I'd suggest a Recchiuti chocolate lesson.

We watched Michael go through the process of making these four chocolates: Star Anise, Pink Peppercorn Ganache; Rose Caramel; Lemon Verbena Ganache; Piedmont Hazelnut.

Michael shows us his chcolate sprayer. He uses the spray for the Rose Caramels.

Michael makes these templates for creating the backs of chocolates himself.

Michael spreads chocolate over the template to create the disks that will later become the backs of the Star Anise & Pink Peppercorn chocolates.

Tempering white chocolate.

Michael explains the tempering process.

A larger tempering machine also has a vibrating shelf that jiggles the chocolates to get rid of any potential air bubbles.

I'd like to make a bed of this machine and just lie back with my mouth wide open to catch the dribbles. This is tempered milk chocolate being used for the Piedmont Hazelnuts.

Michael sppons the Star Anise & Pink Peppercorn Ganache into a large piping bag.

Then he carefully pipes it onto the chocolate bases he made earlier.

This is a chocolate slicing machine - it works much like an egg slicer. Michael uses this one for the Lemon Verbena Ganache.

As soon as they have been enrobed, the Lemon Ganache chocolates are topped with a pattern transfer.

Then the Lemon Verbena candies continue their way down the conveyer belt of the enrobing machine...

...As the other chocolates are just getting ready to be cloaked with a chocolate coating.

Finally the transfers can be removed and these Lemon Verbena confections are ready to enjoy...


These photographs were taken during a "Serious Chocolate" class at Recchiuti's chocolate kitchen yesterday afternoon. For more details about classes and tastings, see the Recchiuti website.

More of my photographs from the afternoon can be seen on my Facebook page via this public link.

Recchiuti Confections on Facebook.
Recchiuti on Twitter.




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2008 | A Dancing Croissant for Every Winner
2006 | Farmer Brown & Coco500

© 2009 Sam Breach