Taunya has returned from chocolate and confection class and wants to educate the world on how to properly temper chocolate. Although it takes some practice, the resulting chocolate is shiny, stable and absolutely beautiful! No café items today, since we knew that the chocolate talk would saturate all of you. And seriously, what item can top chocolate? The sisters also give an update on the business. You can email the sisters at thebakingpodcast@gmail.com--They would LOVE to hear from you! Be sure to join the facebook group, it’s happening! Just search for “the baking podcast group”. You can also check us out on Instagram “the baking podcast”. AND WE LOVE REVIEWS! PLEASE RATE OUR PODCAST AND SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS!  Now onto the recipes! How to temper chocolate Equipment: Microwave safe plastic or glass bowl Rubber Spatula 1 pound good quality chocolate (either dark or milk) Fruit, nuts (or dragee’ nuts see below), or molds Parchment paper Kitchen towel Fork for dipping nuts or chocolate Pastry or paint brush for molds Thermometer Parchment paper scraps   Prerequisites! IMPORTANT—Check out the manufacturer temperature ranges for melting and tempering chocolate ideally, but here are some rough guidelines. MILK CHOCOLATE—Heat to range 104 to 113F for melting Temp. Cool, stir & seed to 88F for working temp (Be sure to do a temper test) DARK CHOCOLATE—Heat to range 115 to 140F for melting temp. Cool, stir & seed to 90 degrees for working temp (be sure to do a temper test) BE SURE TO BE WORKING IN A COOL KITCHEN, NO WARMER THAN 68 degrees and ideally no cooler than 60F.   INSTRUCTIONS: Setup all your equipment. Wipe the insides your mold (if using) with cotton balls Chop 12oz of chocolate (NOTE: Keep extra on hand just in case)   1. Using a Microwave ideally at 80% power, heat 8oz of chopped chocolate for 1 minute. Take out and stir. If chocolate is not melted, microwave for another 30 seconds and check again. If still not melted, stir and microwave for 15 seconds. Once all the chocolate is melted, take the temperature Microwave in 5 to 10 second bursts to get up the to the melted temperature noted above.   NOTE: If you do not want to use a microwave and want a little better control, you can put a bowl of your chocolate over a pot of simmering water (stir until melted and heat up to the correct melted temperature).   2. Once you have reached the melting temp, put small handful of chopped chocolate in the bowl and stir (at this point bigger pieces are ok). Once the chocolate is melted, take the temperature again, If you are still over 100 degrees, add another small handful of chocolate and stir until melted. The process adding chocolate is called seeding. You are adding good crystals to the chocolate! Repeat until you are under 100 degrees. 3. Once you are under 100 degrees, add smaller pieces of chocolate to your bowl and a smaller handful, stir and smush the chocolate against the sides to help dissolve if necessary. Repeat until you get to the desired working temp noted above.  4. Once you get to the working temp, test your temper. Get a scrap of parchment paper and with your rubber spatula, drizzle a thick-ish (like ½ inch) line of chocolate on the scrap of parchment paper. Put the paper down on your counter and set your timer for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes you should see that the chocolate is beginning to set. If it is setting or hardening you can begin using the chocolate. If the chocolate is still completely wet, Stir the chocolate and take another test. If you see streaks in your setting chocolate stir again before using.   PUT YOUR BOWL ON A DISHTOWEL TO KEEP FROM COOLING TOO FAST!   5. If dipping, use a fork or a dipping fork to dip your fruit or nuts. NOTE: If you like you can add some chocolate to a bowl and coat the nuts with a rubber gloved hand. You can add more than one layer of chocolate to your nuts using the gloved method. If using molds, use a paintbrush to coat a layer of chocolate on the mold. BE SURE TO GET ALL