can watch a chocolate themed movie!  Bundle up with your favourite chocolate treat and watch Chocolat, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  
2. Cook a chocolate themed dinner.  There are two savoury recipes on our website, pork with orange chocolate sauce or cocoa and horopito crusted lamb, both delicious and both perfect for winter evenings.  Pop on over to our website to have a lookie.
3. Say 'cheers' to chocolate and have a chocolate martini. For children and folks who are not keen on alcohol, we have delicious hot chocolate recipes too.  Click here for recipes.
4. And finally, the piece, d'resistance a chocolate themed manicure.  I was personally inspired by milk chocolate as I was digging through my nail colours, and of course a bit of glitter.

I look forward to hearing cry's of 'chocolate made me do it' on Thursday as chocolate lovers around the world enjoy the day!

Chocolate mascaras, grenades, dog biscuits and chainsaws: One-of-a-kind chocolate gifts

At Devonport Chocolates we love helping our clients create truly memorable promotional gifts and with the festive season quickly approaching I thought I would share a couple or the more unique items we have made.  We often get emails or phone calls that start with "we were wondering if you could make....." and we love answering YES!

Earlier this year we were tasked with creating a chocolate mascara as part of a Maybelline Great Lash promotion.  Maybelline provided an actual mascara and our fabulous mould maker produced the mould for us to turn into chocolate mascaras.  Delicious chocolate and some hand foiling later and beauty journalists were presented with a mascara they truly had never received before.

Stolen Girlfriends Club launched a flagship store this year and for a memorable gift gave guests a chocolate grenade with Stolen emblazoned across it.



The tricky thing with promoting dog biscuits is that you are promoting them to humans.  Give a biscuit to your dog and apart from a wagging tail you can't really get any feedback from them and if your dog is anything like mine you are likely to get a wagging tail from most food you present to them so the folks at tux decided to get chocolate ones made so dogs and their owners alike are happy.

Chocolate chainsaws were one of the more challenging items we have had to make.  Our mould maker hand carved the mould off an actual chainsaw.  Small and large chainsaws were made for this promotion.








And finally last but certainly not least everyone thinks of flowers for displays but The Langham thought of chocolate and commissioned us to create a chocolate display for them at Easter.  This was displayed on the centre table in the foyer during Easter weekend, what a memorable welcome for guests!

5 reasons why chocolate really can fix all of your problems

Being part of a chocolate business I often find myself looking for chocolate quotes to inspire staff, encourage customers to shop and of course justify this delicious food that we find ourselves eating every single day.  I often come across quotes extoling the benefits of chocolate by people a lot more famous and intelligent than me so I thought it was time to share why chocolate really can fix all of your problems, ‘scientifically’ backed up by quotes.

1.    Chocolate helps you achieve inner peace.

Isn’t it a fabulous thing when you complete something or a project comes to the end and you get to tick it off your ‘to do list’ and calm descends.  This quote is anonymous, but I have no doubt they were part of the work smarter, not harder movement.

“Put ‘eat chocolate’ at the top of your list of things to do today.  That way at least you’ll get one thing done.” Anonymous

2.    Chocolate makes everyone happy.

There are always various titbits of scientific research coming out showing that chocolate increases your endorphins, making you feel like you are in love but I think this quote from Sandra Boynton, a songwriter illustrator and children’s book writer sums it up all the better.

“The greatest tragedies were written by the Greeks and Shakespeare...neither knew chocolate.” - Sandra Boynton

3.    Chocolate is good for you.

Once again scientific research is starting to prove chocolate is good for your heart, blood vessels etc, (I must put my responsible persons hat on now and say, in moderation and dark chocolate preferably), but why trust me?  Justus von Liebig said it and he was a chemist from the 1800’s. 

“Chocolate is a perfect food, as wholesome as it is delicious, a beneficent restorer of exhausted power...it is the best friend of those engaged in literary pursuits.”  -  Justus von Liebig

4.    Chocolate is the perfect gift.

At Devonport Chocolates we have two shops and an online store.  Customers purchase gifts from us as much as they purchase a small treat on indulgence.  One thing has become very clear, it is the perfect gift.  Everyone loves chocolate.  It is an especially great gift for seasonal periods like Christmas and Easter (or did I mention staff and clients gifts?) Here we go with a Sandra Boynton quote again, she really loves her chocolate.

