Chocolate Bowls, Tempering? What kind of Chocolate

[RPMcMurphy]

I'm looking at experimenting with some desserts this weekend. I want to make chocolate bowls.....

I came across this

http://www.ghirardelli.com/bake/recip...

and figured, no way its that easy...then after some research, I came across different tempering methods, etc. etc....

I don't have a marble board....but, I can of course make a double boiler for melting and tempering and i have a thermometer.

my questions are...
whats an "OK with what I have" way to best temper the chocolate?

what chocolate is going to make this the easiest/nicest looking (that I can of course, get at A&P

)

I think the easiest "method" i've researched (from the ghirardelli site) is to melt 2/3 the chocolate in a double boiler until its about 110-115, then let cool to 95-100 off heat, then add the remainder and still until melted.

[babette feasts]

The recipe is that easy because you're not really tempering the chocolate. Sticking it in the freezer or refrigerator is totally fine to make it set up, the only drawback is, because it is not in true temper, it may soften if left out at room temp. BUT, if you are going to serve the chocolate bowls straight from the fridge filled with something cold, go ahead and do it the easy way.

If you do try tempering the chocolate and it doesn't seem to set up quickly, you can always fall back on the freezer!

[Sophia.]

I like using Ghirardelli dark chocolate (I buy it at Trader Joe's in the bulk chunks, but you can buy bars as well). your tempering method should work fine, but I would stick with the lower end of the temps recommended. constant stirring will also improve your results, and you'll know if it's tempered properly if the chocolate begins to firm up at room temp within about 10 minutes. dark chocolate generally tempers better than milk and white. good luck!

[chowser]

I do both the double boiler method and by microwave. The key is to be patient and have a good thermometer.

http://www.thebakerskitchen.com/Recip...

If you have a Trader Joe's nearby, they have good big blocks of chocolate that are not expensive and pretty good. At A&P, get the best chocolate you can in big blocks, maybe Ghirardelli if they have it (I don't know what else they might carry).