Sweethearts in the kitchen

Published: 
Compiled by Chris Lau
Listen to this article

Young Post's junior reporters learn the secrets of chocolate and create some lovely treats

Compiled by Chris Lau |
Published: 
Comment

Latest Articles

Hong Kong’s education minister pledges moderated university fee hikes

Scorching Sunday for Hong Kong as city logs hottest ever March day

Hong Kong physiotherapists share their skills with trail guides in Nepal

The Lens: New travel technology is great, but keep data privacy in mind

Young Post junior reporters with chocolate tutor Ho Chi-pin (centre)
Just in time for Valentine's Day, two junior reporters took a chocolate-making class at the Towngas Cooking Centre in Causeway Bay on Monday. Chocolate expert Ho Chi-pin taught them how to turn chocolate chips into an exquisite Valentine's gift.

Check out what they learned?

Real versus decorative

To make our treats, we used two types of chocolate: real, and decorative, or compound. Decorative chocolate is often used as a coating on chocolate bars. The main difference is that decorative chocolate contains vegetable oil instead of cocoa butter.

"Real chocolate definitely tastes better because it melts at about 37 degrees [Celsius], our body temperature. When you put it in your mouth, it melts smoothly and immediately," says Ho.

But decorative chocolate is better for cooking because it melts at 40 degrees. That makes it ideal for edible chocolate boxes and chocolate coins, the kind we see at Christmas and Lunar New Year.

"Real chocolate is more fragile and needs a special process to make hard decorations," says Ho. "So we normally use decorative chocolate instead."

How to melt chocolate

Chocolate should never come into direct contact with a heated pan or boiling water.

The best way to melt chocolate is to put it in a glass bowl. Place that bowl in a larger bowl filled with boiling water, and let the heat do its magic. Stir the chocolate gently as it melts to spread the heat evenly. High temperatures will overcook the chocolate.

Making chocolate truffles

First, melt some dark chocolate in a glass bowl. Stir the chocolate until it becomes silky smooth. Add whipped cream and melted unsalted butter. Mix well.

Let the mixture cool down, then use a spoon to scoop up some of the mixture. Place a roasted hazelnut in the middle of the spoonful. Finally, roll the mixture into a ball, and dip it in almond chips. Do this to half the mixture, then coat the other half in cocoa powder. Now you've got two kinds of chocolate truffles.

Making a heart-shaped box

Melt dark and white decorative chocolate separately. Pour the dark chocolate on a sheet of baking paper and spread evenly. Let it cool to room temperature, then cut out two heart shapes and three rectangles for each box.

Balance the rectangles on top of one of the hearts in a triangle shape, and use melted dark chocolate to stick them all together. Decorate the other heart, which is the "lid" of the box, with the melted white chocolate.

The percentage secret

We often see numbers on chocolate labels: 75 per cent, 85 per cent or 99 per cent. But what do these percentages mean?

"It is the percentage of cocoa in the chocolate," Ho explains. "The higher the percentage, the fewer artificial ingredients [butter, sugar and milk] in the chocolate. The quality is better, and the price will be higher because it's closer to pure chocolate."

Chocolate with high cocoa content may taste bitter. But it's healthier as it contains less sugar.

Janet Tam Ka-wing and Kate Ng

See the rest of the photos from the workshop on our Facebook page and visit www.towngascooking.com for more details.

Sign up for the YP Teachers Newsletter
Get updates for teachers sent directly to your inbox
By registering, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy
Comment