Follow the step-by-step tips in this video for getting perfectly smooth melted chocolate every time.
Melting chocolate
Place your chocolate in a non-reactive bowl (glass is perfect; don’t use metal). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set the bowl atop a saucepan of boiling water for 15–20 minutes. Make sure the bottom of the bowl is not in contact with the water. Remove bowl from the heat, and carefully discard the plastic wrap. (Be sure not to allow any moisture to come into contact with the chocolate—if you do, it will seize. Seizing is clumping; once this happens, you must throw away the seized chocolate and start over.) Whisk the softened chocolate until it is smooth and shiny—ready to pour over your Sacher torte!
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Recipe tip
Secrets to success with melting chocolate – When working with chocolate, avoid any and all contact with water.
- Use clean, dry dishes.
- Make sure the bottom of the melting bowl doesn’t touch the water beneath it.
- Be careful, when removing plastic wrap, not to let water condensation fall into the melting chocolate.
- When melting chocolate with butter, make sure the butter is at room temperature and not frozen. Melting chocolate with frozen butter introduces water to the chocolate, and water causes chocolate to seize (clump severely). If that happens, the best you can do is throw away the destroyed chocolateand-butter mixture and start over.
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For chocolate lovers – February offers the perfect excuse for experimenting with decadent chocolate recipes. Whether you’re sharing sweets with your Valentine or just treating yourself, these desserts let you indulge a chocolate passion.
Pecan chocolate fudge – Treat the ones you love to homemade dark-chocolate fudge with a pecan crunch.
Triple chocolate cookies – When a few semisweet chocolate chips are not enough, whip up a batch of chocolate-flavored cookies dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with mini morsels.
Sacher torte – This elegant chocolate-and-apricot dessert is known as the gold standard for chocolate cakes in the culinary world.
Celebrate the season – Show off at the dessert table with Chef Belinda’s recipes for deliciously decadent holiday treats.