Recipe: Tempered dark chocolate

Total time: 20 minutes

Servings: Makes enough tempered chocolate for the candied hazelnuts and honeycomb.

Note: Tempered chocolate is chocolate that has been treated in such a way that it is smooth, shiny and has a nice snap to it when you bite into it. It’s a technique of candy making that is all about combining the proper ratio of melted chocolate with unmelted chocolate in order to achieve just the right temperature and consistency. It’s not difficult to do. It just takes some attention — and the results are definitely worth it.

1 pound bittersweet chocolate (minimum 66% cacao), roughly chopped, divided

Set a metal bowl over a pot of water or fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring the water to a simmer (not a boil) over medium-high heat. Add 11 ounces of the chocolate to the bowl set over the water and warm the chocolate without stirring until it melts and becomes thin and liquid. Take the bowl off the heat and add the remaining chocolate, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until all of the chocolate is melted. Use immediately.

Each ounce: 159 calories; 1 gram protein; 9 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 13 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 0 sugar; 1 mg sodium.