CACAO NOEL BEST CONFECTION
Lemon Basil Bonbon

Kee Ling Tong, Chocolatier and Owner
Kee’s Chocolates
80 Thompson Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 334-3284

About Kee Ling Tong
Kee Ling Tong worked in the corporate industry for over 10 years before deciding to enroll in culinary school. While attending The French Culinary Institute, she interned at Palladin. After receiving her pastry certificate, she worked at Ron Ben-Israel Cakes and Olives. Though she had no formal experience in the field of chocolate prior to opening Kee's Chocolates, her handmade, Asian-inspired creations have received rave reviews from critics and fans. Kee has been featured on Lifetime Real Woman and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

RECIPE
Lemon Basil Bonbons

200 grams of heavy cream
zest of 3 lemons
1 bunch of fresh basil
125 grams of freshly squeezed lemon juice
60 grams of trimoline
500 grams of white chocolate, chopped
dark couverture chocolate for molding

For the Lemon Basil Filling
Chop white chocolate and add to a bowl with trimoline. Juice and zest lemons and reserve. In a pot, combine heavy cream, lemon zest, and basil. Bring to a boil. Off the heat, add the lemon juice and allow to steep for two minutes. Strain mixture and pour over the white chocolate and trimoline. Stir to melt and allow ganache to set to a soft piping consistency before using.

To Mold
Warm bonbon molds slightly with a heat gun or hairdryer and fill completely with tempered dark chocolate. Gently tap the mold on a hard surface to release any air bubbles. Invert the mold over a bowl to pour off excess chocolate. Gently tap the mold with the handle of a spatula. Using a metal spatula, scrape off the top of the mold to remove all the chocolate except what is in the cavities. Keep the outside of the mold as clean as possible as you work. Turn the molds upside down on a cooling rack to allow as much excess chocolate as possible to run out. When the chocolate is almost set, give a final scrape over the top of the mold. Allow the chocolate to set completely before filling molds.

To Fill
Using a pastry bag, fill the shells almost to the top with the ganache filling. Gently tap the mold to settle and even out the filling and allow to set. To seal the bottom of the bonbon, pour enough chocolate over the molds to completely cover the cavities. Gently tap the mold to remove any air bubbles. Hold a spatula at a low angle and scrape off the excess chocolate. Allow the chocolate to set before unmolding.

To Unmold
Twist the molds as you would an ice cube tray to release the chocolate from the molds. Turn the molds out over a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. They should fall out easily. If some candies do not fall out, place the mold in the refrigerator for three to five minutes to contract the chocolate and then try again.