“As with most fine things, chocolate has its season. There is a simple memory aid that you can use to determine whether it is the correct time to order chocolate dishes: any month whose name contains the letter A, E, or U is the proper time for chocolate.” – Sandra Boynton

5.    And finally…. 

      “Chocolate is the answer, who cares what the question is” anonymous

Gorgeous Chocolate Purses for Mother's Day

Yes you read the title right!  Our chocolatier Yoann Martichon has been coming up with some creative ways to use chocolate, and what could be more stunning than an edible purse?  Below is the step by step pictures of how these mini chocolate sculptures are created.

Yoann starts by splattering coloured cocoa butter onto a piece of flexible food grade plastic.

He then takes a piece of cellophane and spreads tempered chocolate onto it.  As it sets he cuts it into pieces to create the top and bottom of the purse.

Once the coloured cocoa butter splatters have dried Yoann spreads the plastic with tempered chocolate.

The plastic is then pulled together at one end and taped in place until it sets, this creates the basic shape of the purse.

The ends of the purse are created by putting a pool of chocolate onto greaseproof paper and then sitting the purse up in it until it sets.  This is done for both ends.

Once the purse is completely set the plastic is peel off from around the outside

Yoann takes the flat pieces of chocolate he created earlier and uses them to make the bottom of the purse, so it can stand up, and the top.

A couple of extra embellishments are added to truly make it look like a purse.  Voilà a mini Chocolate Sculpture.

Cutting through the clutter with quirky and exciting gifts at Easter

With Easter rapidly approaching we have noticed an increase in corporate customers wanting unique and quirky gifts for their customers.

When we first opened our first retail store for Devonport Chocolates Christmas was by far the biggest seasonal event with Easter merely a drop in the sand.  Now Easter is fast making tracks to overtake Christmas and largely because of an increase in corporate orders.  A lot of our corporate customers have found that saying thank you to their customers or staff at this time of year has meant their gift is remembered and thoroughly enjoyed at a time of year when corporate gift giving is not normally the ‘done thing’.

Our corporate customers have come to us with increasingly exciting and challenging gifts that we have enjoyed creating including personalised Easter eggs with gifts of makeup in them, chocolate chainsaws and Easter gifts from $5 each to $200 each.  We are well versed in problem solving and love coming up with creative solutions to help our customers stand out from the crowd.  Drop and email to info@devonportchocolates.co.nz if a corporate Easter gift has been at the top of your ‘to do list’ and you just haven’t got to it yet.

Create your own wine and chocolate tasting at home for Valentine's

What could be more romantic for Valentine’s Day than a wine and chocolate tasting?  

Pairing wine and chocolate has always been a bit of a challenge.  I can confirm that after years of testing the theory myself I think I have come up with a (nearly) fool proof methodology as follows:

Don’t take it too seriously!  Have a bit of fun, it’s fabulous to do with a group of friends not just your partner/boyfriend/girlfriend.

Have a read of the wine label and try to match flavours in your wine with the flavours of your chocolate.  For example, berry tones tend to suit berry flavoured chocolates.

White wines and bubbles tend to suit white chocolates, milk and dark chocolates suit richer wines like merlots.

My most recent tasting experiment involved two superbly (and romantic) wines, Laurent Perrier Champagne and the Wooing Tree Pinot Noir Rose, both of which are consistently available at Glengarrys.

The champagne worked wonderfully with our coconut, mango and honey bon bon, this out of all the chocolates was my husband’s and my favourite.  The other notable flavour was the lemon and date truffle.

The Wooing Tree Rose went beautifully with our honey and raspberry bon bon, the freeze dried raspberry complemented the flavours in the Rose perfectly, I also enjoyed our limited edition dark chocolate raspberry and vanilla heart with rose.

