From Britain with Love

On arrival at William Curley’s shop on a cold snowy day, we were instantly won over by the rich aroma of chocolate, and offered a steaming cup of their signature Chilli Hot Chocolate – heaven!

Our tutor, chocolatier Vicky led us upstairs to the working kitchen above the shop, where she started off with an explanation of the chocolate making process. From harvesting the cocoa pods by hand in the rainforest, to the specialist chocolate houses which separate the cocoa butter, cocoa mass and nibs, and blend the chocolate for use by chocolatiers and patissiers around the world.

We tasted the bitter cocoa nibs and the oily cocoa butter which doesn’t taste of chocolate at all, then tried different strengths of chocolate, from an intense 75% dark chocolate, through to a 32% milk chocolate and finally a 27% white chocolate, noticing how the sweetness increases as the cocoa content decreases.

We completed our tasting with some of William Curley’s signature chocolates, including Japanese Black Vinegar, Salted Caramel, Richmond Park Honey, and Juniper Berry and Cassis.

 Then it was time to have a go ourselves. We would be making William Curley’s House Dark Truffles, which involves making a rich chocolate ganache, which is then coated in crisp chocolate, before being dusted with cocoa powder.

Using an induction hob, we heated 142g of Whipping Cream with 25g of Trimmoline (a natural sugar in paste form, but you could also use half the amount of glucose syrup). This was then poured into a bowl of finely grated chocolate (we used a combination of 70% and 75% dark chocolate).

Next we added 25g of softened unsalted butter, a little at a time, taking care not to stir air into the mixture. Then the mixture was put in the fridge for 20 minutes to set, while Vicky prepared a bain marie of tempered chocolate, which would be used to coat our truffles.

Once the ganache had set, it was spooned into a piping bag and we were shown how to pipe little pointed bulbs, as well as long straight lengths which would then be cut into one inch sections, to create our truffles. The tray of piped ganache was then placed back in the fridge to firm up.

Next it was time to coat our truffles in the tempered chocolate. Instead of dipping the truffles into the chocolate, we donned latex gloves and lightly touched the melted chocolate onto our fingers, before gently rolling each truffle between our fingers to give it a light coating of chocolate.

The coated chocolates were then placed in a tray of cocoa powder and lightly dusted, before being sieved to remove any excess cocoa. Then it’s on to a tray and back into the fridge for a few minutes to allow the chocolate coating to set.

The final step was to place our handcrafted truffles into a beautiful gift box, and to admire our handiwork. The perfect handmade Valentine’s Gift!

There are many things that are delightful about this course, from the heady aromas of the shop, to the wonderful one-to-one tuition, but for me the best and perhaps most surprising aspect is how natural and hands-on the whole process is. Just a few familiar ingredients, cooked and prepared by hand, the way you would at home.

The staff at William Curley are passionate and inspiring, and very willing to tailor the course according to the needs and interests of the participants. So whether you’re looking for a fun Valentine’s gift that you can do together, or are serious about learning the art of chocolate making, this course is a great introduction into the world of the artisan chocolatier.

Resources

Click here to find out more about chocolate and patisserie workshops at William Curley.

Click here to buy William Curley chocolates online, and make someone very happy this Valentine’s Day!
 

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