How to make Belgian chocolates
How to make Belgian chocolates
Learn how Belgian chocolates are made.
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
Transcript
NARRATOR: Saturday morning at a very special place - the chocolate factory. Here, dozens of highly trained confectioners melt, shape and create tiny, edible works of art. While they may follow recipes, they need a keen eye and attention to detail. Claudia Heimann is busy looking over the students in her kitchen. This chocolate factory offers classes to show amateur cooks how to make their very own Belgian chocolates. This hands-on taster course lasts several hours and shows would-be chocolatiers all the tricks of the trade.
CLAUDIA HEIMANN: "Oops, that's five grams over. Well, if anything goes wrong we can blame it all on him. It's better when something goes wrong - it's good practice for us."
NARRATOR: Dark and white chocolate, honey, butter and cream are the most important ingredients that go into making the fillings or ganache for these chocolates. But that's not the whole story.
HEIMANN: "For a chocolate to be classified as a Belgian chocolate it should be small enough to fit in the mouth in a single bite and have a cocoa content of 25 percent. The filling is less important. It can be runny or chewy, just as long as it's tasty."
NARRATOR: The art of chocolate making is by no means plain sailing. The melted chocolate must be poured onto and scraped across a marble work surface. It's hard work, but key to making a successful chocolate. The molten chocolate needs to be swept from one side to the other until it has reached the perfect consistency. Only then will the chocolate crack crisply, look glossy and melt in the mouth. This lesson is putting students through their paces with some intricate decorative work. Even for experienced cooks, this is a challenge.
HEIMANN: "I'm stuck, I just can't do it."
NARRATOR: A piping bag is an integral piece of equipment for chocolate decoration. But for really intricate work, the nozzle needs to be needle sharp. After a little help from the experts, the piping bags are ready and the students can let their creativity run wild. Cinnamon balls, marzipan and amaretto-filled chocolates are given an individual touch. Some of the students, meanwhile, feel more creative and are opting for unusual decorations, such as chilli flakes. The truffles, or filled pralines, receive some special treatment. They are rolled around on a special grate so that when they are chilled they take on a spiky appearance.
HEIMANN: "As I roll the praline around, there is a build up of chocolate threads that makes a criss-cross."
NARRATOR: After three hours of fun and a little perspiration these would-be chocolatiers get to take home a sizeable box of their own handmade Belgian chocolates and truffles. Whether they'll be giving them away as presents or eating them themselves, these students now know how to make their very own chocolates at home.
CLAUDIA HEIMANN: "Oops, that's five grams over. Well, if anything goes wrong we can blame it all on him. It's better when something goes wrong - it's good practice for us."
NARRATOR: Dark and white chocolate, honey, butter and cream are the most important ingredients that go into making the fillings or ganache for these chocolates. But that's not the whole story.
HEIMANN: "For a chocolate to be classified as a Belgian chocolate it should be small enough to fit in the mouth in a single bite and have a cocoa content of 25 percent. The filling is less important. It can be runny or chewy, just as long as it's tasty."
NARRATOR: The art of chocolate making is by no means plain sailing. The melted chocolate must be poured onto and scraped across a marble work surface. It's hard work, but key to making a successful chocolate. The molten chocolate needs to be swept from one side to the other until it has reached the perfect consistency. Only then will the chocolate crack crisply, look glossy and melt in the mouth. This lesson is putting students through their paces with some intricate decorative work. Even for experienced cooks, this is a challenge.
HEIMANN: "I'm stuck, I just can't do it."
NARRATOR: A piping bag is an integral piece of equipment for chocolate decoration. But for really intricate work, the nozzle needs to be needle sharp. After a little help from the experts, the piping bags are ready and the students can let their creativity run wild. Cinnamon balls, marzipan and amaretto-filled chocolates are given an individual touch. Some of the students, meanwhile, feel more creative and are opting for unusual decorations, such as chilli flakes. The truffles, or filled pralines, receive some special treatment. They are rolled around on a special grate so that when they are chilled they take on a spiky appearance.
HEIMANN: "As I roll the praline around, there is a build up of chocolate threads that makes a criss-cross."
NARRATOR: After three hours of fun and a little perspiration these would-be chocolatiers get to take home a sizeable box of their own handmade Belgian chocolates and truffles. Whether they'll be giving them away as presents or eating them themselves, these students now know how to make their very own chocolates at home.