Dark chocolate and cherry bon bons

Ingredients

700g Republica del Cacao Ecuador and Peru Blend 70%

Chocolatree red cocoa butter (as required)

Method

Take a polycarbonate chocolate mould CW2207 and, using cotton wool pads, give it a polish as this will give the chocolate a shiny shell.

Start melting and tempering the red cocoa butter and while it’s cooling down, set up the airbrush and keep warm. 

Place the tempered red cocoa butter in the airbrush and spray into the cavities, making sure that all areas are covered.

Place the 700g of chocolate into a plastic bowl and melt to 45-50°C in 25-second blasts inside the microwave.

Once it's reached the temperature, pour most of the chocolate onto a marble slab and, using both a chocolate scraper and palette knife, move the chocolate about to cool it down.

Keep an eye on the temperature during this process. You want the chocolate to be cooled down to 27-28°C.

When it's reached the temperature, scrape the chocolate back into the bowl, mix and bring it back up to a working temperature of 30°C.

Place the chocolate into a piping bag and fill each cavity with chocolate all the way to the top.

Tap the mould to remove any air bubbles then flip it upside down to turn out all the excess chocolate.

Using a scraper, tap the side of the mould to remove the excess chocolate and scrape on the base to remove the rest.

Place onto a sheet of greaseproof paper upside down and leave at room temperature for 5 minutes.

Take the mould, scrape off any excess chocolate around the sides or on the mould and leave to one side to create the filling.

Ingredients

105g Leonce Blanc sour red cherry fruit puree

14.5g caster sugar (1)

2.62g Sosa pectin jaune/yellow pectin

112g caster sugar (2)

21g Sosa liquid glucose 

2.37g Sosa citric acid 

Method

Place the cherry puree in a pan and bring to 40°C. Add in the sugar (1) and pectin and, using a whisk, mix together and bring to the boil.

Once boiling, add in the sugar (2) and glucose, then bring to 105°C. 

When the pate de fruit reaches the temperature, remove from the heat, whisk in the citric acid, and pour into a jug. 

Let it set completely for a minimum of 3 hours then, using a hand blender, blitz until smooth and place into a piping bag.

Pipe in a small amount to fill 1/3 of the bon bon and put to the side for the ganache.

Ingredients

150g 70% Ecuador and Peru Blend Republica del Cacao 

198g whipping cream 

40g Sosa liquid glucose 

60g unsalted butter

33g Grandes Distilleries Peureux Massenez Kirsch 

Method

Place the cream and glucose in a pan and bring to the boil. Pour over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute.

Emulsify using a hand blender and then add in the butter and kirsch. 

Blitz until smooth and let it cool to 30°C. Once it has reached this temperature, place into a piping bag and pipe the ganache into the cavity leaving a 2mm gap at the top for the crispy layer.

Ingredients

150g 70% Republica del Cacao Ecuador and Peru Blend

40g feuilletine wafer pieces

30g Sosa cherry crispy

Method

Melt the chocolate to 45°C and add in the cherry crispy and wafer pieces. 

Mix until fully combined and then roll between two pieces of baking paper to a 2mm thickness. 

Let it completely set and then using a circular cutter, cut out discs that are just a bit smaller than the size of the cavity. 

Place on top of the ganache and carefully push so it comes around the sides and is level. 

Leave to set for a minimum of 3 hours. 

Method

Re-temper the chocolate and place into a piping bag. Using a heat gun, carefully heat the top of the shells only for a second so that it creates a seal around the sides.

Pipe the chocolate over the cavities, level using a palette knife and then, using a chocolate scraper, scrape off any excess leaving a clean flat bottom to the chocolates.

Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes to set before turning them out. If a couple aren't releasing, place the mould into the fridge for 10-15 minutes and then all of them should fall out.