- (1)Freezer
- (1)Stove
- (1)Appropriate Chocolate Mold
- Plastic Wrap
- (2) Pots
- (1) Icing knife
- (1) Hair Dryer
Note : This is only meant to describe the procedure, and not the actual recipe. I have neither made this myself, nor do I have a recipe for it. I did learn the technique at a course I took at the Cordon Bleu a couple of years ago, though I haven't made use of the knowledge until now.
- Heat the mold to 85F. This will make sure that the temper of the chocolate is preserved.
- Heat your chocolate to proper temperature (~85-90F).
- Pour a generous amount of chocolate into the mold. Let it sit for a short while. Tap the mould from all sides with the knife to bring any air bubbles to the top. Then turn it upside down and swirl and tap it. Clean off the counter. ( Next time, make sure you've got the mold over the pot of melted chocolate). Swirling creates a consistently thick shell. The longer it sits, the thicker the shell.
- Cover with wrap - put in freezer to cool.
- Heat the caramel so it is soft. Let it cool to 80F, and thin it with the syrup. This is so that it can be poured without melting the existing chocolate.
- Remove the mold from the freezer. Scrape the excess chocolate away, such that there is no chocolate left above the cups.
- Carefully pour the caramel into the chocolate cups. It will take practice to determine how much is just right.
- Tap to remove bubbles and to level the caramel, cover and return to freezer.
- Once a skin has formed on the caramel, remove from freezer. With the hair drier, heat the chocolate so that it is slightly soft, but be careful not to melt the skin of the caramel, we do not want the chocolate to mix with it. Likewise we don't want to ruin the temper of the chocolate. The heating allows the bottom to bond with the top (cups) and prevents leaks.
- Flood the mold with chocolate to form the bottom of the bar. Scrape the excess off with the icing knife. Tap to remove air bubbles.
- Cover and return to freezer.
Once it is set, remove from freezer, and then push the bar from the molding. When the bar returns to room temperature, the caramel should be nice and soft again inside.
Enjoy!
I suggested Maple Syrup as a thinner for the caramel because it smells right. Experiment with other agents to thin the caramel to get the right taste and texture.
This is quite likely the procedure they follow, although on a larger scale and automated. The recipe is something else.