White Chocolate Hearts

As I thought about what I should make for Valentine's Day this year, I realized that I had a large quantity of white chocolate left from my Christmas production run. Since several people in my circle love it, this seemed fortuitous. But it also presented a challenge. White chocolate is far more temperamental than milk or dark chocolate. It's easy to overheat it and difficult to work with. I decided it would be good practice and went to my stash to pick out a mold.

Originally, I was thinking about using one of the large heart lollipop molds that I have and making a solid piece. But that seemed pretty basic and I also didn't have any long lollipop sticks. As I shuffled through my options, I noticed a mold that I had forgotten existed. I'm not even sure where I got it, but it's clear from the fifty cent tag that I had picked it up at a bargain. Perhaps it came from the shop on Charlotte Street that closed several years ago. Perhaps I found it at a flea market. Whatever its origin, I knew I had only used it once to create treats for the CIBC Run for the Cure (I served as volunteer coordinator one year).

I pulled it out and examined it, trying to determine if it was deep enough to be filled with something. I figured it would work if I could keep the filling to about 1/4 inch thickness. I set about tempering the white chocolate and shelling the mold. Because it is flexible plastic instead of the polycarbonate molds professionals use, it was a little more challenging to shell properly. Nevertheless, about 15 minutes after shelling it, I confirmed the temper of the chocolate. Success!

Then I needed a centre. Inspired by the white chocolate Reese peanut butter cups and remembering how delicious the white chocolate peanut butter bark was that I made a few years ago for Easter, I settled on a peanut butter filling. I heated it up to be more liquid and discovered it was about two degrees too hot to pipe into the shells. I waited for the temperature to drop to a safer range and then piped the filling into the deepest part of the mold. I left it to set up, fully intending to cap them the following day. When the weather cancelled my evening plans, however, I reconsidered. I tempered another quantity of white chocolate, capped the hearts, and set them in the fridge to set for 15 minutes. Mercifully, when I took them out, I found that the caps were also in temper. 

After flipping the mold over and popping out the hearts, I was surprised by the colour of the chocolate. The shell was so thin that the peanut butter was visible through it, but it didn't crack and I couldn't see any sign of fat migration (yet). The contrast between the peanut butter filled heart and the solid white chocolate flames at the top lent some interest to an otherwise plain confection. I left them on a tray at room temperature for 24 hours to fully crystallize. 

Before the big love day, I wrapped each heart in red foil and placed a sticker on the back. (I also accidentally put my thumb through the delicate shell of one -- a perfect excuse to sample my work.) Voila! This year's Valentine's Day creation. Sure, it's not as complicated as last year's artistic dulce de leche espresso hearts. But these are a white chocolate and peanut butter lover's dream. Sometimes less really is more.

Happy belated Valentine's Day, y'all!