**Season of Giving** ~ Médaille Chocolat Noir & Confit d’ orange ~黑巧克力勳章 & 糖霜柳橙

I like to pamper my family and friends because they are the most important treasure that I own. These people mean the world to me. They have brought me laughter, taught me lessons, walked me through the dark & lend me a hand when I needed them most. Oh, I am very expressive and am a true believer of: “If you love someone, you tell them”! I make sure they know how much they mean to me all the time ^0^ What can express my love and gratitude more than giving them things I made?! Little gifts but enough to let them know I am thinking and love them always =)

If you’re the type who can’t express love by words, then why don’t you do so by giving them gifts that express love?! Here are two treats that is super easy to make but so sophisticated looking that people may think that you spend hours doing so (beware that they may get all teary-eyed ^0^). I found the recipes from a Japanese book called Art de Bon Chocolat by Hideki Kawamura of à tes souhaits!. This book presented many classic and interesting desserts made from different type of chocolates and I am in the process of trying all of the recipes in this book. I will let you know if I get any success on them ~o~ I did have success with the recipes for both the Médaille Chocolat Noir and Confit d'orange that I tried this weekend though. Both called for candied orange slices but I used orange chips in place of it. I really enjoy making the orange chips because it is so easy but the end products are so lovely. I got the recipe from Blue of Harushika. Her chips looked much prettier than mine!




For the médaille, you can replace any of the ingredients that you fancy. You don't have to be restricted because I didn't! If your recipient is a nuts fanatic, then do a nutty version! Loves dried fruits? Go fruity! Just have fun with it! As this being said, you can use milk chocolate if they don't like dark chocolate. As for the Confit d'orange, traditionally, it is made with dark or milk chocolate. Who knew it looks so elegant when it is paired with white chocolate! I jazzed it up with dragées for the holiday. Doesn’t it remind you of a white Christmas?!

Prep:
- Chop the chocolate into tiny pieces and quarter the figs and orange chips.
- Line a jelly roll pan or baking sheet with parchment paper/baking paper.

I thought you should know:
- You must dry the bowls that you’ll use to melt the chocolates. Water does funny things to chocolate!
- Though I use the microwave method to temper the chocolate, you can also do so by placing it over (bowl should not be touching the water) a pot of simmering water.
- To prevent chocolate from hardening during, have a pot of simmering water ready. Simply place it over the pot to help it return to the smooth and running state.

Orange Chips
2 Texas oranges (sliced to 1/4 inch thick)
1:1 water and sugar

Bring to boil equal part of water and sugar, remove from heat, let cool. Add the orange slices to the syrup and soak for 2 hours. Place the orange slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degree F/180 degree C for 5 minutes then 1-2 hours at 220 degree F/110 degree C.



Médaille Chocolat Noir ~ Makes 25 médailles
250g 70% dark chocolate
7pieces orange chips (quartered)
12pieces dry whole figs (quartered)
25pieces dry roast almond
25pieces pistachio

Chop the chocolate into tiny pieces and place in a heatproof mixing bowl (dry your bowl before using). Temper the chocolate by melting it in the microwave. Need to do it on medium for 4~5 times and at 30 second interval. Stir the chocolate each time the microwave stops until becomes completely melted and smooth. Cool for 1 minute.

Using a spoon, drop 1 dollop of chocolate on a parchment lined jelly roll pan or baking sheet, place each of the 4 garnishes on top of the chocolate. You will notice it spreads, so make sure you place the médailles at least 1 inch apart from each other. Repeat for 24 more times. Let the médailles harden and set at room temperature.

Confit d'orange ~ Makes 15 Slices
15slices orange chips
100g white chocolate
Some silver dragées

Prepare and melt the white chocolate the same method as the dark chocolate above. Then dip half of the orange chip in the melted chocolate and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle some dragées and leave to harden and set at room temperature.



