Intro to Chocolate Tempering - Mendients and Ferres Trois

 Mendients and Ferres Trois were the first types of chocolates we made that utilized tempered chocolate, milk and dark. For the mendients and ferres, we tempered the chocolate then piped them into quarter sized disks onto the silpad using a parchment cone. Chef warned us against Thumbelina sized disks. Then an assortment of dried fruit, nuts, and seeds were inserted onto the disks-- making sure we gave each mendient the illusion of height and fullness. Ferres trois were milk chocolate disks topped with three hazelnuts. Chef told us to avoid the triangle effect, where three hazelnuts crowd onto the disk of chocolate and spread the chocolate out into a triangular shape.


After the chocolate would come to temp, we always made sure to do a test strip to be on the safe side. This involved taking a small strip of parchment and coating a bit of the tip in chocolate. If it set in a relatively short amount of time, the chocolate was at temper. I definitely had occurrences where my chocolate would come to temp but the chocolate would not set at all. Sometimes the chocolate would be tempered, but set shinier or more dull. More than anything, with tempered chocolate you want it to set with a streak-free, brilliant shine.

 Examples of fruits, nuts, and seeds we used include dried apricots, figs, golden raisins, cranberries, pistachios, macadamias, hazelnuts, peanuts, sliced almonds, pepitas, and the list goes on. You could also make some caramelized rice crispies or top the mendients off with what I call "chocolate rice crispy balls." In class chef showed us a picture of mondo sized mendients and ferres trois taken at a market in Europe.  I was inspired to search what kind of Mendients exist from France. This one was particularly eye appealing with the salt-- but I think I see...streaks.

Photo courtesy of La Chatalaine Chocolate Co.

 

 

 

 

 

Milk chocolate mendients with slivered almonds, pepitas, and dried fig

White chocolate mendients with hazelnut, pepitas, and golden raisin

Days one and two of chocolate were an alluring first look into the world of chocolate. I always thought tempering chocolate was such a necessary skill but a hard one to learn, and I was intimidated by it. Now my fear has been conquered! But there are still many nuances to chocolate that should be mastered. For example, obtaining a shiny and streak free surface, keeping your work area clean (!), and understanding the importance of chocolate and temperature.