Well, now that we have a good and prominent link up showing how to submit questions to me (hangs head in shame) so many are coming in it seems a good time for a pretty simple speed round
What is a couverture chocolate? Can we make it at home with a milanger (sic) of course? Also how is it different from the dark chocolate that you have taught us?
Couverture is nothing more than extra thin chocolate, usually on the sweeter side. There are not real specifications. Most contain 10-25% cocoa butter, sometimes more, and 35-45% sugar. Now those proportions can give you something that is too thick to be considered couverture. We usually keep a bare minimum of 35% fat in our chocolate formulations. Up that to about 45% for couverture.
I stay in India where the temperature in summers rises to around 45 degree centigrade, so the question is how to keep chocolate melting while shipping (inside India)?
This isn’t just an issue in India. Shipping in hot weather is brutal for chocolate makers. Many simply decide they can’t do it. When you are that hot, you are going to have to go the extra mile for the chocolate to stand a chance. I’ve had to use extra large insulated coolers, and many ice packs plus next day shipping. I’ve also resorted to dry ice and ice packs. What I will suggest is testing first. Package your chocolate up and put the package in your car to simulate transport vehicles and come back 1 and 2 days later to see how the chocolate did. That is really all I can offer.
When I silk temper, I usually grate the silk (to have very fine flakes), keep it in my room with an AC (temp is generally 20°), and once the chocolate temp has reached 34°C I add the silk inside and stir, so the silk is still "cold". Sometimes when I break a piece of chocolate, I see white spots inside which I think is little pieces of silk which hasn't melt (although I stir for like 1 min and let it set for another 1 min before molding). Am I right or it's something else I see? Maybe I should let the silk warm a little bit without melting (of course) and add it to the chocolate?
Your issue is that you are cooling the chocolate too much. Your 34 C is 93.2 F. If you are using solid silk you need 95-96 F or 35 C. And if you still see spots, 35.5 C. You can alternatively soften the silk to 33 C so it does not need to melt but instead can just incorporate in. You run the risk of melting the silk if you are not careful with your heating though. Into a 33 C sous vide would be optimal. And for all that, don’t forget thermometers have accuracy ranges and most are 0.5-1 C, which means the real temperature could be 33 C and your thermometer is reading 34.
I often get very small pin holes in my 70% dark chocolate after tempering and setting up. Not sure why. I bang the heck out of the molds on the counter to try to get all the air bubbles out. When I turn them out after being in the fridge for about 8 minutes or so, I sometimes see these very small pin holes. Anything I can do to get rid of them? The chocolate tastes great it is mostly just an aesthetic thing. My base recipe is 70% nibs, 30% cane sugar and about 1.5% silk. (I know that makes it more than 70% but it is barely over so...) I pour up using a large pastry bag, bang on the counter, put in fridge for 8 min or so. My kitchen runs hot.
This is what vibrating tables were invented for. You can only get so many air bubbles out manually. You can also stir more gently and rap the whole bowl of chocolate to get a jump start on getting the air out. It is also possible your chocolate is too thick. Your recipe is right at the edge of the minimum fat content we suggest. Try adding 5% cocoa butter.