Production

In the chocolate world with its long traditions, making pralines or truffles is not substantially different from what happened say a century ago. Of course, modern production methods and techniques have improved the creative and qualitative possibilities but the skills and experience of a chocolatier knowing the basics remain extremely important to create and produce chocolate articles.

For liquid or soft fillings a chocolatier may start from a polycarbonate mould that has as one of its advantages that it perfectly conducts temperature so that it can transfer heat and cold in almost ideal circumstances. That mould is filled with melted, tempered chocolate that after turning it upside down will leave a tiny shell on the inside of the mould. After careful cooling of these shells, the chocolatier can inject a filling of nuts paste, butter or sugar creams and after a little rest close the shell with chocolate to finally having created a moulded chocolate.

For harder fillings, the chocolatier will first make or roll larger tablets that are being cut to the desired size, enrobed in chocolate and hand finished or decorated.

What is now the secret of the chocolate gloss ?

This happens in a so called tempering process where melted hot chocolate is gradually being cooled down and gets its perfect crystal structure. This happens by grafting cocoa butter on the solid cocoa mass and sugar and once the perfect structure is reached and temperature is meticulously followed in the tempered chocolate tank, the cooled down chocolate will shine like a mirror !