Couverture Chocolates

Couverture Chocolates, our professional chocolatier program, is designed for those who have mastered the basics of chocolate making and want to graduate their skills to the next level. This is an intensive 2-day course in which you will learn advanced chocolate making techniques that will take you beyond your home kitchen and give a glimpse of working with professional equipment. There is also a greater focus on the creative side of chocolate making by encouraging students to go beyond standard recipes and develop their own customized gourmet chocolates that not only have great taste but also tremendous eye appeal.

• Bonbons

  Aromatic Ganache | Herb and spice infusions can create a powerful aromatic synergy with chocolate. We will pick from a choice of aromatics such as rosemary, vanilla, basil, cinnamon, or mint to show you the infusion process that holds the key to this alchemy. We will discuss how factors such as quantity, heat, steeping time, butterfat content, and freshness of cream can affect your final outcome.
  Fruit Ganache | Chocolate is a great base to enhance exotic fruity flavours. We will make a fruit ganache with the ideal fat/water ratio to ensure good texture and stability. Based on the strength, sweetness, and acidity of the fruit, we will pair it with the right type of chocolate for a refreshing taste profile with the perfect balance of creaminess and tartness.
  Brewed Ganache | In this recipe, we will make a cold brewed ganache with either tea or coffee. This method results in a ganache that is sweeter and smoother, and less acidic than conventional warm infusion recipes. The slow, low temperature infusion pulls all the great flavour from the beans/leaves bringing out their crisp natural essence, while leaving behind the undesired sour and bitter volatiles. We will reveal our “Golden Ratio” and recommended steeping times to extract just the right amount of flavour for a balanced ganache.

• Pralines

  Piedmont Gianduja | In this recipe, we will make a ganache using Gianduja, a hazelnut based chocolate originally from Italy. We will layer this creamy ganache with a crunchy preparation of Pailleté Feuilletine.
  Hazelnut Macchiato | The inviting aroma of this nutty, rich blend of coffee and hazelnut is a match made in chocolate heaven. The understated flavours of hazelnut mesh perfectly with the mellow cold brewed coffee. Fresh roasted hazelnuts come in to create a heavenly creation of smooth crunchiness.
  Toasted Coco | The flavour of fresh coconut meat is tropical, a little nutty and slightly sweet. When coconut is roasted, it takes on a deeper, more woody flavour. These intense notes of this toasted coconut are enhanced by the milkiness and caramel hints of milk couverture.

• Truffles

  Vanilla Bean |
  Cookies ’n Cream |
  Grand Prix |

• French Classics

  Palet d’Or | This iconic creation is the hallmark of legendary French chocolatier, Maurice Bernachon, who first came up with the concept of a ‘golden puck’ of chocolate. We will make a rich infused ganache for this recipe and embellish it as a medallion with a classy clump of gold leaf.
  Rocher Aux Amandes | In this delicious confection, we are going to marry the sweet crunch of roasted almonds with the velvety goodness of tempered chocolate.
  Eiffel Tower | There are endless creative possibilities with hollow figures. We are going to celebrate Paris by making a hollow Eiffel Tower with pure couverture chocolate. We will discuss how to achieve a smooth, even shell that has a beautiful snap, high gloss and an ideal thickness.

• Techniques

  ❖ Properties of couvertures
  ❖ Differences between dark, milk, white and ruby chocolates
  ❖ Pre-crystallisation and tempering of chocolate
  ❖ Preparation styles: gianduja, rocher, truffle, praline and bonbon
  ❖ Presentation styles: shells, cups, and balls
  ❖ Handcrafting hollow chocolate figures
  ❖ Professional methods for enrobing, moulding and framing
  ❖ Formulation of a range of ganache recipes
  ❖ Hand painting and airbrushing techniques using cocoa butter colours
  ❖ Printing coloured patterns and embossing textures on chocolate