It's a well-known fact that Peruvian chocolate is particularly delicious, so whilst in the country's capital we took the opportunity to uncover some of their secrets.
In the heart of Miraflores in Lima lies Choco Museo, a delightful little chocolate shop and cafe where they make their own chocolates from bean to bar. Every flavour imaginable is on offer, from passionfruit to chilli, as well as some chocolatey concoctions of jams and liqueurs. One of our favourite experiments was the Cocoa Tea which tastes just like hot chocolate but contains next to no calories - win!
However, the best part about Choco Museo is that it runs daily workshops for those who want to try their hand at creating their own chocolate. If you have the time, you can start from the very beginning with the roasting of the cocoa beans but we opted to jump ahead and turn the ready made chocolate into edible treats.
Firstly, we chose to make orange chocolate candies and began by adding orange peel to a saucer of cream which we then heated and stirred. Once boiling, we sieved the cream into a large bowl of their homemade melted chocolate and whisked the two together to create the ganache centre. The cocoa aroma was so amazing, I was ready to grab a spoon and start tucking in but there was still a lot of work to be done!
Putting this mixture to one side for a moment, we melted another bowl of chocolate to create the outer layer. It's important to reach the perfect temperature of forty-five degrees Celsius before taking the chocolate off the heat and spreading it thinly onto a marble slab. This process of heating the chocolate and then cooling it quickly is called tempering. Once the chocolate had fallen to twenty-eight degrees, it was ready to pour into the moulds. I opted for a mixture of seashells and hearts which is about as girly as it gets.
Using our fingers, we ensured every surface of the mould was covered before filling the majority with the ganache mixture. It was surprising how quickly the candies set and within minutes we were able to add the bottom layer of chocolate to finish them off.
Now onto the truffles! The ganache required for truffles needs five hours to harden so in true old school Blue Peter style, our chocolatier teacher whipped out a mixture she'd made earlier. This time, she'd infused it with coconut flakes. Using our palms, we rolled the ganache into tiny balls which would form the centre of the truffles. The mixture melted almost instantly in our hands so we had to leave the balls to harden again before progressing onto the next step.
Whilst they were in the fridge, we ensured that the remainder of the melted chocolate we'd used earlier for the candies was still at an optimum temperature. If it exceeds thirty-two degrees, it's necessary to repeat the tempering process. Luckily, ours was okay and so when the balls were ready we dropped them into the bowl and buried them in a thick layer of melted chocolate. Working quickly before they had a chance to set, we covered the truffles with decorations of our choice.
Here's where it became obvious who the children of the group are. Whilst Erica sprinkled hers with cinnamon and coconut flakes, adding walnuts as a finishing touch to her professional looking masterpieces, Hana and I reached for marshmallows, smarties and oreos to create a collection which could have been designed by an overexcited ten year old. Nevertheless, they all tasted delicious and we were extremely pleased with the results!
We only had a couple of days in Lima and spent the majority either making or munching chocolate but we did also find time to visit the Parque Del La Reserva. Here, we wandered around (and sometimes through!) the various abstract water fountains which are lit up in the evening with brightly coloured lights that change in time to the atmospheric music. Before we left we caught the laser light show projected onto a wall of water which was both beautiful and impressive.
Lima as a city feels very Westernised but we enjoyed our time there thoroughly and learnt a fantastic skill. I can't wait to recreate our truffle workshop in my own kitchen!
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