Tabliering, the Ancient Art of Tempering
In most modern chocolate kitchens, you’ll find spiffy chocolate tempering machines that churn out consistent-quality confectioneries every time chocolates are loaded into them. It does the job of “walking” the chocolate through its tempering cycle as well as keeping temperatures even. A microchip directs all these activities and can even make all-night chocolate standby possible, heretofore unheard of in the ancient world.
But there is such a niche of people who go for handmade chocolates, a specialty which only the artisanal chocolatiers claim. Handcrafted chocolate confections are necessarily a consequence of tabliering, a method of tempering by hand which involves drawing out the heat from the chocolate mushthe melted chocolateusing a cold surface, typically a marble slab.
One caveat that a chocolate artisan would warn you of before venturing into the intricate art of tabliering is to keep all ingredients and utensils, including the cook’s hand, free of moisture. A drop or two of water is destructive to chocolate’s pliancy as moisture will cause the chocolate to harden into a stiff mass, a situation called “chocolate seizing.” Additionally, seizing also happens if chocolate is melted at a brisk pace and temperature.
Mindful of the dangers of seizing, chop chocolate (about one pound) into bits and place into the double boiler. Heat the pan on medium and let the chocolate melt until it reaches 108-115F in temperature, making sure to mix evenly with a spatula so the chocolate doesn’t scorch. Once the chocolate has turned into mush, gently pour over a mixing bowl. Take note: the bottom of the upper pan of the double boiler may be wet so dry it up with a paper towel before pouring. The mush should flow fluidly and has no lumps.
Take two-thirds of the mush and pour gently on a stone slab or any heat-absorbing top. With a spatula and a scraper, spread and scrape the mush until it cools to a low range of 80-82F. Be careful that the other one-third of the mush stays well above 100F else it’ll congeal so while cooling down the mush, periodically check its temperature.
When the first two-thirds have cooled enough spread in the second mush until temperatures are even throughout the whole mixture. Bring the whole mush back up to the following temperature levels again: 88-90F (dark chocolates), 86-88F (semi-sweet), and 82-84F (white). Tempering is considered a success if the knife’s tip, dipped into the mush, becomes coated with a shiny, crisp chocolate shell after five minutes.
Bear in mind that you need to keep an eye on the temperature of the chocolate mush you’re using to keep it tempered. An oversight will cost you another round of tabliering. You can extend the holding temper of the mush by putting its bowl over a pan of hot water (an improvised bain-marie) or a heat pad so long as you take measures to protect the mush from moisture leaking in.
