Enrobage des bonbons chocolats

Preparation

Utensils :

• container
• dipping fork
• paper

Temper the chocolate and pour it into the container. Ensure that the container is well-filled. In this way, the tempered chocolate should remain at the right temperature for as long as possible without tending to over-crystallise (become too thick) too quickly.
Are you working on marble or on a cold plate? In that case, place a cloth or insulating material under the chocolate's container, so that the temperature of the chocolate does not drop too quickly. In this way, you will avoid too rapid crystallisation.
The closer the room temperature is to the temperature of the tempered chocolate, the better the final result will be. Of course, it's impossible for certain fillings (eg. butter filling). In this case, make sure the filling is not too cold and yet has a fairly solid structure so that it can be dipped.

Coating chocolate bonbons

For a fine coating:

1. Are you right-handed? In that case, arrange the fillings to be dipped on the left, the container with the chocolate in the middle and the paper on which to place the chocolate bonbons on the right. If you are left-handed, reverse this positioning.
2. Quickly dip the filling into the tempered chocolate until just the surface of the filling is still above the chocolate.
3. Using the dipping fork, draw the chocolate over the filling.
4. Remove the bonbon from the chocolate, using the dipping fork. Make sure that ± 2/3 is on the point of the fork and 1/3 is beyond the point.
5. With an up and down movement, shake the excess chocolate off the filling. On each down movement, touch the surface of the tempered chocolate in the container. The chocolate's surface tension will then draw the excess chocolate downwards.
6. Wipe the fork on the edge of the container.
7. Place the bonbon with the front side on the paper
8. Remove the fork from under the bonbon.
9. Just before removing the fork completely, slide the praline forward a little on the paper. In this way you avoid a thickening or "small foot" being created under the bonbon.

For thicker fillings:

1. Dip the filling into the tempered chocolate with the top facing downwards.
2. Turn it with the dipping fork.
3. Remove the bonbon from the chocolate. Make sure that ± 2/3 is on the point of the fork and 1/3 is beyond the point.
4. With an up and down movement, shake the excess chocolate off the bonbon. On each down movement, touch the surface of the tempered chocolate in the container. The chocolate's surface tension will then draw the excess chocolate downwards.
5. Wipe the fork on the edge of the container.
6. Place the bonbon with the front side on the paper.
7. Remove the fork from under the bonbon. Just before removing the fork completely, slide the bonbon forward a little on the paper. In this way you avoid a thickening or "small foot" being created under the praline.

Tips for cooling

Have you finished manual dipping? Don't put the bonbons in the refrigerator immediately, but leave them to harden for a quarter of an hour at ambient temperature. Sudden temperature changes reduce the brilliance of the chocolate and may even break a fine layer of chocolate. If it is too warm in the workshop (over 20°C), leave the pralines to harden for a few minutes in the workshop, then put them in the refrigerator (for chocolate 17°C).