Mostly making

Chocolates!
It's so important to do what you enjoy in life and to enjoy what you do, isn't it?  How lucky am I that I am teaching and enjoying it - and enjoying making chocolates in the evenings when I get home?
It doesn't leave much time for blogging though, which is a shame because I also enjoy that. So many things to enjoy, so little time....

I'm not the most organised of people on the outside. On the inside, of course, I usually know exactly what has to be done, how long it will take, when I intend to do it, where it is...part of an ENFP personality though, is that if something more interesting or exciting comes along, all the best laid internal plans can be dropped without too much concern. Unless that means I can't make my chocolates.

Because I like doing things I enjoy, I have to do some things I don't. No matter how hard I try, I do not enjoy cleaning; dust can gather, clutter clumps together and my eyes glaze over and my brain refuses to fret - I don't use avoidance tactics, I often don't register things that others cannot live with. (It's a gift, I think.)
However, my kitchen must be spotless for me to make my chocolates...so it's getting more attention these days. I see specks of dust and drops of water that could spell disaster to my creations.

Not to show you my immaculate kitchen, but to share with you some of my small scale production processes, I stopped last night a couple of times during my chocolatiering to capture a bit of what it's like to make chocolates on the kitchen table.

Moulds pre-prepared with a coating of 'ruby' chocolate. Palette knife at the ready and a covered pot of cherries in liquer.

Orange centres ready for dipping - at the other side of the table. Two different chocolates from the same 'batch' of tempered dark chocolate.

No one said it wasn't messy. Moulds part-filled, ready for the centre to be added. 

Jackson Pollock eat your heart out! Edible art.

Dipped orange Belgian truffles. Turned out nice.
The two really big ones, second row in on the right ended up as 'testers'

Cherry marbles as Romy named them.

Close up of the effect of the 'ruby' coating. I love this stuff! It is a white chocolate with edible colouring which gives a slightly metallic effect. With the dark chocolate behind it, this makes an overall dark plummy, purply colour which I find stunning. Each one is different and I am always so excited to turn them out and choose my favourite.

Milk chocolate truffles with a Christmassy flavour - orange, spices, cherries, ginger and a splash of cognac.

And here they are with their little cap of saucy topping. Takes an age to do but I think they're rather sweet.

Glamour shot of my chocolate orange truffles.
Posers!

Now. What shall I make today? Coffee truffles are calling....