204 replies to this topic

[isomer]

What a fantastic conference! This was so much more than I imagined it would be. It was really nice to meet and work with all of you, and make some new friends. Kerry, thank you so much for putting this conference together.

Here are some photos. First the chocolates:

These are filled with either caramel, raspberry butter ganache or icewine. The fillings were a group effort between Mike (what's your eG id, Mike?), MelissaH and myself. These are the first chocolates I ever made, so there were many causalties. These are the survivors:


These are stenciled and filled with curry-coconut ganache. Many thanks to John DePaula, whjo gently and expertly guided me to success on this batch:



Mike, MelissaH and I made these orange chocolates, which Mike enrobed:


Matthew Kayahara (mkayahara) gave me this one, which I think might have the curry-coconut filling as well:


Art and Wilma from Chocolate FX brought these lovely enrobed berries and nuts for us to try:


The very talented Steve Lebowits gave me these beauties which he made, and brought to the course to share with us:


Here is Kerry Beal showing us how to silkscreen, with MellissaH looking on:


I think this is Mike piping filling into his shells:


And finally, here are some shots of Brian Donaghy from Tomric giving us an "introduction to chocolate" demonstration:

[Kerry Beal]

It occurs to me that after we did the 3 methods of slab ganache making - the Greweling, the Morato, and the Wybauw - we didn't do a side by side comparison.

Could everyone comment on the slab they made and what the result was - did you compare your ganache with the other two?

[MelissaH]

What a fantastic conference! This was so much more than I imagined it would be. It was really nice to meet and work with all of you, and make some new friends. Kerry, thank you so much for putting this conference together.

Amen to that!

So, how were the raspberry and slab ganaches? Because I had to get back home, I didn't get to taste those finished products. But I'm glad to see that the transfer sheet you painted up worked beautifully. (Does anyone have pictures of what happened with some of the other transfer sheets we had fun painting with colored cocoa butter? Did the ones with thicker painted designs work OK, or was thinner better?)

MelissaH

[mkayahara]

Matthew Kayahara (mkayahara) gave me this one, which I think might have the curry-coconut filling as well:

Actually, that one should be nougat, if I'm correctly remembering which transfer sheets we used for which chocolates!

[Lior]

The survivors look excellent. The transfer sheet ones that John helped you with are lovely!! It is funny how one thinks he will remember what is in each chocolate, but doesn't!! Morato slab? Is it the ratios orsomething else that makes his different? Iassume Wybauw uses tempered chocolate in his slabs. This interests me a lot- the comparing of methods.
Thank for the pictures!

[Anna N]

I will let others report on the activites of the conference as I was basically the "detail" person but I have to say three things:

The meal prepared by Chef Dave and his staff will become the stuff of legend at our house.

I have never before spent two days with such a congenial group!

Kerry may occasionally fall prey to the rigors of being only human with aching dogs but she truly seems super human in the amount she can accomplish and in her ability to coax the best out of the rest of us!

[mkayahara]

As I mentioned above, I took a couple of short videos at the conference. You can find them on YouTube.

Kerry demonstrating how to silk screen a transfer sheet:
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=hW1MCFZLvY8

My partner filling shell molded chocolates with passion fruit caramel:
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Hty_8ODzs5s

Kerry demonstrating how to temper chocolate by tabling:
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=Wy2hpcUfA50

Enjoy!

[jturn00]

What a fantastic conference! This was so much more than I imagined it would be. It was really nice to meet and work with all of you, and make some new friends. Kerry, thank you so much for putting this conference together.

Here are some photos. First the chocolates:

These are filled with either caramel, raspberry butter ganache or icewine. The fillings were a group effort between Mike (what's your eG id, Mike?), MelissaH and myself. These are the first chocolates I ever made, so there were many causalties. These are the survivors:

Wow! I wish I had the time to join in......

Isomer, what was the icewine filling? Sounds interesting? Was it based on white or dark chocolate ganache?

I am also interested in John's Curry-coconut filling. That sounds pretty exotic.

