Chocolate Notes I — The Bonbon

My relationship with chocolate began accidentally.

I started making chocolate because of my son.

Every Friday after school, we have a small ritual. I would take him to a gourmet shop and let him choose one thing. Sometimes it’s biscuits, sometimes juice, sometimes something he has never tried before.

One time, he picked an egg-shaped chocolate bonbon with raspberry ganache.

The next day, he told me, “It’s really good. You should try it too. and I can eat it every day."

I remember laughing a little. Partly because it was cute that he was already forming a strong opinion about taste. But somewhere between his first and second request, another thought emerged: Why not I learn how to make it for him.

I had no particular passion for chocolate. I was never much of a chocolate lover. I knew almost nothing about how it was made. When I started, I did not even know what tempering meant.