Are you ready for prime baking season? It's officially fall, the holidays are upon us and the oven beckons. It's the season of Halloween treats, hostess gifts, and soon we will be gifting yummy holiday gifts to friends and family. And what better gift than chocolate? Hand-made, hand-dipped chocolate treats, to be precise! Whether it’s white, chocolate, or dark, chocolate covered anything looks elegant and inviting when served at your upcoming holiday parties. Learn tips and tricks on how to dip chocolate from the pros at Gourmet Food World!
Above: chocolate dipped orange strips.
Use Premium Cacao
The range of chocolate available these days is staggering. The flavors will vary depending on origin, cacao content, and chocolatier. Chocolate may be everywhere, but truly fine chocolate from places like Valrhona or Cacao Noel won’t taste anything like chocolate from the grocery store. The flavor profiles are as deep and complex as wine or coffee.
A good rule of thumb is; the sweeter the fruit, the more bittersweet the chocolate. Try at least 72% cacao for strawberries. On the other hand, something salty like a potato chip will benefit from a more caramel flavored chocolate.
Master the Temper
Above: A beautiful glossy shine, compliments of tempering.
Tempering chocolate may sound strictly for the pros, but it’s surprisingly easy and essential to get a professional finish to your treats. Any type of chopped chocolate or pistoles with at least 70% cacao will do. The higher percentage of cacao means less sugar, or cocoa butter in the case of white chocolate. You’ll need a double boiler, chocolate thermometer, slab (preferably marble), spatula, and chocolate scraper. Then simply follow our easy-to-follow steps here. But is tempering worth the hype? Why go through all this fuss if you can easy melt chocolate in a double boiler and get to dipping? Because without tempering your chocolate will remain soft to the touch and dull: Tempering is what makes that delightfully shiny chocolate shell that’s so fun to bite into.
Use Your Imagination (and ingredients)
Above: Chocolate biscotti makes a lovely holiday gift.
Dip your favorite sweet or savory ingredients. For inspiration, here are some of our favorites chocolate dipped recipes.
Strawberries are a lovely and by far the most classic choice, by they're not the only fresh fruit worthy of the dip. Apples and fresh oranges slices look beautiful and taste divine when dipped as do cherries and pears, candied fruit, almonds and other nuts.
Looking for more inspiration? Simply open up your kitchen cabinets. Experiment with different types of chocolate and your favorites crunchy snacks, from potato chips to pretzels. Cookies of all kinds, marshmallows, even hot peppers!
Above: Chocolate-dipped Apples decorated with nuts and swirls make a fab Halloween treat.
Adding a bit of flair to your chocolate dipped items is always a treat. Sprinkle on chopped nuts, nice big flakes of sea salt, or crushed peppermint. If you are working with several different types of chocolate, you can drizzle a different colored chocolate on top. Easy and impressive! We hope you enjoyed our tips for dipping chocolate. Share your favorite foods to dip in chocolate in the comments below!