I've tried making different exotic fillings for family and friends before but they seem to just like my standard dark cocolate ganache or pear-caramel filling......

Jeff

[tammylc]

I am so sad that I wasn't able to make it! And here's another one begging for doing it again next year, please!

[chocoera]

love you guys!!!! i will try to post photos soon...and they will look nothing as good as those already posted, or as beautiful as john's..but they will be up nonetheless! i loved meeting everyone and made some great friends! (well, they are friends to me...not sure how the feeling is on the other end...) :P *ha ha ha* but yes, wonderful company, amazing food, and such an exciting time at the conference!

PS-thanks to those who found my spatula :)

[merlicky]

The fillings were a group effort between Mike (what's your eG id, Mike?), MelissaH and myself.

See this post for answer. Also, that picture is not me (easy way to tell is that there is no ring on the left hand).

jturn00, I believe the curry coconut recipe was the Madras from Grewling's book in the butter ganache section.

The meal was pretty awesome, the stuff of legend as AnnaN describes. An excellent deal too since it cost me less than the fairly average meal I had the night before in Niagara Falls.

Kerry, and everyone who pitched in and taught or helped organize, did a wonderful job. Thanks. And, keep posting pictures, since I didn't have my camera with me.

[chocoera]

love you guys!!!!  i will try to post photos soon...and they will look nothing as good as those already posted, or as beautiful as john's..but they will be up nonetheless!  i loved meeting everyone and made some great friends!  (well, they are friends to me...not sure how the feeling is on the other end...)  :P  *ha ha ha*  but yes, wonderful company, amazing food, and such an exciting time at the conference!

PS-thanks to those who found my spatula :)

ok, so i am not going to post 60 photos...that would take up like the whole thread! but here is an album you can view, just click on the link!!!!

http://www.facebook....04&l=f468c1c417

also, a few questions regarding that packet of info kerry handed out: i did a wybauw ganache..thought the texture was very smooth and flavored carried well but it turned out super soft. we pre-coated the bottom and let set in fridge to harden, it helped when using the guitar cutter, so no worries...but would like to know if we think we just didn't have enough chocolate? (270 g, 250 g cream, 25 g invert, 50 g butter) or if it was the method (mix 30 C cream with 30 C chocolate, then add room temp butter) any thoughts? should chocolate go up to 300 or 320 g?

next: the chewy caramel recipe from chocolats et confiserie...has anyone tried this before? thoughts on flavoring and texture? could you make a big batch, spread on parchment paper or rulers, and cool, and then break off chunks and use when needed? i like to have caramel on hand for turtles, apples etc, but don't always use a full recipe, is there a problem with continually reheating and cooling a batch? does that change the texture? i like a pretty soft caramel, but i don't want it sliding off the apples...that's annoying...especially since i will then coat with chocolate after the caramel :)

love the buttercrunch toffee. nice job matt n' matt. :P

next: for our next conference (because i know we are having one...ask steve...he promised to set one up...there are witnesses) :P i was hoping to work on pates de fruits. i have tried three times and failed. any tips on this? can i sub tartaric acid for lemon juice or cider vinegar? what do you pour a pate de fruits in and how long can they last? (enrobed like kerry's cigar chocolate, or un-enrobed like a traditional pate de fruits) has anyone tried the recipe found in our packet?

ok...that's it for now! love you all!!!

wait. one more. i know passion fruit is like crazy compared to other fruits...if i wanted to sub a different fruit in the liquid passion fruit caramel or the passion/mango caramel, will that cause a problem in the final product texture?

ok. that's it. xoxoxo

[Kerry Beal]

love you guys!!!!  i will try to post photos soon...and they will look nothing as good as those already posted, or as beautiful as john's..but they will be up nonetheless!  i loved meeting everyone and made some great friends!  (well, they are friends to me...not sure how the feeling is on the other end...)  :P  *ha ha ha*  but yes, wonderful company, amazing food, and such an exciting time at the conference!

