The second assignment for the Professional Chocolatier program focuses on two methods for tempering chocolate: tabliering and seeding. While I'd had success with seeding before, I'd never tried tabliering.
Tabliering is the traditional process for tempering chocolate, which has been used since chocolate for eating (as opposed to drinking) became a thing. You melt your chocolate, toss 1/3 to 1/2 of it on a marble slab, move it around as it cools to form the right crystal structure, and then toss it back into the bowl with the rest of the melted chocolate to get it back up to a working temperature. Part one of the tempering assignment was a modified version of this process that also required we hold the chocolate in temper for 20 minutes. To check for temper, we did parchment tests at various intervals.
I won't bore you with the details, but let me just say that my first attempt at this -- while it appears to have "worked" -- would have made for a very entertaining video. My workspace isn't really set up for the right flow (no direct line from marble slab to microwave). I felt strangely "unsafe" because I had a heating pad plugged into the outlet on my stove and a hair dryer plugged into the outlet next to my sink (don't worry -- I made sure there was no water around, if not to prevent electrocution, to prevent chocolate from seizing). The one time I tried to test temperature with a thermometer (not required for the assignment), I accidentally dropped it into the bowl of melted chocolate. And I felt very frantic moving between checking temper tests, making notes, setting timers, heating my chocolate, removing it from the heating pad to keep it from overheating, and so on. The image of Lucy working in the chocolate factory came to mind. Deciding that was enough for one night, I cleaned everything up and made a few notes.
Two nights later, I attempted part two of the assignment, which focused on seeding. In seeding, you melt 5 parts chocolate to break down all of the existing crystal structures, you then add in 1 part unmelted chocolate that is already in a tempered state (for example, unmelted callets). The beta 5 crystals from those callets or chocolate buttons encourage the formation of more as they melt and lower the temperature of the chocolate. Again, I was required to hold the chocolate in temper for 20 minutes, checking with parchment tests periodically.
Now, this part of the assignment didn't feel nearly as frantic as the first, perhaps because I was better prepared after completing the first part. As well, this method doesn't require the same level of physical coordination that tabliering does. It does, however, take much longer. I'm still having some issues with my stirring technique. I seem to be introducing some air bubbles in the process, even though this time I kept telling myself to push the chocolate or be more like a paddle. If anyone has ideas for good stirring technique to avoid introducing air into the chocolate, let me know!
All in all, I feel like I've been pretty successful with these first attempts and I'm beginning to formulate responses to various questions that are part of the written submission for the assignment. I do wonder if it was just beginner's luck, because there's no question that I need to practice both techniques to really get comfortable with them. If I ever master tabliering, I'll post a video.
Until then, may I suggest you treat yourself to some chocolate?
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