Chocolate Box is assembled as follows:
Using a plastic mold, tempered couverature is poured inside, let to set, then unmolded. Any perfectly smooth and scratch free shiny plastic container with lid could be used. For ultimate smoothness and shine, the plastic container must be without any blemishes or scratches, and cleaned scrupulously but carefully, and dried with a lint free cloth, buffing out any waterspots that may have arisen.

Top of box has a vingette of daffodils. A cocoa powder and cocoa butter paste was made and painted onto kneaded and rolled out white chocolate plastique. Decorations on the box piped on with a parcment paper cornet filled with tempered dark chocolate couverture.

Chocolates and Sweets include:

Nougat Montielimar
     Traditional nougat recipe with whole hazelnuts, pistachios and almonds.
Chocolate Dipped Griottines
     Brandied cherries carefully drained and dipped with a small round chocolate
     fork into tempered couverature.
Hand Made Peppermint Patties
     Hand made fondant is made. Fondant begins as a hot sugar syrup poured onto marble and worked in a figure-eight pattern with a heavy wooden spoon until the mass has crystallized into a smooth and even mixture. It is then let to rest, then kneaded with peppermint flavoring, rolled out and cut with small round cutter, then dipped in tempered couverature with a chocolate fork. After they are placed onto special chocolate plastic sheets, or parchment paper if those are not available, the chocolate fork is used to immediately touch the top of the chocolates to decoratively mark the tops.
Apricot Ganache and Milk Chocolate Ganache Filled Diamond Chocolates
    Special chocolate molds are coated with a thin layer of tempered chocolate and let to set. Apricot ganache made with apricot purée, peach shnapps, cream and dark chocolate, and a milk chocolate ganache made from quality milk chocolate and cream is made and let to come to proper temperature (let set until cool yet still liquid). This is then poured into plastic squirt bottles, used to nearly fill the chocolate coated molds. After the ganache has set and firmed, a final layer of tempered chocolate is used to fill the molds, essentially sealing the flavored ganache. This is then placed in the cooler for a couple of minutes to set the chocolate, and for easy release of the chocolates. The cool temperature helps to harden/contract the chocolate. They are then taken to the work bench and inverted, unmolding all the chocolates perfectly. Note: do not leave the choclates in the cooler for very long or they will start to 'sweat', collecting moisture. The molds must be perfectly scratch-free for very easy unmolding and a perfetct shine.
   NOTE: I have successfully created chocolate molds without the use of the cooler, but some pastry professionals swear by the cooler and always use them in all cases.

Chocolates, nougat and the chocolate box created by Renee Shelton.
Photo taken by Renee Shelton.