Making Dramatic Chocolate Curls: Cool Temperature Key to Success

Question: Does everyone except me already know how to make chocolate curls? Please print details. What kind of chocolate is best, at what temperature and which tools to use?

Two Bake-Off winning cake recipes were decorated with chocolate curls, rekindling my frustration and search for instructions.

Answer: Rest assured you are not alone. The following instructions for making chocolate curls from “Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts” (Alfred A. Knopf: 1980) should help you and lots of others make these dramatic decorations.

According to Heatter, “You can make these curls with any semisweet chocolate: I have used 1-ounce squares of Baker’s Semisweet, 3-ounce bars of Lindt Excellence, and others. They all worked equally well. But if you use any of these real chocolates, it is best to use the curls only for refrigerated desserts. If the curls stand at room temperature for more than a few hours they discolor, although they keep indefinitely in the refrigerator or the freezer.

“You can make these curls only in a cool, dry room. If the room is warm and humid, the chocolate may be too sticky to handle. If your kitchen is not air-conditioned, wait for a cool, dry day and then make a lot of these.

“For 16 to 20 (1 1/2-inch) curls--moderately sensational--coarsely chop 3 ounces semisweet chocolate and place it in the top of a small double boiler over warm water on low heat. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is partially melted. Then stir constantly until it is completely melted and smooth.

“Tear off two pieces of wax paper, each about 12 inches long. Place one on a smooth work surface. Dry the underside of the section of the double boiler containing the chocolate so that no water drips. Pour the chocolate onto the middle of the wax paper and cover it with the other piece of wax paper. With your fingers, gently smooth over the top piece of wax paper, spreading the chocolate into a 6- to 7-inch squarish shape--don’t worry about an even surface or exact edges, just make it rather square.

Rolling Pin--but Gently

“Then, with a rolling pin, preferably one that is not too heavy, gently roll over the top piece of paper several times in each direction to spread the chocolate into about a 10-inch square shape. Again, don’t worry too much about the edges but now the chocolate must be as smooth and level as you can make it, and about 1/16 inch thick (thin).

“Slide a baking sheet under the bottom paper and transfer it to the freezer for a few minutes until the chocolate is set and the paper can be peeled away easily. Peel off the top piece just to release and then replace it. Invert both pieces of paper with the chocolate between them. Peel off the other piece of paper and do not replace it. Let stand for just a few minutes until the chocolate has reached room temperature and is flexible but not wet or sticky. (Don’t walk away and leave it until later; if it stands too long the curls might crack as you roll them. It sounds as though it would be the opposite, but that is what happens.)

“With a small, sharp knife and a ruler trim one side of the chocolate square to make an even edge; remove excess. With the knife and the ruler cut strips 1 1/2-inches wide, parallel with the trimmed side. Then cut the strips into 2 1/2-inch lengths.

“Using the knife as a spatula, transfer one of the strips to the edge of your work surface (the edge closest to you). Now use the handle of a large wooden spoon--the handle must be round and should be about 3/8-to- 1/2 inch in diameter. A smaller diameter will make a tighter, less dramatic curl.

Be Wary of Warm Hands

“Don’t touch the chocolate any more than necessary or the heat of your hands may melt it. Place the end of the handle along the 1 1/2-inch edge of the chocolate nearest you. With your fingers, start the curl by loosely curling the end of the chocolate over the handle. Then roll the handle toward the other end of the chocolate, rolling the chocolate as you do. Do not roll too tightly or the curl will not slide off the handle easily.

“Carefully slide the curl off the handle and place it on wax paper, seam down. Shape all of the curls.

“Slide a baking sheet under the wax paper, transfer to the freezer or refrigerator until firm, and then place the curls in a small freezer box. Store the curls in the refrigerator or the freezer.

“NOTES: 1. If the chocolate is sticky when you start to form a curl, let it stand at room temperature for just a few minutes.

“2. If the chocolate doesn’t behave beautifully, the room is too warm or you have rolled it too thin or not thin enough. It may be remelted and rerolled. (Leftover scraps may be remelted, if desired.)

“3. After you have tried these you will see that they can be made any length, shorter or longer, and they can be made fatter or thinner.

“4. Don’t attempt more than 3 ounces of chocolate at a time or the last pieces of chocolate will have stood too long and may crack while they are being formed.”

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