Mixing two chocolates together and color question

I have a couple of questions on Milk chocolate.

1) I am using Callebaut Milk and what I find is when I temper it the resulting color is lighter than it was prior to melting. why? am I not tempering it correctly? or is that normal? The chocolates came out great just wondering why they are lighter.

2) Can I mix a little milk and dark chocolate and use that as enrobing chocolate? Do I need to find the right temperatures to temper them together or can I? I find milk chocolate sweet and it would be nice to take a way from that a bit with a little dark? The color would be a little more attractive I think?

I'd appreciate knowing. All the chocolate I use is slab Callebaut. Thanks in advance:)

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Permalink Reply by Kerry on March 18, 2010 at 10:38pm

I notice when chocolate is melted and not in temper that the colour is different than the same chocolate when it is in temper - so perhaps the change in colour is due to a slight difference in the crystalline structure which reflects light differently and therefore appears lighter.

You can mix milk and dark - I tend to temper to the temperatures of the 'most difficult' chocolate ie the milk chocolate. I often mix milk and dark to make a 'dark milk' for use with certain barks and bars.

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Permalink Reply by Jon Ellsworth on March 20, 2010 at 5:55pm

Dirke, you can substitute an ounce to an ounce and a half, per pound, of dark chocolate without changing your tempering process while darkening the color to the desired look you’re trying to achieve. The more bitter the chocolate the less you'd need to substitute. Even a half ounce of unsweetened will due the trick. Divine Specialties

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Permalink Reply by dale montondo on March 20, 2010 at 7:50pm

I made some very tasty dark milk by mixing. It's actually quite fun as well as rewarding. As far as temper, I usually seed it with what ever seed chocolate it most resembles. make a few test samples.
Just a thought but you could stripe it with something really dark. A chopstick works good for me. Line up the chocolates, dip the chopstick in let it run off over them.