Recipes excerpted from Making Artisan Chocolates by Andrew Garrison Shotts. Published by Quarry Books, a member of Quayside Publishing Group, Gloucester, MA. Copyright 2007. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

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Hand-Dipped Grand Marnier Chocolates

Grand Marnier is a classic flavor found in chocolate. This is one of my favorite combinations.

EASY – Yield: 42 chocolates

For ganache:
3.75 ounces (105 g) 64 percent bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces (168 g) 55 percent semisweet chocolate, chopped
7.5 ounces or 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon (210 g) heavy cream
1/2 ounce or 2 teaspoons (14 g) light corn syrup
3/4 ounce or 1-1/2 tablespoons (21 g) salted butter, cubed, soft but not melted
1 ounce or 1/4 cup (28 g) Grand Marnier
1 drop natural orange oil

For the foot:
5-1/4 ounces (147 g) 64 percent bittersweet chocolate, melted

To dip and decorate the chocolates:
2 pounds (906 g) 64 percent bittersweet chocolate, tempered
42 pieces candied orange peel, sliced

1. To make the ganache:  Place the chocolate in a medium-size bowl and set aside. Combine the heavy cream and corn syrup in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium-high heat. Stir until the cream mixture comes to a full boil. Immediately pour onto the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 2 minutes and then stir to combine. Using a candy thermometer placed in the center of the bowl, check the temperature. Once the ganache has reached 95ºF (35ºC), stir in the butter, Grand Marnier, and orange oil. Immediately pour the ganache into the prepared pan (see page 128). [Page 128: To prepare the pan, spray an 8” (20.3 cm) square pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the sides and bottom of the pan with plastic wrap, smoothing to remove any wrinkles]. Spread evenly using a small offset spatula, knocking the pan if necessary to release any trapped air bubbles. Place the ganache in the freezer for 30 minutes. Once the ganache is firm, remove from the freezer.
   
   
2. To add the foot: Remove the ganache from the pan by picking up both sides of the plastic wrap. Gently flip the ganache over onto a baking sheet covered with a clean piece of plastic wrap or sheet of parchment paper so the ganache is now bottom side up. Peel the plastic off the bottom of the ganache.

Heat the foot chocolate in the microwave on 50 percent power for 20 seconds at a time, until it is completely melted. To create a foot, spread a thin layer of the melted chocolate over the chocolate ganache, using a small offset spatula. Place in the freezer for 2 hours to set.

1. To cut the filling:  Remove the ganache from the freezer and gently flip onto a parchment paper-lined cutting board so the foot is face down. Using a sharp, non-serrated knife, trim all four edges. Use a ruler to mark the ganache on all four sides at 1” (2.5 cm) intervals. Match up the notches and cut the pieces into squares. Separate the squares onto parchment paper. Allow the squares to sit overnight at room temperature to dry.
   
   
2. To dip and decorate the chocolates: To dip, see page 131. [Page 131: Place each square on to the middle of a dipping fork or large dinner fork, and completely submerge the fork and its square into the tempered chocolate before pulling it back out. You may need to repeat this step a couple of times to fully coat the square in chocolate. Gently tap the handle of the fork and scrape the bottom of the fork against the side of the bowl to help remove any excess chocolate. Transfer the dipped piece onto a clean sheet of parchment paper to set].To decorate place a candied orange slice on top of each chocolate while wet.