So there you have it, a quick, easy and romantic Valentine’s date night for you or a group of friends.  

Enjoy!

Small batch bourbons and delicious chocolates Yumo!

Well it is the time of year when Father’s Day will soon be with us.  This year Devonport Chocolates will have their usual range of delights perfectly suited to Dad but we have also partnered with the fabulous Sam and Nigel at The House of Whiskey to make a range of three chocolates using small batch bourbons.

Our Master Chocolatier Yoann Martichon mixed and matched, experimented and tasted, creating flavours that emphasised the delicious notes and aromas of these three small batch bourbons.

Noahs Mill Bourbon partnered with salted caramel

Noahs Mill is the cigar smoking, cologne wearing Lord of the Manor of small batch Bourbons.  With the colour of polished mahogany, quite an intense nose and flavours reminiscent of molasses, leather and oak Yoann has teamed this with a salted caramel.

Willet Pot Still Reserve Bourbon partnered with banana and spice.

If you are the extrovert of your group of friends and love a good party you can go no further than Willet Pot Still Reserve.  This delicate bourbon (can you call bourbon delicate?) has quite floral and tropical notes.  With an overall impression of honey and citrus Yoann has teamed it with banana and spice for a quirky, but delicious taste. 

Johnny Drum Private Stock with orange, nutmeg and allspice

Everyone knows someone who is the outdoorsy type. They are able to construct a shelter with a bit of number eight wire and a tarp, they can start a fire with a rock and they smell distinctly of grass.  Johnny Drum is the bourbon for them.  A smoky palette that reminds you of deep forests and wood fires develops into a pepper, spice, mint and cedar wood taste, wow!  This is such a rich and capable bourbon Yoann only needed to add a touch of orange oil, allspice and nutmeg to bring out the bourbon.

Available from both Devonport Chocolates and the House of Whiskey in mid-August these delicious chocolates will be packaged in a box of nine pieces.  If you have a passion for whiskey or would like to find out more about bourbons we can highly recommend the folks at The House of Whiskey, always willing to share their extraordinary whiskey knowledge with their customers a visit here will not be forgotten.  www.houseofwhiskey.co.nz

Valentine's Day, myths legends and of course chocolate!

Valentine’s Day conjures up images of cupids, hearts, red roses and of course chocolates, but where did it all begin?  A quick look at research (albeit Wikipedia and history.com) reveals that the history of Valentine’s Day is wrapped up in the legends of saints, medieval courtship and lilting love notes.

Valentine’s Day is no longer a day officially on the Roman Catholic church calendar as no one knows much about St Valentine.  St Valentine could be one of three patron saints who have been martyred by the church.  In Roman times legend has it that one priest continued to marry young couples after marriage was outlawed for young men because they were required for battle.

The earliest recorded Valentine’s note was sent by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was being held in the Tower of London following his capture at battle his “farewell to love” poem is in stark contrast to a book published in 1797, “The Young Mans Valentine Writer” containing verses for the man who couldn't write his own, much like the Valentine’s cards of today.

So when did chocolate become synonymous with Valentine’s Day?  Aztec Emperor Montezuma consumed large quantities of chocolate drink before entertaining his harem or could it be that wooing your Valentine is that much easier after they've eaten chocolate and are experiencing an increase in endorphins? 

However it really is more simple than that: chocolates are a delicious gift.  Keeping that in mind why not try one of the Valentine’s Day ideas below:

• Hold a wine and chocolate tasting evening with your loved one with passionate flavours like strawberry champagne, chilli and gooey caramel.
• Cook something chocolaty and delicious, have a look at our website for some ideas: http://www.devonportchocolates.co.nz/Chocolate-Recipes.
•  Be a romantic and pen a poem enclosing it in a delicious box of chocolates.

Chocolate Spa Bliss and Cacao Trees in Bali

In October my husband and I ventured overseas to the sublimely tropical Bali for a bit of rest and relaxation.  While I was at one of our deliciously gorgeous hotels I felt it was necessary to review the spa menu and was delighted to see a three hour chocolate spa experience.  Feeling that it was my duty to my work to participate I quickly booked myself in, quite unsure of what to expect.

