A year or two ago, I started noticing the beautiful, fancy chocolate bonbons being made by chocolatiers. They looked almost too perfect to eat—shiny shells, colorful designs, and all kinds of interesting fillings.
Then I discovered that bonbons could be made almost any way you wanted. You could choose the chocolate, create your own fillings, experiment with flavors, and design each piece differently. That was when I started wondering: Is this something I could learn to do?
I subscribed to Schoolinary so I could watch some chocolate-making classes. I have to admit that I haven’t finished them yet—and I probably should have by now—but the idea never went away.
Recently, for my birthday, I received some chocolate molds and other chocolate-making supplies. I also bought my first 2.5-pound bag of chocolate. Suddenly, this stopped feeling like something I might try someday. I now have what I need to begin.
I know I have to start small, but the fact that something like this can be made by a human amazes me. It is a reminder of what might be possible with enough patience, practice, and imagination.
My first challenge will be learning how to temper chocolate properly and use it in a mold. I expect there will be mistakes, plenty of questions, and probably some messy chocolate along the way. But that is what this journey is about: learning one step at a time and recording what happens.
So this is where my Chocolate Journey begins—with a bag of chocolate, some new molds, and my first attempt at tempering.
Let’s see what happens.