PS-thanks to those who found my spatula :)

Spatula will be winging it's way back to you next time I cross the border.

ok, so i am not going to post 60 photos...that would take up like the whole thread! but here is an album you can view, just click on the link!!!!

http://www.facebook....04&l=f468c1c417

also, a few questions regarding that packet of info kerry handed out: i did a wybauw ganache..thought the texture was very smooth and flavored carried well but it turned out super soft. we pre-coated the bottom and let set in fridge to harden, it helped when using the guitar cutter, so no worries...but would like to know if we think we just didn't have enough chocolate? (270 g, 250 g cream, 25 g invert, 50 g butter) or if it was the method (mix 30 C cream with 30 C chocolate, then add room temp butter) any thoughts? should chocolate go up to 300 or 320 g?

And that's the question - the recipe was the same for all 3 ganaches - just the technique of mixing was different.  Did we notice any differences/consistancies between methods?

next: the chewy caramel recipe from chocolats et confiserie...has anyone tried this before? thoughts on flavoring and texture? could you make a big batch, spread on parchment paper or rulers, and cool, and then break off chunks and use when needed? i like to have caramel on hand for turtles, apples etc, but don't always use a full recipe, is there a problem with continually reheating and cooling a batch? does that change the texture? i like a pretty soft caramel, but i don't want it sliding off the apples...that's annoying...especially since i will then coat with chocolate after the caramel :)

I make a batch, and will heat up bits of it to use for turtles etc.  Just store in an airtight container to prevent flavour pickup.

love the buttercrunch toffee. nice job matt n' matt. :P

next: for our next conference (because i know we are having one...ask steve...he promised to set one up...there are witnesses) :P i was hoping to work on pates de fruits. i have tried three times and failed. any tips on this? can i sub tartaric acid for lemon juice or cider vinegar? what do you pour a pate de fruits in and how long can they last? (enrobed like kerry's cigar chocolate, or un-enrobed like a traditional pate de fruits) has anyone tried the recipe found in our packet?

I heard him too - I'm going to hold him to it.  I had hoped to get to pate de fruit this conference (the road to hell and all that) - try the Boiron recipes I gave you - they use tartaric - you can make your own purees if you can't access the boiron.

How long they last - weeks and weeks enrobed, less coated with sugar.

ok...that's it for now! love you all!!!

wait. one more. i know passion fruit is like crazy compared to other fruits...if i wanted to sub a different fruit in the liquid passion fruit caramel or the passion/mango caramel, will that cause a problem in the final product texture?

Give it a try and find out!

ok. that's it. xoxoxo

[Marmish]

The fillings were a group effort between Mike (what's your eG id, Mike?), MelissaH and myself.

See this post for answer. Also, that picture is not me (easy way to tell is that there is no ring on the left hand).

jturn00, I believe the curry coconut recipe was the Madras from Grewling's book in the butter ganache section.

The meal was pretty awesome, the stuff of legend as AnnaN describes. An excellent deal too since it cost me less than the fairly average meal I had the night before in Niagara Falls.

Kerry, and everyone who pitched in and taught or helped organize, did a wonderful job. Thanks. And, keep posting pictures, since I didn't have my camera with me.

I think that pic is Matty. Just to echo everyone else, I had a blast, learned a bunch and spent 3 days with the best group of people around. What a phenomenal time! Thanks again to Kerry for all her work. If we give her about a week, she'll agree to another one. And I DID witness someone else offering to host.

[merlicky]

also, a few questions regarding that packet of info kerry handed out:  i did a wybauw ganache..thought the texture was very smooth and flavored carried well but it turned out super soft.  we pre-coated the bottom and let set in fridge to harden, it helped when using the guitar cutter, so no worries...but would like to know if we think we just didn't have enough chocolate? (270 g, 250 g cream, 25 g invert, 50 g butter) or if it was the method (mix 30 C cream with 30 C chocolate, then add room temp butter) any thoughts?  should chocolate go up to 300 or 320 g?

We made the Wybauw too and also ended up with a really soft ganache.