我的家人及朋友是我最寶貝的財產。每一個人對我都是那麼的重要。他們給予我的﹐教懂我的東西實在是太多太多了﹐真的愛死他們了﹗我是“愛﹐就要說出來﹗” 的信仰者﹐所以我不時都用語言和行動來告訴他們我對他們的愛…呵呵…我有可能嚇倒某些人=) People, 不要給我嚇倒也不要怪我太熱情啦﹗愛是很難隱藏的…你們很快就會習慣的…來﹐抱一個嘛 ^0^

擁抱﹐kiss這些愛的表現好像沒有實質的表示﹐所以我愛送東西給他們。可是我是一個窮小孩﹐但我又想在自己能力範圍內溺愛他們﹐只好送DIY禮物嘍 ^U^ 如果你是愛在心口難開的人﹐那你籍由送手工小禮物來表明心跡吧﹗收到禮物的人會覺得窩心的…至少我是這樣想的。

兩個食譜來自於由à tes souhaits!的川村英樹主廚所著作的Art de Bon Chocolat的日文甜點書。這本以各種巧克力甜點為賣點的書﹐實在是很吸引人。我每個都想要嘗試做看看。等我都嘗試過了﹐再和你們分享。現在就和你們share這個weekend做的Médaille Chocolat Noir和Confit d’orange嘍。這兩個treats都是以糖漬柳橙為題材的。因為買不到糖漬柳橙(其實是懶的做)﹐我就用糖橙片來代替。其實我自從看Blue在她的網路日誌做過糖橙片後﹐就心癢了。剛好這次可以用上﹐開心的哩=V= 我很滿意這次做的糖橙片啦﹐雖然比Blue做的差很多的說 >.<

Médaille很好做﹐因為你可以隨你或這份禮物的主人的喜愛而起用不同的配料。沒有局限的。你愛吃什麼就放什麼。像有些人偏愛堅果類的﹐但有些人又愛果香味的。你可以一次做多種口味喲﹗C’est très bon! 當然也可以用其它巧克力代替我選用的苦味巧克力嘍。還有那個Confit d’orange﹐一般大多使用牛奶或苦味巧克力來製作﹐但誰想到只要變換成白巧克力﹐就呈現這樣雅致的外觀呢? ﹗因為想讓這份禮物的主人感受到節日的氣氛﹐我加了一些銀色糖珠。有沒有讓你聯想到白色聖誕呀?!



事前準備:
- 將巧克力切碎﹐糖橙片、無花果乾切成四瓣後﹐備用。
- 烤盤鋪上烘焙紙的後﹐備用。

要注意什麼呢?
- 用來盛巧克力碎的碗一定要確實擦乾﹐不可有任何水份。
- 雖然我用microwave來調溫巧克力﹐你可以用隔熱水融化法來調溫的。
- 巧克力中途可能會凝固的﹐只要將碗放小鍋上隔熱水再融化就成了。注意碗不要沾到水。

黑巧克力勳章~25個
250g 可可含量70%的巧克力
7片 糖橙片
12個 無花果乾
25顆 杏仁
25顆 開心果

巧克力切碎後﹐放進一個耐熱的碗裡。碗一定要確實擦乾﹐不可有任何水份。放進microwave裡加熱。分4~5次﹐每一次間隔為35秒的加熱及調溫巧克力。每一次都要確實攪拌勻至完全融化的狀態。

在鋪了烘焙紙的烤盤上﹐用湯匙舀一匙巧克力﹐攤排出大約直徑2.5cm的圓片(之後放上配料﹐就會延展開來﹐變成3cm的成品) 。在每一片攤成圓形的巧克力表面﹐美觀的擺上1/4片糖橙片、1/4顆無花果乾、1顆杏仁、1顆開心果。有間距地攤排著其餘的巧克力片﹐重複以上的步驟﹐做成25個medaille。靜置片刻﹐在常溫下凝固。

糖霜柳橙~15片
15片 糖橙片
100g 白巧克力
適量 銀色糖珠

白巧克力切碎後﹐用相同于以上黑巧克力的調溫法來加熱及調溫。將糖橙片的半邊沾上融化的白巧克力﹐形成柳橙和巧克力各半。最後在巧克力的部份撒上銀色糖珠點綴。