chocolate-making class. if you appreciate fine chocolates, as well as cooking, the chocolatemakingclass is for you. i saw a groupon for the introductory chocolate-making class, and i decided to make a present to my wife. we like cooking, and my wife has decent baking skills. so, we thought we would try it.
rob (owner of the place, very attentive and charismatic) warned us that the class would last 4-5 hours, depending on how well the process will go. there were 4 people in our class (including us).
champagne and orange juice were served at the beginning of the class. it started with the video, explaining history of chocolate, as well as chocolatemakingprocess, including tempering and crystallization. the video lasted about 30-40 minutes, and the second video did not start, so we proceeded to the "hands-on" part, themakingof the chocolate truffles.
the class was well-organized. most ingredients were prepared before we started, and kitchen space was well-utilized by our group. each person had a chance to participate directly in every step of the process, from tempering andmakingthe ganache to coating to rolling in the chocolate "powder". we also compared various types of commercial chocolate that can be used in the candy making, and found all of them delicious.
there were no delays or interruptions in the class, except two times when customers came in to get some chocolates. while the chocolate ganache was cooling and the chocolate for coating was mixing, we watched a second video, much shorter than a first one.
at the end of the class the group got some of the truffles made in the class, as well as some of the pre-made candy from display. i asked rob for a few recipes, and he was happy to provide them.
all-in-all it was a very educational and pleasant experience for us. while we do not have granite counter at home, we do have a fairly large marble board. so, i think we will try one of the recipes we got.