The Threat of Gray

"....If it is gray the next morning you know you did it wrong..."

...is what the pastry chef at my restaurant told me when I asked her how to cover my truffles in chocolate.  "Well you have to temper the chocolate.  If it is gray the next morning when you look at them you know you did it wrong.  The chocolate didn't temper."  You don't just dunk them in chocolate and have them come out shiny and pretty????  Guess it's not as easy as I thought.  I suppose that's why there are professionals :)

Melt 2/3 of your chocolate until it is reaches about 90 degrees.  Add the last 1/3 of your chocolate bar and stir it.  It shouldn't completely melt.  It should melt just enough for the sugar crystals in the melted chocolate to mimic the sugar crystals in the cooler chocolate.  Once you think you've done this correctly (uummmm....ok) it's time to dip your little truffles in!

I got down and dirty and used my fingers.  Spoons are acceptable too I suppose but the way I see it, if you are going to play with chocolate you might as well get your fingers dirty.

I dipped, got dirty, put them back on the tray and back in the freezer.  Now all I have to do it wait.

Fingers crossed!