Page 27 of Winter Magic on Railway Lane

‘Let’s hope so,’ she replied. ‘I need it to roast the beans and then take their shells off. Then, the bit that’s inside, called the nib, is ground into a thick paste using that fancy machine over there called a melanger.’

She involuntarily gulped. Before this week, she had used a tiny melanger but had spent the very last of her savings on a much larger one which should speed up the process. She was banking on getting the money back when she was paid by the hotel for the chocolate, but until then, things would be pretty tight.

Ethan looked confused. ‘A melanger?’

‘It grinds the nibs until it’s liquid cocoa,’ she told him. ‘At that point, it just needs heating and cooling, or rather tempering and flavouring.’

‘All that for one little truffle?’ he asked, picking up one of the flat-pack boxes which she had ordered to place the truffles inside.

‘I like to think mine are worth it once you taste them,’ she said, in a proud tone. ‘Besides, with my chocolate, I know every single ingredient and process that has happened to them from the moment that the cocoa bean is harvested. You can’t say that about your mass-produced stuff.’

‘And to think, you almost burnt down the physics lab when we were at school,’ said Ethan with a sudden frown.

‘The only thing I’ll set on fire is your feet if you steal any truffles when they’re made,’ she warned him.

He grinned at her. ‘And on that cautionary threat, I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got two carriages to get renovated. See you later.’

‘Only if I’m very unlucky,’ she told him, before turning her back on him.

She decided that their back-and-forth banter was the only way that she would be able to get through the uncomfortable situation of having to use his kitchen. But she was pleased with the place now that it was cleaned, especially the marble counter on the centre island. It gleamed from many hours of polishing.

At least it now complied with the food hygiene regulations that she had learnt about online, in order to pass her inspection by the local officer. Katy had also helped Libby complete all the administration to set up as a self-employed business.

She glanced over at the large number of packets and small boxes on the far counter which would make up all the different flavours. There were sharp cranberries to contrast with a drizzle of sweet white chocolate, freeze dried orange pieces for a tangy bite in the darker chocolate and even bottles of champagne for a decadent tasting truffle.

Libby just hoped the hard work it was going to take to complete the contract would be worth it. Because she still had serious doubts that she would get five thousand truffles finished in time.

Feeling the pressure, she began to get everything ready.

17

Despite the pressure of working to an extremely tight deadline for the huge order for chocolate truffles, the first couple of days flew past for Libby. She was revelling in pure and utter enjoyment.

Working on making chocolate was a dream come true and she realised just how long she had been unhappy in her old job.

She felt especially proud when she passed the inspection from the local council with flying covers and was given the all clear to continue making chocolate as a business.

Best of all was the knowledge that she had control over the whole process, from bean to truffle.

The old oven, despite being a little tricky to figure out at first, turned out to be perfect for roasting the cocoa beans so that the nibs at their heart could be isolated. They were so rich in cocoa solids and cocoa butter that she had to stop herself from eating too many after they had been roasted.

Her expensive purchase of the melanger had also been a success as it easily ground out much larger amounts of the nibs than she had ever been able to do before. It sped up the long process, although there was still so much to do.

But the piece de resistance was the marble work surface on the central island of the kitchen. Once the nibs had been melted into liquid cocoa in a saucepan, she was able to pour the melted chocolate onto the cool marble and begin to work it back and forth until it started to thicken.

She would lose all track of time at that point, relishing the process that was the most traditional and had been around for so long. It was an amazing feeling to keep the older skills and artistry alive.

In fact, she enjoyed it so much that late one afternoon, she didn’t even hear Ethan come in. It wasn’t until he clicked on the overhead lights that she realised how dark it had become as the nights began to draw in.

‘You don’t use a bowl?’ he asked, indicating the spread of chocolate all across the marble work surface.

She shook her head and carried on working her spatula back and forth, taking the melted chocolate with it. ‘Not for tempering,’ she told him. ‘I need to cool it down before heating it back up again.’

‘Why?’ he asked, looking completely non-plussed.

‘Because it will make it into the silky wonder that my chocolate is,’ she replied. She took a nearby piece of greaseproof paper and scraped a small amount of chocolate onto it. ‘See how shiny it is? That’s what tempering does.’

‘And I thought I was the only engineer around here,’ he told her.