The spa at the Puri Santrian is gorgeous. You are welcomed with a drink and then led to your spa room.  The first thing I noticed when we entered was the gentle smell of chocolate and bowls of bubbling chocolate and massage oils next to the bath.  The experience started with a massage with oils scented with chocolate.


 This was followed by a body scrub with sugar and ground cacao.  Once this was cleaned off the next step was a chocolate body mask, basically chocolate painted on, quite bizarre considering I'm used to seeing it becoming delicious treats.  The final step was a bath, in (da da da daaaahh) you guessed it chocolate scented bubbles and a chocolate fruity drink.  Yes you read that right a chocolate fruity drink clearly made with cocoa powder and some lime, it really was quite(surprisingly) delicious and refreshing.

This is definitely one of the more unusual spa experiences I have had, but incredibly decadent and I can highly recommend it to any chocoholics out there.  I have recently seen that a local nail spa offers a chocolate manicure and pedicure and think I need to check this out! (In the interests of the business and experiencing all things chocolate of course).






While we were in Bali I asked our driver Kadek to take us to a cacao
plantation.  A few things got lost in translation and we ended up at a tourism destination instead of a proper plantation.  Over looking the rice fields just out of Ubud we got the opportunity to walk through cacao trees, as well as see giant passion fruit trees, vanilla trees coffee bean plants, chilli plants and of course the Lemur like cats that like to consume coffee beans.

The best part of this destination was the opportunity to try a range of teas from lemon and ginger through to cocoa all made  from the plants in this particular garden including Balinese coffee, all while looking over a stunning vista.

While especially touristy and not normally something I would enjoy it was a great opportunity to see so many plants I haven't seen before in the one place, next time I will make it to a proper plantation though!

Tempering Chocolate at Home

Here it is – How to temper chocolate at home!

As promised here is a way you can temper chocolate at home using a microwave.  This is great to use if you are dipping fruit or your own truffles in coverture chocolate it means the chocolate will have a nice gloss and shine to it that will last.  This would also be fun to do during the school holidays to make your own chocolates.

What you will need:

500g Devonport Chocolates Callets (I used 56% cocoa solids)

1 x medium microwave proof bowl
1 x small microwave proof bowl
Chocolate Moulds (depending on size of chocolates this quantity of chocolate will make approximately 2 moulds)
Lint free soft cloth
Digital Thermometer (with probe) available from all good kitchen stores
Rubber spatula
Disposable Piping Bags

Method:

Polish the cavities of your mould with your soft lint free cloth.

Put 300g of chocolate callets in your medium bowl.

Place in the microwave on medium power and microwave in one minute bursts until melted.  Stir well between each burst in the microwave.  

Once melted check the temperature of your chocolate, it needs to be between 46-49°C.  If your chocolate has melted but hasn’t reached this temperature put it in the microwave on medium for 20 second bursts until it reaches this temperature, stirring well each time.

Now you want to bring your melted chocolate down to 29°C  - this is how you do it.
Slowly add spoonfuls of unmelted callets to your melted chocolate stirring well between each spoonful and checking the temperature.  Only add up to approximately 100g of chocolate (half of what you have left).  It is really important to keep scraping the sides of your bowl and keep stirring, never leave it to just sit.  Check the temperature regularly until the temperature of your chocolate is down to 29°C.  This can take some time depending on the temperature of your room. 

Once the temperature has reached 29°C you need to bring it up to 32°C and this is how you do this: microwave your remaining chocolate callets on medium in one minute bursts until melted.  The temperature of the chocolate that you are melting needs to reach 46°C.

Then add this melted chocolate to the chocolate that has reached 29°C.  Your chocolate should now have come up to 32°C.

Give your mould a very quick heat on low in the microwave for a few seconds, you don’t want to melt the mould but you don’t want to lose your temper because your mould is cold, the mould needs to be around 25°C.

