Pro-Level Bonbon au Chocolat

Break the milk chocolate finely, place it in a bowl, and melt over a hot-water bath. Use a bowl wider than the pot so steam can't enter — keep the heat low and stir gently for an even melt.

Take the melted milk chocolate off the heat. In a separate pot, bring the heavy cream and grated lemon zest to a boil. Don't grate the white pith — it's bitter.

Pour the boiled cream into the melted chocolate and stir to combine. Then bring lemon juice and granulated sugar to a boil and stir into the chocolate.

Stir in the room-temperature butter until fully combined. Keep above the chocolate's melting point of 35°C — ideally around 40°C — to encourage emulsion.

Cut the corners of a sheet of parchment, oil a tray and lay the parchment in it, then pour in the ganache. Pour the rest directly into a separate tray. Cover both with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 48 hours.

For tempering, melt the dark chocolate in a hot-water bath to about 50°C. Remove from the bath, leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until it cools to 34°C.

Finely chop 5–7% of the melted chocolate's weight in additional dark chocolate and stir into the 34°C chocolate. Mix until completely melted.

Spread a thin layer of tempered chocolate over the chilled ganache. Once set, peel off the parchment and cut into 3×3cm squares with a warmed knife.

Tape strips of cellophane around a bowl rim. Dip each ganache square chocolate-coated side down into the tempered chocolate. Lift with a fork, blow off excess with a hairdryer's cool setting, and use the cellophane to scrape away any drips. Repeat to coat each piece.

トリュフ用のガナッシュを絞り袋で丸く絞り、冷蔵庫で30分冷やす。冷えたガナッシュを手袋をはめた手で丸く成形し、テンパリングしたチョコレートで薄くコーティングする。

For truffles, pipe the truffle ganache in rounds and chill for 30 minutes. Roll the cooled ganache into balls with gloved hands and coat thinly with tempered chocolate.