DOING BUSINESS / MAKING CHOCOLATE : How Sweet They Are : Trops Makes Secrets Public

You can count the number of chocolatiers in Orange County on one hand. Counting the number of choc-oholics, however, is an entirely different story. To these folks, that rich, smooth, melt-in-your-mouth sensation is just this side of Nirvana.

Trops, the Chocolate People, is a small company that sits in the shadow of well-known giants such as See’s and Godiva in South Coast Plaza. But it holds its own, partly because its delectable creations are handmade daily. And the curious can watch what’s going on in the kitchen.

To make its chocolates, Trops begins with 11-pound bars of Belgian chocolate, chops them into smaller pieces and melts them in a microwave oven. Each chocolate bar makes about 400 pieces of candy.

“The secret to making great chocolate is in the tempering,” said store owner Larry Trop, who has been in the business for 15 years. “But it is a very tricky process.”

Tempering means melting the chocolate to just the right temperature so that it becomes a liquid with just a few crystals remaining. If the temperature is wrong, the chocolate will streak--a sign that the cocoa butter has risen to the top instead of mixing in.

When chocolate is properly tempered, it begins to harden within about two minutes of being removed from the heat.

Once the chocolate has been tempered, it can be poured into a mold to make solid pieces. Nuts, raisins or fruits can be added.

Truffles and candies with cream centers are made differently. The centers are formed, then dipped into melted chocolate.

Trops’ specialty items--chocolate boxes, bags and bowls--are crafted by carefully pouring tempered chocolate into specially designed molds. The chocolate is cooled thoroughly, then custom-decorated.