Fill your piping bags with chocolate and pipe into your moulds.  Bang the mould lightly on the bench this will help settle the chocolate and bring our any air bubbles.   Put in the fridge to set until the chocolate has retracted from the mould (you will see what I mean), approximately 10 minutes.

Some tips:
You can get heaps of fun moulds from Spotlight and www.homestylechocolates.co.nz
You can knife test your tempered chocolate before you use it, literally dip a knife in melted chocolate and put it in your fridge to set before you use your chocolate, if it is shiny and not streaky in colour it has tempered.
The temperature of your room will affect your tempering, take your time and don’t stress – Chocolate is very temperamental, if you are in a rush don’t even try, make something else!
If your tempering doesn’t work, keep your chocolate, once it has set break it up and try again, that is the fabulous thing with solid chocolate it won’t go to waste.

Spring is here and I am in the mood to celebrate!

Inspired by my first cocktail of the season I spent the weekend concocting, trialling and tasting to create the delicious mojito truffle.

Mojito Truffles

400g Devonport Chocolates 55% cocoa solids callets
75g (1/3 cup) cream
2 sprigs of fresh mint (top 3 inches of the mint stalk)
1 tablespoon of dark rum (now I know a mojito has white rum in it but I discovered the rum taste doesn’t come through when you use white rum)
lime oil (can be found in most gourmet food stores/supermarkets)
100g desiccated coconut

Equipment Needed:

1 x small pot
1 x medium pot and a bowl that will fit over the top of it to create a bain-marie.
2 x cookie trays or oven trays (one of which can fit in your fridge)
1 x disposable piping bag (available in most supermarkets now, in the baking section)
2x medium high sided bowls
1 x microwave proof bowl
Assortment of spatulas, spoons and a fork.

Put cream and fresh mint in a small saucepan.

Bring to the boil over a medium heat and boil for 2 minutes, take off the heat and set aside to cool for approximately 30 minutes.

Discard the mint and warm the cream back up on a low heat.

Put 200g of the chocolate callets in a metal or ceramic bowl and place over a pot of simmering water.  This is the best way to melt chocolate without burning it.  You want to make sure the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl, you are just relying on the heat from the steam to melt the chocolate.  Stir your chocolate until it is completely melted, add your warm cream and rum.  Stir until well mixed and silky smooth. – 

IMPORTANT TIP – Don’t let any water get in your chocolate, water and chocolate are not friends and your chocolate may go grainy and seize up like over whipped cream. 

Fill your disposable piping bag with your ganache mix. 

The easiest way to do this is to place your piping bag in a tall cup or mug and roll the edges of the piping bag over the glass.   Place glass and piping bag in fridge and cool until chocolate mix is firm and can hold its shape but not so firm you can’t pipe it.

Place baking paper on one of your cookie trays.  Cut the end off your piping bag so that you can pipe a length approximately 8-10mm thick.  Pipe lengths of mix onto baking paper.  Cover and place back in the fridge until set.

Cut piped ganache into 1cm lengths, don’t worry if you think this is small, by the time you add more chocolate and coconut they are quite sizeable. 

Cover your second cookie tray in baking paper and place your coconut on it.  Put 6 small drops of lime oil on the coconut, mix it around well and put under grill to toast in until light golden brown.  Place your coconut in a high sided bowl.

Place the other 200g of your chocolate in a microwave proof bowl.  Microwave on medium power for two minutes and then give a really good stir.  Place back in the microwave at 30 second intervals on medium, stirring well between each burst until melted and smooth.  Please don’t whip the chocolate, you don’t want air in it.

Now here comes the fun bit, you can use forks, spoons or put disposable gloves on your hands if it makes this process easier.

Take three pieces of ganache and place in the melted chocolate.  Take pieces out and put in an empty bowl (you do this to remove the excess chocolate or your coconut ends up really messy)

Take pieces out of bowl and put in coconut and roll them around.  Leave the pieces in the coconut for now to set a little.

Take three new pieces of ganache and place in melted chocolate.
Take pieces out and put in the empty bowl.

Repeat this process with all your chocolate pieces and then place in the fridge for approximately 10-20 minutes, (about as long as it takes to clean up).

