Handmade Chocolate hearts

Directions

1. You'll be creating two flavours - milk chocolate with pistachios and dark chocolate with a salted caramel centre. First, wash, rinse, and dry your mould thoroughly. Ensure there are no wet pockets to prevent any issues in the process. Keep 7 whole pistachios aside and chop the remainder. Sprinkle a tiny amount of salt in 8 cavities and the chopped pistachios in 7.

2. Next, microwave the dark chocolate for 20 second bursts in a small narrow bowl. Stir until tempered and smooth, then carefully fill the 8 cavities with salt 1/4 full, going up the sides without disturbing the salt. Temper milk chocolate in a similar bowl. Spoon in milk chocolate 1/4 full, going up the sides without disturbing the pistachios. Freeze for 10 minutes.

   If you don't have a microwave, the traditional bain-marie method can be used. Dark chocolate should reach around 45-50°C, while milk chocolate should be at 40-45°C. We would recommend doubling up on the recipe kits when using a bain-marie as it provides more chocolate surface area and more control.

3. Melt milk chocolate in a similar bowl in 20-second bursts. Spoon in tempered milk chocolate 1/4 full, going up the sides without disturbing the pistachios. Freeze for 10 minutes

4. Now fill dark chocolate cavities ¾ full with caramel and add a whole pistachio to the remaining milk chocolate cavities.

5. Reheat the dark chocolate for 15 seconds until it reaches tempering point again, being careful not to overheat. Spoon the tempered dark chocolate over the salted caramel cavities, ensuring a smooth glossy bottom. Do the same with the milk chocolate over the pistachios. Scrape off any excess chocolate with a butter knife. Put the mould back in the freezer for 25 minutes or completely solid, unmould and enjoy.