If you think chocolate is chocolate, you should stop reading now.
“The chocolate that I use, couverture chocolate, is similar to coffee beans – each batch has its own flavour, viscosity and character,” says Monde du Chocolat Founder Erika Han.
Chocolate novices take note: couverture is extremely high-quality chocolate that has a higher cocoa-butter percentage which imparts a signature lustrous sheen and lush, smooth flavour. But technicalities aside, this stuff is game-changing.
Erika is no stranger to such praise, saying, “I’ve been told my chocolates taste like heaven and are the best someone’s ever eaten.” Just don’t tell her they are too pretty to eat. “I know it’s meant as a compliment but making these requires a lot of hard work and I want people to know just how much time and love I put into them – they’re not just pretty; they taste as good as they look.”
The little masterpieces are also testament to Erika’s drive. “I couldn’t temper chocolate (which is the most basic technique in chocolate-making) in my first chocolate class at college. I got so frustrated and practiced like crazy. This is such a basic technique that I couldn’t live with myself if I couldn’t do it. After all the practicing, something clicked: I became very good at crafting chocolates.”
Each of her handmade and hand-painted sweets takes a minimum of two days to create – molds need to be polished, chocolate tempered, molds cast, the ganache fillings made and allowed to set overnight before they are piped in and capped. “Sometimes my days can run as long as 17 hours – it takes patience and you can’t make any mistakes along the way.”
Best-sellers include Salted Caramel, Coffee and Raspberry Lychee, which is one of my faves as Erika insists on using real fruit purees, never extracts. While Monde du Chocolat has filled orders for 4,000 chocolates, the good news is that her team will deliver even one box.
Erika is constantly adding new flavour combos – Pear and Ginger is one she’s especially proud of – and when I ask her what makes Monde du Chocolat different from other high-end chocolates her reply is immediate: “They look perfect. They taste perfect. Oh no! Does that sound too boastful? I don’t know how to answer this question without sounding boastful.”
