tempering chocolate

[LeBFG]

I'd love to make chocolates for presents and so I've tried tempering the chocolate. I think it worked - shiny chocolate but it melts easily on the fingers. But then the weather is terribly hot so....not sure. Have you tried this - with success? Any recipes to share?

Never done it myself, but I understand that different reheat temps give different qualities to the chocolate.

I know that cool surfaces are used to manipulate the chocolate.

But that's all I know. Sorry!

This article has some good advice:

www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/apr/15/how-why-temper-chocolate

It's partly about getting the shininess, but also about the texture when you bite in - tempered chocolate breaks with a crunch, while non-tempered can crumble more as you bite in.

It's a massive fuss, but it does look and taste better. DH insisted we did our Easter egg making properly one year.

The next I isn't involve him all the faffing drove me mad.

I didn't involve him

Thanks for the replies. Very helpful. How did you make the Easter eggs Star? I seen the moulds on ebay but how do you get the chocolate in there? Pour it in and move it around with a brush?

I made some mendiants with bits of dried fruit and nuts hanging around. They are in the fridge because they melt too quickly in the hand.