I think his method is supposed to create a fairly firm ganache because the chocolate never leaves temper (doesn’t Grewling also table his slabbed ganaches?).

I think the problem might have been the percentage chocolate we were using; if I remember correctly that bags said that it was a 55% chocolate. I think most of the dark recipes with 1:1-ish ratios are formulated for 65%-ish chocolate, so this might have caused the ganache to be softer. A bit more chocolate would have probably helped (or a bit darker chocolate).

At least that’s my best guess.

[Kerry Beal]

Did any of the 3 ganaches end up with a good firm texture that was easy to cut?

[MelissaH]

Did any of the 3 ganaches end up with a good firm texture that was easy to cut?

And---since I wasn't there to see the end product---what did they wind up like? Did they actually cut into squares that you could handle, or were they all something that might have been better off just piped into shells?

MelissaH

[Kerry Beal]

How about the goodies that Lior sent for us to enjoy - I've been working on the lokum and some of the snacky foods today. What did you take home? How are you enjoying it?

[Darienne]

OMIGAWD!!! What a time you all had. Just looked at ALL of Chocoera (aka Erika)'s photos.(Can't do U-tube on my hookup.) What a blast!

Loved the chocolates. They look so delicious.

Next year..........

[Anna N]

How about the goodies that Lior sent for us to enjoy - I've been working on the lokum and some of the snacky foods today.  What did you take home?  How are you enjoying it?

Ooh yes - that was an incredible selection that Lior sent for us to enjoy. I snagged the chocolate gelt for my granddaughter and she is really enjoying them! Thank you.

[cmflick]

Thanks to everyone who has posted photos and videos. It's been great for those of us who couldn't be there. It's made me even greener with envy. I sure hope there is a repeat performance.

There have been a couple of mentions of an information packet that was handed out. Is there any way that can be posted for those of who couldn't make it? I'd like to see the recipes that were being used.

[Kerry Beal]

The recipes for the Almond Buttercrunch and the chewy caramel are already in the confectionery course in the eGCI, as is the nougat - it's the recipe for the snickers type bar. The sponge toffee and the butter ganache recipes are in Greweling.

Here is the page on decorating - just a few points, Brian discussed a lot of details, but I missed them.

Creating Special Effects on Chocolate

1. Cocoa butter and coloured cocoa butter does not need to be tempered, just heated to the point required to work with it. Your best temperature is probably around 30 - 35º C (86 - 95º F), warmer and it tends to run and take too long to harden.
2. To refrigerate or not? I don’t usually bother unless something just isn’t hardening up fast enough for me.
3. Colours used must be fat soluble.
3. Work the colour together with the cocoa butter on your granite or marble slab with an offset spatula to disperse it. Alternately you can mix with an immersion blender. It is not sufficient to just mix with a spatula.
4. Colours are in the form of either dyes or lakes. A lake is a combination of a dye and an insoluble material. Dyes are water soluble, lakes can be dispersed in fat (but are not directly soluble in fat). When dispersed in fat the lake will produce a transparent colour - to which titanium dioxide must be added if opacity is desired.
5. If you wish to colour your mold with the transparent mixture, painting white coloured cocoa butter behind it (titanium dioxide in cocoa butter) will make the surface colour ‘pop’.
6. Colours can be applied with your finger, cotton swabs, brushes, an airbrush, through a silk screen etc.
7. Luster dusts or interference powders can be applied before molding i.e. airbrushed onto the mold in an alcoholic suspension, or dusted on to the piece after molding.
8. When using chocolate to decorate - thin it with cocoa butter - minimum 30% extra cocoa butter, usually in a 50/50 mixture. If you use an airbrush and apply thinned chocolate to your room temperature product with the chocolate mixture at about 34º C (93º F) you will get a shiny product. If you apply the mixture heated to 50º C (122º F) to a frozen product you will get a velvet like matte finish.
9. For silk screening your coloured cocoa butter should be about the consistency of sour cream to give a transfer with minimal smearing. Be careful when reheating the cocoa butter on the screen with your heat gun, as it can pop holes in the screen.