Take out of the fridge and bring up to room temperature to eat or put in a nice box of cellophane bag to give as a gift.  (Photo 6)

Check in next month when I cover how to temper chocolate at home.

Liven up Autumn with a Chocolate Tasting Party

Autumn is the perfect time to hold a chocolate tasting evening, what can be more enjoyable than good friends and great chocolate?  In this article we will tell you how to taste chocolate and give you some helpful tips to make your evening an enjoyable one.

What makes good chocolate?

Chocolate that has been stored properly and tempered well will have a lovely glossy finish to it and an even colour.  It isn't recommended to store chocolate in the refrigerator, not only will you lose the gorgeous glossy finish but the taste will be dulled down.

Good quality chocolate has a wonderful aroma.  The minute you open the packet your senses should be on full alert with chocolaty goodness.

Chocolate that has been tempered well should snap when you break it, not slowly tear apart.

Tasting evenings

If you are holding a tasting evening this is a fun way to do it.  Get everyone to bring a block of chocolate with them, try and get your guests to be adventurous; you don’t want to spend an evening eating the same chocolate. 

The host needs to remove the wrappers and break the blocks into small pieces and put them on numbered plates, the same type on the same plate.  Make sure as host you know what type of chocolate is on what plate.

Give your guests paper and pens to rank each type of chocolate.

Start with the lightest chocolate first and get your guests to rank the look, the aroma, the crack when they bite it and finally the taste, discuss the chocolates as you go through.  In-between each chocolate have plain crackers and water for your guests to cleanse their palates.

Descriptions for chocolate are similar to wine, for example when you are looking at colour is it even, rich or warm?  Does the taste linger or disappear quickly.  Is it full bodied, have fruit undertones, earthy, bitter or sweet.  Is its texture gritty or smooth?

After you have tried all the chocolate reveal what brand they are and what type of chocolate it is.  Your guests will probably find they liked something they had never tried before. 

And then....you get to eat the rest of the chocolate!

There is more detail in the book “for the love of chocolate” available in all of our stores.

Happy Tasting!

Chocolate Bunnies, Easter Eggs and Bizarre Easter Traditions

Easter Eggs and Chocolate Bunnies are part of the joy and celebration of Easter.  From Easter egg hunts to decorating hard boiled eggs, families and cultures all have their own traditions.

On the Christian calendar Easter Sunday is the day you celebrate the resurrection of Christ.  It is thought Easter Eggs celebrate new life and new beginnings and are a symbol of resurrection. 

The egg and bunny are linked to pagan spring festivals.  In Europe the spring equinox often falls the same time as Easter and the egg and hare are symbols of new life and fertility.

The Easter bunny is believed to be a German tradition.  The Easter bunny visits homes the night before Easter Sunday and delivers (or hides) Easter Eggs for children to find the next day. 
Easter eggs were originally a candy type paste.  Advances in chocolate made it possible to make the delicious chocolate eggs we are familiar with today.  German settlers in America spread the joy of the Easter bunny and it has now become a strong tradition in a number of cultures including our own.

New Zealand has developed its own Easter tradition – chocolate covered marshmallow eggs.  In my mother’s research for her chocolate book she discovered that one year Heards made and hand foiled over 3 million marshmallow eggs!

Some of the more interesting Easter traditions which you may like to make into your own include:

“Egg tapping” - each player is given a hardboiled egg and each player hits the other eggs with their own.  The winner is the person whose egg is left intact.

Egg dancing – place eggs on the floor and dance around them trying not to break them, my suggestion would be to use marshmallow eggs, they stand up to a bit of squashing if you miss.  The adult only version could be to add a few glasses of wine in the mix to make a real party.

A family friendly Easter activity and one I did as a child is dying hard boiled eggs with onion and strings, to make nice patterns, and you can eat the eggs afterwards.

Happy Easter from the team at Devonport Chocolates and whether you celebrate Easter or use it as an opportunity to catch up with family and friends, do it safely and enjoy a little chocolate along the way.