Recipe courtesy of Bernard Callebaut, Chocolaterie Bernard Callebaut.Yield is 65 servings.
ingredients
Tempering Chocolate
Hazelnut Hearts
directions
Put 12 ounces chocolate in a medium stainless steel bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.
Heat chocolate until melted and smooth.
Spread the melted chocolate out on a marble slab or smooth counter, stirring and scraping continuously with an offset metal spatula until the chocolate starts to set.
Return the chocolate to the bowl when it feels cool to the upper lip, about 90 degrees F. for dark and 84 degrees F. for milk chocolate.
After cooling, add one or two large chocolate chunks to the chocolate, put the bowl back over the pan of barely simmering water and continue to stir (the chocolate chunk will help to keep the chocolate stabilized).
Spread 1 tbsp. chocolate onto wax paper or parchment paper to test.
If the chocolate hardens quickly (2 to 4 minutes) and does not have any whitish streaks, it’s tempered and ready for dipping.
Alternatively, you can gradually add small amounts of the 6 ounces chopped chocolate to the bowl of melted chocolate and stir until it feels cool to the upper lip (about 90 degrees F.)
Stir continuously.
After cooling, add one or two large chocolate chunks to the chocolate, put the bowl back over the pan of barely simmering water and continue to stir (the chocolate chunk will help to keep the chocolate stabilized).
Spread 1 tbsp. chocolate onto wax paper or parchment paper to test.
If the chocolate hardens quickly (2 to 4 minutes) and does not have any whitish streaks, it’s tempered and ready for dipping.
Melt milk chocolate in a medium bowl over a medium pan of barely simmering water.
Remove chocolate from heat and let it cool to approximately 100 degrees F.
Stir in the hazelnut sauce until blended, then stir in the chopped nuts.
Line a large baking sheet with wax paper and pour mixture onto pan.
Spread out mixture until it is approximately 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick.
Cool in fridge for approximately 2 hours.
Turn mixture over to remove it from pan, and peel off the wax paper.
Use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut hazelnut mixture.
A small cookie cutter will make approximately 65 heart-shaped pieces.
You can serve these as they are or dip them in chocolate.
Dip them in tempered milk or dark chocolate with a dipping fork.
Put the dipped chocolates on a rack over a baking sheet to set.