Here is the page about the slab fillings - what we were hoping to explore.

FILLINGS

Ganache - there seem to be a variety of techniques described for producing ganache, but looking at the experts three main methods of mixing seem to emerge.
Wybauw seems to mix tempered chocolate at 30 to 32º C (86 - 90º F) with 30º (86º F) cream, then mixes in the room temperature butter. The theory here is that the cocoa butter form V crystals don’t get melted and the butter emulsion is never broken.
Greweling mixes the 30 - 32º C (86 - 90º F) tempered chocolate with 26º C (79º F) butter - the description suggests massaging the butter into the chocolate, then adding 40º C (104º F) liquid. The mass never goes above 34º C - so again your crystals don’t melt.
Morato on the other hand, melts the chocolate with the butter and has it at 40 - 45º C (104 - 113º F) then adds 30º liquid. Obviously in this case the crystals will not be present.

I’m going to suggest we start with a basic formula for a slab ganache and mix with the three different methods - to see whether we can detect any differences, advantages or disadvantages of one method over an other.
The basic recipe will be 250 grams cream
25 grams invert sugar
270 grams 64% dark chocolate
50 grams butter
A variety of flavouring options will be available. To standardize, if an infusion is used, make up the cream deficit with milk after straining.

There were not a lot of huge differences in the mixing of butter ganaches between the 3 experts, so we’ll pick one of the basic ones from Greweling to make. We may need to experiment a little on some techniques for getting our butter to 30º C without melting it.

Morato’s rules for a balanced ganache
water - maximum 20%
sugar - minimum 30%
cocoa butter - minimum 21%
dairy fat - maximum 15%

These are the piped fillings we worked with.

Piped Fillings
Passion Fruit Caramel
200 grams sugar
20 grams glucose
200 grams passion fruit puree
160 grams white chocolate
30 grams cocoa butter
60 grams butter
Caramelize sugar with glucose until browned, deglaze with puree. Add chocolate and cocoa butter and allow to melt, let cool slightly then add butter.

Flowing Caramel
75 grams glucose
175 grams sugar
125 grams heavy cream - warmed
25 grams butter
1 tsp vanilla
Caramelize sugar and glucose until well browned. Deglaze with warmed cream. Add butter and vanilla.
Cappuccino Filling
130 grams cream
20 grams coffee beans
270 grams milk chocolate - tempered
10 grams instant coffee
30 grams glucose
25 grams cocoa butter
55 grams butter

Heat cream with coffee beans, let steep for 15 minutes then strain, make back up to 130 grams with milk. Add glucose and instant coffee. Add melted cocoa butter to tempered chocolate, stir in cream mixture until emulsion forms, stir in butter.

[Kerry Beal]

Oh, and here's the fruity caramel that Erika referred to.

Passion Fruit Mango Caramels


225 grams sugar
180 grams glucose
45 grams water
60 grams butter
100 grams cream
100 grams passion fruit puree
100 grams mango puree

Bring sugar, glucose and water to 145º C (293º F), add butter and cream, bring to 120º C (248º F), add purees and bring to 123º C 253º F). Test in ice water.
Pour into frame or silicone cake pan and cool at room temperature. To cut, place in fridge, return to fridge as required to help with the cutting.

[mkayahara]

The fillings were a group effort between Mike (what's your eG id, Mike?), MelissaH and myself.

See this post for answer. Also, that picture is not me (easy way to tell is that there is no ring on the left hand).

I think that pic is Matty.

Indeed, I think you can tell who's in that pic by the colour of his apron.

Did any of the 3 ganaches end up with a good firm texture that was easy to cut?

And---since I wasn't there to see the end product---what did they wind up like? Did they actually cut into squares that you could handle, or were they all something that might have been better off just piped into shells?

MelissaH

We found that, with the Wybauw method, the slab could only be cut into squares after being chilled, and had to be rechilled while we were dipping it. I thought I had heard reports that the Greweling slabs came out more firm, but I didn't get around to checking.

