Chocolate Tempering Made Simple inside the Relish Mama Cooking Club last week.
Chocolate Tempering Made Simple
Chocolate Tempering Made Simple: Tips & a Delightful Recipe from Relish Mama’s Cooking Club
For many, tempering chocolate might bring up images of delicate techniques, specific temperatures, and perhaps a bit of intimidation. But what if I told you that chocolate tempering can be, well, simple? In our recent Relish Mama Cooking Club class, we dove into the world of chocolate with expert chocolatier Chef Khristina Mulyono, who transformed this seemingly challenging process into an accessible, enjoyable skill.
Why Temper Chocolate?
Tempering chocolate is more than just melting it down; it’s a method that gives chocolate that glossy finish, crisp snap, and beautiful, even texture that we all love. Mastering chocolate tempering at home opens up a world of treats you can create, from shiny chocolate truffles to homemade bars and festive edible gifts. In our class, Chef Khristina shared some fundamental tips to make chocolate tempering simple and achievable.
Chef Khristina’s guidance made chocolate tempering easy to follow. Once she taught the essentials to Chocolate Tempering Made Simple, she demonstrated a few amazing & delicious chocolate recipes that make very special edible gifts.
Here’s a quick look at some of the essentials we learned in our “Chocolate Tempering Made Simple” session:
- Start with Quality Ingredients: Use high-quality chocolate. Chef Khristina recommends investing in couverture chocolate, which has a higher cocoa butter content, ensuring a rich, smooth result.
- Watch the Temperature: Precision is key! A thermometer will be your best friend when tempering chocolate. Dark chocolate should be heated to 45°C (113°F), then cooled and worked down to around 31°C (88°F) for that perfect temper.
- Stir Slowly and Constantly: Stirring helps evenly distribute the heat, making the process smooth. Patience is essential—enjoy the rhythm of the process.
The difference between melting and tempering chocolate lies in the structure and stability of the chocolate:
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Melting simply involves heating chocolate until it’s smooth and liquid, making it easy to mix or drizzle, but it won’t harden with a glossy finish or firm snap. When melted chocolate cools, it can become soft or bloom (develop a white or streaky surface).
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Tempering involves controlled heating and cooling to create stable fat crystals in the chocolate. This gives tempered chocolate a shiny appearance, a firm snap, and helps it stay solid at room temperature.
A Taste of the Club: Almond Chocolate Clusters Recipe
One of the highlights of our class was making these simple yet satisfying Almond Chocolate Clusters (recipe below). They’re easy to make at home, once you know how to temper chocolate and are perfect for gifting or indulging yourself! With only a few ingredients, they’re an ideal treat to start with if you’re new to chocolate tempering. We have shared this recipe below, but if you want the whole cooking club chocolate experience, you can sign up here & the doors will open for you for all of this & much more.
The Beauty of Relish Mama’s Cooking Club
The chocolate tempering class is just one example of the unique, hands-on experiences we share in our Cooking Club. Each month, we explore new recipes, techniques, and the kind of kitchen “aha” moments that can make cooking feel like a joy rather than a task. From rich chocolate treats to savoury dinner inspirations, there’s always something new to learn, taste, and enjoy together.
If you’ve been curious about joining, now is a perfect time to discover what makes the Relish Mama Cooking Club special. You can access this chocolate tempering cooking class as well as a rich library of many other cooking classes and recipes. Let us help you make cooking a celebration, one delicious experience at a time.
Love Nellie
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Chocolate Slivered Almond Clusters
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Baking tray
Ingredients
- 500 gm slivered almonds
- 100 ml sugar syrup 50gm sugar 50gm water
- A little icing sugar dusted
- A small pinch of salt
- 250 gm milk chocolate or dark chocolate
Instructions
- Make sugar syrup by combining 50gm sugar 50gm water in a pot on your stovetop. Cook on a moderate heat until the sugar dissolves. This can be done in advance & stored in the fridge.
- Coat the slivered almonds lightly with sugar syrup and place on a baking tray. Dust with a little icing sugar to stop them clumping.
- Bake on 170°C for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once the almonds are cool, mix with just enough tempered chocolate to lightly cover the almonds.
- With a spoon, drop the chocolate covered almonds onto greaseproof patty pans and let set.
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