Flirgan Elf

The purpose behind chocolatiers having shifted to a tempering machine is to turn tempering into a straightforward affair because tempering by hand is quite an elaborate activity. Further, chocolatiers find that the chocolates tempered with a machine hold on to its temper for extended hours, sometimes, overnight, too.

But artisanal chocolatiers aren’t taken in by the ease offered by tempering machines because there are chocolate lovers who insist on purchasing chocolates manually-crafted confections made via tabliering and these chocolatiers want to cater to this lucrative segment. The tabliering technique is from France and it consists of cooling the chocolate on a heat-absorbing surface like a stone slab.

Tabliering results could be spoiled by moisture and hence you must keep the work area and all the paraphernalia moisture-free. Due to a drop of water or two, “seizing” can occur, turning chocolate into a useless, non-workable lump. Seizing may also result heating chocolates briskly or when freezing them.

To commence tabliering, you’ll need one pound of chocolate and gear like a knife, chopping board, rubber spatula, double boiler, mixing bowl, cookie sheets, and of course a thermometer that has the capacity to measure temperatures above 80F. Pat dry these equipment just to be sure.
On the upper pan of the double boiler, place the thin strips cut from the chocolate and heat the lower pan slowly on low heat. Until the melting temperature (different for each variety of chocolate) is reached, you should keep on stirring the chocolate. Once chocolate turns into mush at a range of 108 and 115F, transfer to a mixing bowl. The molten chocolate must pour smoothly.

Work 2/3 of the mush on the marble to reach the cooling range of 80 to 82F. During this process, the remaining 1/3 chocolate in the bowl must not breach temperatures below 100F or it’ll set.

Once the 2/3 portion has reached cooling levels, blend in the remaining one-third of the chocolate to the same cooled temperature. Next, reheat the mush to the following temperature ranges: 86 to 90F for dark chocolates; 86 to 88F for semi-sweet chocolates; and 82 to 84F for white chocolates. There must be a crisp, lustrous shell covering the end of the spatula dipped in chocolate and air-dried for five minutes to signal that tempering has been successful. Once tempering is over, sculpting, molding, and dipping can now ensue.

The main point in tabliering is that you must keep monitoring and maintaining accurate temperatures during the entire process, from melting to molding. If not, you must re-temper the chocolate again if you want to have that high-quality sheen and luxurious texture. You can keep the chocolate’s temper longer by placing the bowl of mush on a bain-marie, guarding against moisture as a matter of course.