Also, I've thought of another newbie question that I meant to ask but forgot: Greweling talks briefly about making truffles using "hollow shells" (p. 92), but the shells pictured look quite different from the shells we molded. Are they in fact a different product? If so, how are they made?

Edited by mkayahara, 20 April 2009 - 03:05 PM.

[chocoera]

The fillings were a group effort between Mike (what's your eG id, Mike?), MelissaH and myself.

See this post for answer. Also, that picture is not me (easy way to tell is that there is no ring on the left hand).

I think that pic is Matty.

Indeed, I think you can tell who's in that pic by the colour of his apron.

Did any of the 3 ganaches end up with a good firm texture that was easy to cut?

And---since I wasn't there to see the end product---what did they wind up like? Did they actually cut into squares that you could handle, or were they all something that might have been better off just piped into shells?

MelissaH

We found that, with the Wybauw method, the slab could only be cut into squares after being chilled, and had to be rechilled while we were dipping it. I thought I had heard reports that the Greweling slabs came out more firm, but I didn't get around to checking.

Also, I've thought of another newbie question that I meant to ask but forgot: Greweling talks briefly about making truffles using "hollow shells" (p. 92), but the shells pictured look quite different from the shells we molded. Are they in fact a different product? If so, how are they made?

hi darling :P
i believe you are talking about shells that have already been made. you buy them, they are round and hollow, with a hole in the top. you fill with your ganache of choice, let crystalize, and then (not sure about this) you can cap them off and dip the entire shell/chocolate in tempered chocolate of your choice, or maybe you don't have to cap them off? and just dip because your ganache already has a "skin?" i don't use them, so i'm not sure...but i believe chocolat chocolat sells the shells....

[Beth Wilson]

Truffle shells are great to use for liquid or very soft centers. I have used them alot and always cap them before dipping them.

Sometimes I let the shells sit overnight to settle into the shells before capping them off the next day. When you do cap them off, I find that the best thing to do is make sure the chocolate you pipe in to cap them off should be relatively flat.

The flat part is what I use as the bottom of the truffle so the flat edge helps to steady the truffle giving it less tendancy to roll around in the boxes.

The shells do add extra cost to your truffle so you have to watch your bottom line when you use them.

For liquid caramels I love them!

[Beth Wilson]

It was great to meet everyone this weekend! My sisters and I had a great time. They are newbies to working with chocolate and had fun meeting everyone. Now I will be able to put them to work when they come for a visit!!!

The dinner was fantastic and the morning snacks and lunch were delicious too! Thanks for taking care of us Kerry!

My sisters were raving about the lunch meats and bread and wanted to know if the bread was made by the school for the event? The rustic flavour and pumpkin seeds were great!

b

[Kerry Beal]

Also, I've thought of another newbie question that I meant to ask but forgot: Greweling talks briefly about making truffles using "hollow shells" (p. 92), but the shells pictured look quite different from the shells we molded. Are they in fact a different product? If so, how are they made?

Here is a picture.

I do have the mold that allows you to make them, but it's a bit of a pain.

[Kerry Beal]

It was great to meet everyone this weekend! My sisters and I had a great time.  They are newbies to working with chocolate and had fun meeting everyone.  Now I will be able to put them to work when they come for a visit!!!

The dinner was fantastic and the morning snacks and lunch were delicious too!  Thanks for taking care of us Kerry!

My sisters were raving about the lunch meats and bread and wanted to know if the bread was made by the school for the event?  The rustic flavour and pumpkin seeds were great! 

b

The breads were made at the shop where Kristina (the student who helped us) works. I believe that it's the shop in Port Dalhousie owned by Anna Olsen of Food Network's 'Sugar'.

[Kerry Beal]

Isomer, what was the icewine filling?    Sounds interesting?  Was it based on white or dark chocolate ganache?


Jeff

Jeff,

The icewine filling was Lior's idea from another thread - neutral glaze mixed with icewine. Gives a nice clean icewine flavour.