Chicken Farm Baker's Project # 32: !!Life is always bittersweet!! Espresso Thimbles

 Because life is bittersweet ^^, well, I really believe in this sentence. And to make all of you believe in it too, this month Chicken Farm Baker's members, we will show you the bittersweet side of the sweet world!!!!!!!

 I saw a lot of my friend choose something with a bitter taste and turn it into a dessert but for I just can't think of anything except chocolate and coffee, ^^" may be I don't have a lot of imagination lately, haha.
Anyway, for me and my family coffee and chocolate always welcomed, so making something that all the family members will enjoy can be a good choice for me. As I said that I love to work with chocolate, and I didn't give up a chance to turn it into something special (Chicken farm project is always my special project ^^). I saw this kind of chocolate thimble in the book and it sounds good. A thimble is an uncapped chocolate cup with filling, you can have one or more filling and the the size is about a small cupcake. 
The idea from the book.......... is great but I can't find the same ingredients (I know that the problem when we read the books that write for the professional kitchen, it's not easy to find many kinds of the ingredient, but I still love the idea from them) . So, I make an adaptation to suit my ingredient and my taste, ^^.
The first thing is to temper the chocolate, and now I know another lesson, the last time I melt the chocolate to 40°C and my chocolate is very beautiful, but this time my first batch is like "chocolate color marble", a lot of fat bloom, so I try to find the answer. And finally I understand, my chocolate is not in good condition (the temperature change when my friend sent it to me, made some part of my chocolate became bloom), the low temperature tempering won't melt all the chocolate crystal and will work with the chocolate that didn't have problem before tempering. I have to make a full tempering, with a melting temperature 45-50°C instead and ^^ I got a beautiful chocolate cup. So, check before begin your process, and you will get a beautiful chocolate cup too.
As I really love to play with the chocolate, the macaron recipe is the simple one (and it's delicious, hehe, I don't think we have to make new recipe every time), but you can use the recipe that you like, it's your chocolate thimble anyway haha.
The thimble is delicious, with a bit of bitter taste from dark chocolate and coffee that will be cover with a sweetness of espresso cream and macaron at last, taste it, close your eyes and you will remember that life can be tough but you always get a sweet reward in the end.

 Espresso Thimbles 

Makes 12 (4cm/piece)

Chocolate Shell

370g ............................... Dark chocolate (50% cocoa mass) chopped finely

Espresso Cream

30g ................................. Whipping cream

98g ................................. White chocolate

⅛tsp .............................. Coffee extract

Chocolate Kahlúa ganache

60g ................................. Whipping cream

18g .................................. Corn syrup

75g .................................. Dark chocolate (50% cocoa mass or more)

45g .................................. Milk chocolate 

45g .................................. White chocolate

1tbsp ............................... Kahlúa (or other brand of coffee-flavored liqueur)

For the macarons
85 g	icing sugar
50 g	ground almonds (or sliced almond*)
9 g	Dutch cocoa
42 g	egg whites, at room temperature
14 g	caster sugar
	Pinch of cream of tartar Edible gold effect

Tempering the chocolate for making shell:

Boil a pan of water, then let it cool to 65-75°C

Put 280g of the chocolate in a bowl and place the bowl over the hot water (don't let the water touch the bowl), stir until the chocolate melt and the temperature of the chocolate is 40°C (If your chocolate is not in good form or has some bloom, you should let the temperature to be 45

°C to melt all the chocolate crystal )

Take the bowl off the pan and put 90g of chocolate (a little at a time, you might not use all the chocolate) into the bowl and stir until all of them melt, the  temperature should be about 28°C. (If the chocolate won't melt completely, use a hair dryer to melt it).

Place the bowl back over the hot water pan again and stir until the temperature is 31-32°C. Keep the chocolate at this temperature, the chocolate is ready to use.

Pour the chocolate into the mold, rotate to cover all the molds. Tap the mold to release the air that trapped inside.

Turn the mold upside down, to release the chocolate.

Let the chocolate cool, (you can put the mold in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to speed up the process).

 Make the espresso cream:

 Bring the cream to boil over low heat, when it becomes boil take of the heat and pour the chocolate into the pan.

Stir until melt, and pour the Coffee extract into the ganache.

Let the mixture cool to room temperature and put in the piping bag.

Make the Chocolate Kahlúa ganache:

 Bring the cream and corn syrup to boil over low heat, when it becomes boil take of the heat and pour the chocolate into the pan.

Stir until melt, and pour the Kahlúa into the ganache.

Let the mixture cool to room temperature and put in the piping bag.

When the chocolate is harden pipe the Espresso cream and Chocolate Kahlúa ganache into the chocolate.

Let the chocolate thimbles sit overnight (room temperature), the ganache will be firm.

Make the chocolate macaron:

Sift icing sugar, almonds and cocoa through a fine sieve, pushing mixture through with a wooden spoon; this will help to make a smooth macaron.

* If using sliced almond: Place the almond, icing sugar and cocoa powder in a food processor and process until the mixture fine as flour (about 3-5 minutes). When the almonds are ground, using a wooden spoon, press the mixture through a medium strainer.

Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar whisk to combine and caster sugar, a little at a time until using all, and whisk to firm peaks.

Stir in almond mixture; in three or four additions. When all the dry ingredients are incorporated; the mixture will look like a cake batter.

Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 5mm nozzle. Pipe or spoon mixture into 3.5cm rounds onto baking paper-lined (or Silpat) oven trays. When you’ve pipe out all the macarons lift each baking sheet with both hands and then bang it down on the counter (you need to get the air out of the batter).

Set aside for 1 hour. After 1 hour the top of the macarons will be dry, and ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 150°C. Bake for 15 minutes (baking time can be varied, from 10-15 up to your oven) or until firm to the touch. Remove from oven and cool on trays. Slide a knife under each macaroon to release from paper. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or until ready to assemble.

Paint the macarons with edible gold effect, and place the macarons over the thimbles.

Chicken Farm Baker's Project # 32:

 !!Life is always bittersweet!!

 Espresso Thimbles