So this last week at OCCI in Baking and Pastry, we have all been doing chocolate work.  Holy Cannoli it was a rough week.  First, understanding the concept of correctly tempering chocolate is quite a task in itself.  There are a few very important things to remember....and it is different for dark, white and milk chocolates.  First of all you have to bring the chocolate up to the correct temperature over a double boiler, generally around 113 degrees for all chocolates.  After you have reached 113 degrees you have to bring the chocolate down to a certain temperature using a selection of tempering methods.  One could temper chocolate by using a mable slab, the seeding method, block method, etc.  After the chocolate has come to a temperature of usually the low 80s, yet again depending on the chocolate, it has to be brought back up to the working temperature, generally somewhere between the mid 80s to low 90s.  Then and only then is the chocolate ready to be used as some sort of delicious and/or creative medium.

It seems to me that you really can use chocolate to make almost anything.  From bon bons and truffles to decoration pieces and chocolate boxes or any other sweet treats.  This last week at school while learning about the mysteries of chocolate, we were all tasked to make a certain amount of chocolate candies, a chocolate flower, a chocolate butterfly and a chocolate box to hold all of the delicious delights.  For starters I am not comfortable working with chocolate at all....mostly because I have such hot hands and chocolate is super messy as it is, and then you try to handle it with "hot hands" and it can very quickly become catastrophic.  Not to fear or anything though, a lot of people were really good at chocolate work...guess its just not for me. 

Here is a picture of my partner - John Lundahl - and my chocolate box.  He made most of the pretty pieces....mine kept melting.