Recipes

    300g dark chocolate (70-75% cocoa solids), broken into squares

Method

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (make sure the base of the bowl doesn't touch the water). When the chocolate has melted, pour it onto a flat smooth surface to a thickness of about 5mm.

Smooth the chocolate over the surface using a stepped palette knife. Leave the chocolate to set - what you want is for the chocolate to be set hard enough so that if you press the surface it doesn't leave an indentation. Don't be tempted to speed up the cooling process by placing the chocolate in the fridge, as this will cause it to crack when rolling the curls.

Use a wallpaper scraper or pastry scraper to make the curls (a knife will do if you hold the blade in both hands). Pull it along the chocolate towards you and it should curl up (or work away from you if it's easier). If it doesn't curl and you end up with a pile of chocolate shavings, they'll look just as nice - either way, place them in a plastic container and store in the fridge until required.

Chosen from James Martin's Desserts, James writes "There is no real art to this other than using a scraper and waiting for the chocolate to set just right. Too warm and nothing will hapen; too cold and you will ned a chisel rather than a scraper. I'm afraid it's just a case of practice and trial and error. I like to use a warm, clean oven tray. The tray can be warmed in the oven or with a cook's blowtorch. If the tray has a lip all around, it's easier to use it upside down."