Chocolate Curls & Shavings

The Making of Chocolate Curls

There’s something satisfying about making chocolate curls. Maybe it makes you feel like a kid, playing with your food. Perhaps you feel proud that your desserts look like something from Food Network. Or maybe you’re just happy you found another use for a couple of your utensils. 

Chocolate Shavings and Chocolate Curls are Beautiful

Shavings are super easy to make because you can literally scrape the side of a candy bar with a vegetable peeler to make a flurry of little curlicues and chocolate snow! It’s fun, and kids could certainly help.

Curls are a little more finnicky, as temperature is key to getting nicely curled bits of chocolate. It may take a couple of tries to get them just right, BUT PEOPLE, let me tell ya, this is the easiest re-do in the kitchen. If you’re not happy the first time, re-melt the chocolate and try again! IF YOU’RE STILL NOT HAPPY… CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS WILL SAVE YOU! And trust me, whether you have chocolate  curls or chocolate shavings on top of your dessert, people will ooo and ahhh like it’s the best thing they’ve ever seen. BECAUSE CHOCOLATE.

I’m not going to lie. I have struggled getting chocolate to curl in the past. But today… today I landed on the trifecta, the motherload, the by-golly-I did-it combination of ideal ingredients, temperature, and utensils and found success.

Here’s how I did it:

1. I broke up 2 oz. semisweet baking chocolate and tossed the pieces into a 1-cup glass measuring cup and added 2 tsp. butter.
2. Microwaved at 30% power, stirring occasionally, until smooth.
3. Poured the chocolate on the back side of a metal baking pan and spread it as thin as  possible with an offset spatula (Rada’s Half Sheet Pan gives you plenty of room for spreading).
4. Placed it in the freezer for 3 or 4 minutes, until firm.
5. Using Rada’s Mini Server flipped upside down, I slowly scraped up the chocolate in rows. (If it doesn’t curl, let it set a few seconds and try again. If the chocolate softens, stick the pan back in the freezer.)

That’s it! Once you have curls, simply leave them on the pan and chill for a minute or two then CAREFULLY move them to your dessert. They are fragile! But just look at the gorgeousness you created!

Glorious satisfaction! LET’S EAT!

Keep reading below for a yummy chocolate dessert you can shower with chocolate curls and shavings. Have fun!

Are You Ready to Try Out Your New Skills?

Here’s a recipe that you’ll probably recognize from its tender crust, luxurious filling, and cloud-like topping. It’s delicious and makes a big batch so you can take it to a picnic or holiday get-together and expect rave reviews… or just keep it for yourself and a select group of others who will appreciate those chocolate bits and doodads that you randomly threw so artistically arranged on top. 🙂

Be sure to test your Rada IQ at the end of this post.

French Silk Slab Pie

INGREDIENTS (Serves 20)

Crust
1 (14 to 15 oz.) pkg. refrigerated pie crusts (2 ct.)

Filling
2 C. unsalted butter, softened
3 C. sugar
4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted & cooled
1 T. vanilla
1 (16 oz.) carton egg substitute

Toppings
1 (8 oz.) container whipped topping, thawed
1 milk chocolate candy bar

DIRECTIONS

Soften the pie crusts at room temperature as directed on package then preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Unroll both crusts and overlap them in the center of a 12 x 17 x 1″ baking pan. With your hands, press the pastry over the bottom, into the corners, and up the sides of the pan, patching as needed to make one crust; poke fork holes all over the bottom and sides of the crust. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Cool completely.

To make the filling, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed in a big mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 6 to 7 minutes. Beat in the chocolate and vanilla until well combined. Add about 1/2 cup of egg substitute at a time, beating well after each addition, until all has been added and the mixture is smooth. Cover and chill the filling for 2 to 3 hours.

Spread the chilled filling evenly over the cooled crust and spread the whipped topping evenly over the top. Grate the candy bar over the top (or make chocolate curls) before serving. Store leftovers in the fridge.

Test Your Rada IQ.

1. What year did Rada start making cutlery?
2. Besides buying Rada Cutlery direct from www.RadaKitchenStore.com, what OTHER ways can you get the Rada products you crave?
3. Which Midwest state does Rada Mfg. call home? Bonus points if you also know the city name.
4. Has Rada Cutlery EVER sold products from a country other than the USA?
5. Does Rada have a guarantee?
6. How many handle styles does Rada Cutlery offer?
7. What are Quick Mixes?
8. What makes Rada Cutlery so special?

THE ANSWERS:

1. Rada began its cutlery-making journey way back in 1948. At that time, manufacturers were once again producing non-war-related items and the production of our aluminum-handle cutlery began in earnest.
2. You can also purchase your favorite Rada Cutlery through Fundraisers and Resellers! We help thousands of groups every year reach their fundraising goals through Rada’s fundraising programs. To find a fundraiser in your area, visit https://radafundraising.com/ and fill in your city and state to see a list of groups near you. Or, if you know of a group holding a Rada fundraiser, type in that group’s name. To find a seller of Rada products in your area, go to https://www.radacutlery.com/shop-local/ and type in your city and state or ZIP Code and you’ll be rewarded with a list of participating businesses or individual resellers.
3. Rada Mfg. resides in Waverly, Iowa, a town in the northeastern part of the state. Its population of approximately 10,000 is also home to Wartburg College.
4. Every Rada Cutlery product is proudly manufactured in America! Always has been. Always will be.
5. Under its Lifetime Guarantee, Rada Mfg. will replace any product manufactured by our company returned to us due to defects in material or workmanship. That means you can PURCHASE WITH CONFIDENCE!
6. Rada Cutlery offers THREE different and unique handle styles! Permanently cast solid brushed aluminum, black resin, and Anthem Wave black resin.
7. Quick Mixes are little packages filled with big flavors! These dry mixes are shelf stable and make quick work of feeding your family and entertaining guests. Available for marinades, cheeseballs, dips, cheesecakes, and soups.
8. What makes Rada Cutlery so special? LOTS OF THINGS: Razor-sharp blades, 100% American-made durability, lifetime guarantee on everything we manufacture, and exceptional value, just to name a few.