Become a Chocolatier for a Day
[…]
[…]
[…]
A Chocolatier Guide to Luxury Hot Chocolate In this article we will share our best Luxury Hot Chocolate Recipes! Melt Chocolates is an artisan chocolate boutique based in Notting Hill London, and our ethos is to teach people to enjoy chocolate in its purest form. This includes hot chocolate! As we move swiftly into the cold months of November and December, we enter a new, cosier phase of living. One which centers around warmth, comfort and happiness. As the leaves turn golden and the days grow darker, we take harbour from the crisp winter air in small cafes filled with the smell of hot chocolate and cakes. You can’t beat that feeling of contentment, when you hold that warm mug of hot chocolate, the steam curling onto your face, as you sit wrapped up in a blanket watching the cold wind blow outside. This feeling is defined by Scandanavian people as ‘Hygge‘. Though it has no direct translation, we can better understand Hygge as a concept with key features or practices. Some of the ways to experience hygge is to light soft atmospheric candles, sit under a warm blanket with a book, and to enjoy a hot drink and a sweet treat! The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking found that the number 1 thing that Danes associate hygge with was hot drinks. So we want to share our best luxury hot chocolate recipes so that you can recreate that perfect hot chocolate café moment at home with your friends and family. The Key to Any Luxury Hot Chocolate: Chocolate The key to a delicious hot chocolate is the chocolate! In our luxury hot chocolate recipes we use pure chocolate – not cocoa powder or hot chocolate mixtures. Make sure you choose high quality solid chocolate. We would recommend choosing any chocolate over 35%. Anything below and it risks your hot chocolate just becoming too sugary. Also good quality chocolate melts at body temperature. If you held one button of dark chocolate and one white chocolate button in the palm of your hand, the dark would melt first. So when you’re making hot chocolate, you want your chocolate to melt beautifully into the milk. So the higher the percentage on the chocolate (the darker it is) the better it is for hot chocolate! No Added Sugar We also believe in letting the chocolate flavours speak for itself, so in all of these recipes there is no added sugar. There is enough sugar in milk chocolate already to make the hot chocolate sweet! We like our hot chocolates to soothe rather than to excite, just like the hygge mentality. The feeling after drinking a hot chocolate should be peaceful, not a sugar rush! Though of course, each person is welcome to personalise these recipes as they wish! Adding some sweet whipped cream or marshmallows to make your hot chocolate perfect for you is encouraged. So, here are some simple recipes to inspire you to make the best hot chocolate you can: 1. The Fluffy Bunny Hot Chocolate: The Fluffy Bunny is the perfect hot chocolate for children, or for those of us who prefer the milkier, fluffier kinds of hot chocolate. This hot chocolate recipe […]
There are certain tools or equipment every chocolatier must have. No artist can create a masterpiece without the right tools and chocolate making is no exception. While there may be certain recipes that may not require professional chocolate tools, if quality and finesse are what you’re looking for, a chocolate toolbox is essential. Whether it is for tempering chocolate for fancy desserts or creating elegant truffles and bonbons, you can get delicious and aesthetically pleasing creations with the right tools. That said, if you’re looking to buy professional chocolate tools to start your journey of being a chocolatier, you’ve come to the right place. At Melt, with our vast experience in creating delicious chocolates over the years, we know the essential chocolate-making tools every chocolatier needs. In this guide we will take you through the equipment every chocolatier must have. We’ve put together a list of basic yet essential tools that can help you progress from an amateur to a professional chocolatier and also create stunning chocolates. Let’s take a look! 1. Palette Knife A palette knife is perhaps one of the most essential pieces of chocolate-making equipment; so much so that it is a must-have for every chocolatier. This knife has a flat rounded blade that lets you smooth out or temper chocolate on a smooth flat surface to avoid any lumps. Additionally, if you’re looking to get silky smooth chocolate to add to your dessert or are simply making fancy gourmet chocolate, your work will become much easier with this equipment. In the chocolate-making process, many things can go wrong and creating smooth cocoa treats is not as easy as it seems. However, with a palette knife, you can ensure glossy and smooth chocolates that look as delicious as they taste. 2. Chocolate Moulds Once the chocolate is tempered and smoothened out, filling it in a mould is essential to let it form a proper shape and set well. With delicate treats like bonbons, truffles, or even praline cups, a mould is necessary for the creation process. From intricate patterns and swirls to simple lines, there are many different designs and types of chocolate moulds that you can opt for. If you’re looking to make chocolate bars, there are special moulds for them that you can easily find online. 3. Different Sized Spatulas A handy tool in most culinary pursuits, a spatula is another must-have chocolate making equipment. From stirring the chocolate in the vessel to emptying it in the moulds, a spatula is very helpful as it prevents any ingredient from sticking to it. This means that you can easily transfer your chocolate onto the flat surface or in the mould without creating a mess. Moreover, they’re extremely easy to clean making them a great piece of equipment. 4. Thermometer For any dessert or sweet treat that requires cooking and tempering, a thermometer is a must-have. Since many of us are likely unable to properly understand when the chocolate mixture has reached the ideal temperature, a thermometer can do the job for you. Each chocolate type has different temperatures; dark chocolate needs to be at 28° whereas milk chocolate is ideal at 27-28°. With a thermometer, you can ensure you cool down the mixture and set it at the right time to get a good texture on […]
London’s Most Luxurious Chocolates in beautiful Christmasy designer plastic-free packaging. The best London chocolate and the best of British luxury chocolate. Making the perfect chocolate gift set. Our Chocolatiers selection of Fresh Chocolates. All our chocolates are handmade with fresh ingredients in Notting Hill and Holland Park, keeping food miles to a minimum. We use green energy and electric vehicles to reduce our carbon footprint. Because our chocolates are fresh we can use less sugar and only natural ingredients.
The best of British chocolates and craftmanship from Notting Hill, London.
These chocolates are fresh! The shelf life of this product is 12 days. […]
Christmas edition gift box. “All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt”. This is a fabulous collection of our best chocolatiers chocolates. Amazing fresh chocolate from London’s Most Luxurious Chocolate Company – all handmade in Notting Hill by our world-class chocolatiers. Best of British chocolates and the best London Chocolate. Melt is making chocolate great again.
These chocolates are fresh! The shelf life of this product is 12 days. […]
[…]
[…]
“Chocolate is happiness you can eat.” This is our chocolatiers selection of our best fresh Chocolates. London’s Most Luxurious Chocolates delivered in an electric van using green energy. All our chocolates come in beautiful designer packaging – which is plastic free. We make our chocolates in our beautiful boutiques in Notting Hill and Holland Park to minimise food miles. The best london Chocolate and the best of British craftmanship and design. Because we use fresh ingredients we use less sugar and additives to make our chocolates taste sensational.
These chocolates are fresh! The shelf life of this product is 12 days. […]
[…]
[…]
[…]