Nama Chocolate (Royce) [Rum version]

Royce's Nama Chocolate has been one of my favourite little treats and I can hardly bring myself to pay $15 for a box of these delights. 

The recipe I used is from justonecookbook.com (: 

It's usually recommended to use high quality branded chocolates and cocoa powder such as Valrhona, I only had Phoon Huat ones on hand. Hence, I decided to still give it a go but I'm proud to say that these taste AWESOME. They maybe better with Valrhona, but for now, the Phoon Huat ones are good enough for me.

This recipe is almost fool proof. But of course, steps must be taken to ensure that it turns out right. 

I took about 10 minutes to put the chocolate together and 2 hours to set it before taking another 10 minutes to slice them and dust them with cocoa powder. 

There are a few things to note when working with chocolate.. 

1) Water is the worst enemy of chocolates. Your equipment of every kind MUST be dry when working with chocolates. 

2) Chocolates aren't meant for the fridge. They cause white specks on them called sugar bloom. They don't affect the quality of the chocolate nor the taste but it's just less pretty. However, as this chocolate has been mixed with heavy cream, it's alright to refrigerate it without really affecting it. So please, don't store chocolates in the refrigerator! Keep them in a cool dry place instead! (: 

Nama Chocolate Recipe

Yields one big block of 7" chocolate with about 49 pieces

200g heavy cream also known as dairy whipping cream

400g  dark couverture chocolate (Phoon Huat's one is 55%)

2 - 3 table spoon cocoa powder

3 tbsp rum 

*You may choose to use more 'branded' chocolates but for this, I've used Phoon Huat's Chocolate and Cocoa Powder

Method

Line a 7" baking pan with baking paper. 

Do not cut the sides as it'll cause the chocolate to leak. Instead, fold the corners and tuck them in neatly. 

I used rum for these but you can experiment with other liquor. I shall try champagne soon! 

This is the dairy whipping cream I used and this is a perfect size for one batch of chocolates with no wastage! 

Warm up the whipping cream, keeping a close eye on it. It should be just before boiling. DO NOT ALLOW IT TO BOIL. This took me less than 3 minutes. 

The heavy cream is more or less ready when the side bubbles for half a minute.

Remove from heat and add in the chocolate. If your chocolate is in one big chunk/block, I'd suggest that you cut them into smaller pieces. This will allow it to melt faster.

Stir and allow chocolate to melt. Add in rum.

This is almost there.

You should get a smooth mixture like such. 

Pour the mixture into the baking tin. Bang the tray lightly against the table top a couple of times to remove trapped air. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until set. 

Remove from baking tin by 'pulling' up sides of the baking paper. Be gentle! 

Warm up the sides of a long knife (I used my cake/bread knife) by pouring hot water over the blade. I find that this works better than dipping it into hot water. Wipe dry before cutting the chocolate. Clean the blade after each cut, ensuring that it is clean and dry. I used kitchen towels to wipe the knife. I had to warm up the blade with every two cuts to get clean cuts. 

Once you're done cutting the chocolates, sieve cocoa powder on the surface of the chocolates.

Keep chilled till you're ready to serve. For best freshness, keep in refrigerator for no more than 3 days. 

Enjoy your awesome Nama Chocolate! (: 

I'd love to see the bakes or stuff you've cooked using the blog's recipe! Do share photos of stuff you've baked or cooked using the blog's recipe with me either via FB message to http://facebook.com/limcynthia OR http://facebook.com/thebakingbiatch OR via email at cynthia.lim.hl@gmail.com! I look forward to hearing from you! (: