75 replies to this topic

[RobertM]

Beth-

I'm sad you couldn't make it to the conference, but, here is a link to Amazon for a Presto 06006 Kitchen Kettle Electric Multi-Cooker and Fryer, it's on sale (went down from when I looked on Saturday) -

http://www.amazon.co...05584760&sr=8-3

I used Grewlings caramel from his Confections at Home book, and then Gene and I did the Fresh Dairy Caramel from his Confections and Chocolates book - If you don't have those, please let me know and I'll work on getting you a formula. I don't use the "fresh" dairy formulations, as there is so much water in the milk that it takes forever to boil off the water and then actually make a caramel -

I seem to recall my mother had something called a "fry daddy" - I'm not sure I would use something like that for caramel, but, you may be as successful as I have been with the Kitchen Kettle - and you can demo the frydaddy (uncle/cousin/whatever) at next year's conference...

[RobertM]

Here are some video's on YouTube that show Derrick tabeling the ganache and the proper method for dipping

I took these with my small camera - sorry if they are a tad jerky

[RobertM]

...and here is the link to his website

http://www.derrickphotutan.com/

[SusanV.]

Great stuff, everyone!

[Sue Casey]

Wow - what a great time we had in Niagara on the Lake. Met lots of new people and the food was fantastic. Casa Mia was wonderful and Dave and his folks at the College were outstanding with their meal for us. Also, the pastries for breakfast and the fresh bread, meats and salads for our lunches were great.

I have to had my kudos to Kerry for putting on such a fine event and to Bob as well for all his help.

I've added some pics - ipod doesn't take the clearest snaps but they show some of the group enjoying their chocolate experience.

There are different ways and methods for doing things as we all learned. It's nice to know that more than one way is acceptable.

Enjoyed making a transfer sheet with the fabulous colored cocoa butters. Rather primitive in my artistic talents but it gives me something to work on :)
Here are some samples of other chocolates created by the group.

[David J.]

I was in Chicago at the French Pastry School for a three day Macaron class through Thursday so I missed the Friday trip across the border. Instead I drove though the day and headed to meet the group at Mia Casa for dinner. I arrived a bit before they opened at 5pm, so I had the place to myself when I wandered in. The owner and staff were extremely friendly and chatted with me as I sat at the bar and waited for everyone to arrive. I talked with the cheff about "Modernist Cuisine" and watched the owner swap bottles out of his "wine by the ounce" machine. He was extremely gratious and offered me the last ounce of a 2007 Tignanello. I'm not a wine expert by any means, but it was quite delicious!

I want to thank Kerry for once again puting a lot of time and energy into this gathering. The dinner was fantastic and everyone's chocolates were the perfect finish to the meal. I hadn't gotten the memo that the chocolate venue had changed to the restaurant from the hotel, so I brought my class macarons for a lunch desert the next day.

Others have done a great job reporting on the days events, so I'll just hit a couple things that were new to me. In the category of obvious once you see it, Derrick suggested you use two swipes to clear the capping chocolate from your mold. The first time you start at the middle of the mold, then from the end for the second. That prevents the chocolate from bunching up and running down the side. You then have only to clear one short end of the mold. Nice. Bob gave us a tip to use Soy Lethicin to better emulisfy all the fats when making caramel to prevent the "oil slick" from forming on top of your slab. Finally, Kerry found this nifty little breath powered air brush:



Looking at it you would guess that it's a pretty poor atomizer, and you would be right. In fact it's a great "splatter" painter for colored cocoa butter. I can tell this is going to be a whole lot easier and less messy than using a tooth brush or my badger. Not only did she share her find with us, but she was nice enough to purchase several for resale so I could take one home!

Edited by David J., 16 May 2011 - 06:16 PM.

[Chris Hennes]

Phew, finally got home, after spending all day waiting in standby lines after my first flight was cancelled. As always it was a pleasure meeting you all in person. Now to process and disseminate...

Another video of Derrick showing the dipping technique:


And one of his molding technique:

[Chris Hennes]

A random smattering of photos:

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[plus one]

Great weekend and many thanks to Kerry for all her hard work and dedication. Would also like to mention a special thanks to our friends at Chef Rubber for donating the really cool take home kits. They are well stocked with everything necessary for a beginner to stretch there creative muscle. Or for the more experienced who now have a great travel kit to work with. thanks to all who shared there secrets, ideas and comments.

[Kerry Beal]

Hoping someone took a picture of the Chef Rubber kits - I was totally disorganized this weekend re picture taking. I know the kits were broken into by several people and I heard nothing but wonderful feedback. Anyone else want to comment on what they tried with theirs? I know at least one of the magnetic molds I saw made contained the results.

[Chocolot]

I took the goodies out of the tube and packed them. Sorry-no photo. They contained 8? small jars of colored cocoa butter, a brush, several transfer sheets, literature, plastic thingy like a popsicle stick. Anything else I forgot? I think it would be a good idea for us to send a thank you email to those who provided stuff for us. Kerry, can you tell us who to contact? I know that paul@chefrubber.com will get to Paul.

[curls]

I have finished my side trips and made it home safe and sound. Will sort through my photos in the next day or two and see if I can add to the photo documentary. I think can add to the photos of our Saturday night dinner extravaganza.

Kerry, thank you for organizing this event! It was great seeing everyone that I met last year and meeting so many wonderful new people too! I learned something everyday and had a great time. I will echo dhardy123's comment that it was amazing that tabling the ganache made such a difference in flavor. I would not have believed it if I had not had the chance to taste the difference.

[Kerry Beal]

I took the goodies out of the tube and packed them. Sorry-no photo. They contained 8? small jars of colored cocoa butter, a brush, several transfer sheets, literature, plastic thingy like a popsicle stick. Anything else I forgot? I think it would be a good idea for us to send a thank you email to those who provided stuff for us. Kerry, can you tell us who to contact? I know that paul@chefrubber.com will get to Paul.

Trisha at Chef Rubber is the one who sorted everything for us. She was very patient with my repeated requests.

I'm just trying to put together a list of everyone to thank. Hope to work on that tomorrow.

[Lior]

does tabling the ganache affect texture? Graininess? And does using tempered chocolate into lukewarm cream achieve the same effects as tabling-does anyone know or has anyone done an experiment?

[RobertM]

Tabeling a ganache does not effect the texture/grain of the finished product, it has to do with how the fats crystalize, and specifically the cocoa butter which "traps" the flavors within the ganache. This allows greater flavor "explosion" in the mouth. (there was a huge discussion about cocoa butter and the crystal structure and how/why cocoa butter absorbs flavor. This led to a discussion of Mycryo and the use of Mycryo in cooking, not just confectionery).

[Kerry Beal]

Just want to do a quick thank you to all the companies/people who made this possible due to their help and donations to the cause. We could simply not have done it without them.

First and foremost I'd like to thank Derrick Tu Tan Pho - educator extraordinaire for Barry Callebaut - for coming and teaching us - our little DIY conference has grown!

Lotte Andersson - who is the Regional Gourmet Sales Manager covering Ontario and Manitoba for Barry Callebaut - acted as wrangler for Derrick and brought us all sorts of chocolate and other products to taste and use for the weekend. Thanks to Lotte's hard work - Callebaut was very generous to us. And I have to add - Lotte is an absolute delight! I had a few chances to talk with her during my running around and found her a pleasure to gab with.

Trisha at Chef Rubber for her kindness and patience when my single order to go along with the bottle ends turned in to a second order full of all sorts of molecular gastronomy stuff that sounded foreign. We lucked in at the time the Chef Rubber wanted to try out the new kits - so that is why we received the fabulous 'Chef Rubber University - Color Me Transfer Sheet Kits'. For anyone who already has played with their kit and for those who didn't start playing with them yet at the conference - when you do - could you drop a line to Trisha (support@chefrubber.com) at Chef Rubber and give her feedback. Also post on this thread your results.

Renee at Chocolat-Chocolat for the catalogues with the dipping forks and the 3 fabulous prizes for our draw. Chocolat-chocolat has always been helpful to me and very gracious when I ask for favours!

Miguel Morelli at Chocolat Central Cj Inc for providing the 1 kg bags of single origin Belcolade product. Puratos has turned over the distribution of Belcolade to Chocolat Central so this was my first experience with this company. Miguel could not have been more accommodating - he came over to my chocolate lab when he was in the area and we had a great chat - shared some ideas - ate some chocolate!

Qzina in Toronto for providing their Matisse purees for us to use in our fillings and to make the Pates de Fruit. I was certainly impressed with the quality of these purees - and will likely start using them when the Boiron I have runs out. They also provided some of their own branded Chocoa Chocolate.

Pocantico Resources for providing us with the big bag o' apple pectin for our Pates de Fruit. I first met these guys at the PMCA a few years back and got freeze dried fruit from them. Wonderful stuff. When I realized this year that they supplied pectin as well, I asked if they would send some for our conference. Couldn't believe the size of the bag that showed up!

And of course the individuals who helped us out - Peter Storm, chef/pattiserie instructor from Niagara College - who did so much in the back ground. He and Derrick have worked together in the past - so it was his idea that we ask Derrick to come - and he made the initial contact for us. He baked us all those wonderful goodies for breakfast, made the bread for our lunches and our Saturday dinner - cut up fruit, laid out all the food in an extremely attractive pattern. He was a bit horrified that I would have just opened the packages, stuffed in a fork and said "have at it".

Dave Gibson, also chef instructor at the college - who made us our fabulous Saturday dinner again this time. Dave just loves to do this - a chance to show off his skills. Mike and Rebecca who helped him completed the team. Thank you guys for all your hard work (and I loved the leftovers). We did share the leftovers - I didn't take them all home!

Brittany - our student 'volunteered' by Peter Storm - was such a delight. What a hard working young lady she is. She stayed scrubbing the table tops until the last dog was hung. I truly hope she got the opportunity to learn and didn't just find herself cleaning up stuff and feeding us. Brittany just won Skills Ontario for her chocolate work and is heading to compete again in June. Bet she does well there too.

Ruth - also a big winner in competitions (she's heading to Belgium in July for the prize she won at Decadence a couple of months ago) - was a great help feeding us, keeping us organized and cleaning behind us. Thanks Ruthie!

Of course I want to thank everyone who attended - cause really it's all about us teaching ourselves when we start to play. I know when I organized this two years ago I didn't really delegate as well as I could have - and I was much more exhausted when it was over. This year it was a simple matter to say 'you're molding - can you demo it to others who want to learn', 'transfer sheets - Theresa's making them over there - go get her to show you'. Excellent!!!!

[Chris Hennes]

And of course, Kerry is failing to mention the number one individual who made this possible: Kerry Beal! She seems to have more energy than any ten of us combined, and the event came off without a hitch. Thanks, Kerry!

I thought that this year's knowledge-sharing format worked very well, giving people the opportunity to share their skills with others. I tend to prefer the more "workshop"-oriented format, as opposed to a "conference." Stick us all in a big kitchen with a bunch of ingredients and let's have at it!

[RobertM]

I also commend Kerry Beal, who truly IS the Chocolate Doctor. Kerry did such an amazing, wonderful job and because of her "running" on both Saturday and Sunday, the rest of us were able to interact, learn and perfect our techniques.

I would also like to extend a thank you to Larry and Landies Candies, who gave us a great tour of his factory on Friday morning, showing us some exciting equipment, his entrepreneurial spirit in showing us that even the larger companies can be creative (in that he and his co-workers actually created a whole-nut cluster machine). Truly, the spirit of ingenuity at it's finest. Several people on the tour also commented on the sponge candy that was still awaiting the saw. I overheard a few of the tour asking Larry if his "sponge always falls in the middle" and his comment, plain and simple: "yes". He emphasized there is a lot of waste in sponge candy.

Also a huge thank you to Brian Donaghy (Criollo Group) and Tomric for hosting the afternoon session, the snacks, wine, shopping spree's in the $10.00 mold area (which I lost out on as I was picking Brian's brain, which seems to me a good deal - ton's of information from Brian, and I left with some cash in my pocket!). Brian and Tomric were awesome to us and I hope we get the opportunity to go back again someday. I first met Brian years ago at one of the Philly Shows. Of course, he doesn't remember that, but I do. Every time I've had the opportunity to talk to him, I've learned something else I didn't know before. His depth of knowledge and his willingness to share it always amazes me.

[Lior]

Thanks Bob. I still wonder if it is different to using tempered choc to make the ganache. I will have to conduct some experiments I guess! Is this tabled ganached used more for cutting and dipping ganache or also for filling shells-which is usually more fluid... What did Derrick do with his white ganache after he tabled it?
Thanks

[RobertM]

Thanks Bob. I still wonder if it is different to using tempered choc to make the ganache. I will have to conduct some experiments I guess! Is this tabled ganached used more for cutting and dipping ganache or also for filling shells-which is usually more fluid... What did Derrick do with his white ganache after he tabled it?
Thanks

Lior - Derrick suggested that the ganache could be used for either, slab or shells. Derrick made the same formula ganache twice, he tabled one and did not table the other. He placed them both in bowls so we could taste the difference, and it's truly amazing the flavor of the one over the other. With that said, he also freely stated that tabeling a ganache is not viable for companies that are in production because of the time factor's required.
Derrick made a couple of ganache's that we used for shell moulding and he also brought some with him that he did as slabs.

[Gene]

Wow! What an experience, brought me back to my time at the CIA. Kerry deserves a tremendous amount of praise for organizing an absolutely wonderful conference. Being a new member and having a total of 2 posts I came to the conference to learn and it was more than I could have hoped for. It was a privilege meeting all of you and thank you for the wealth of information you shared with me. I must have asked Chocolot a thousand questions from tempering, packaging to running a successful business, there was not a questions she didn’t patiently answer. The caramel demo Bob gave me was nothing short of perfect, I can’t wait to give it another try. Conversations with Chris and his wife ranged from living in Sooner Country to the aerodynamics of a Formula One car. Chris, when your wife gets tenure just keep telling yourself it was all about the chocolates.
Instead of sifting through my 100+ pics I have been busy contacting a granite supplier, a steel fabricator for confectionary frames and Lotte Andersson from Callebaut for a supplier in NYC. I came to the conference with only a Little Dipper and left with a long list of equipment I need. Thanks again to all of you!
Kerry asked that I post some pictures of the Chef Rubber kit that was given to us so here they are.

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[dhardy123]

Derrick basically said that nut fat and animal fat set at 17 degrees so you need to table your ganache down lower than if you were just using chocolate. He said if you are not using nut fat(he used pistachios) or animal fat(he used butter) then you do not need to table the ganache.

[Lior]

thank you for the explanations!

[Gene]

Here are a few more pics. I haven't figured out how to post them in the proper order but you all should be able to figure them out.

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Edited by Gene, 18 May 2011 - 08:49 PM.

[Kerry Beal]

Just recalled the request for the tart recipe from Diana -

Pastry -

90 grams butter/lard 45 grams each
1 tablespoon oil
3 tablespoons water
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (less)
150 grams flour
1. Put fats, water, salt and sugar into oven at 410º F for 15 minutes until bubbly and browning. Stir in flour - watch will splatter.
2. one batch makes enough for two trays of the little tartlets - so about 24 tarts
3. 375 for about 15 minutes.

Caramelized Red Onions

Caramelize about 3 thinly sliced red onions with olive oil, butter and a bit of honey. Drizzle with balsamic, salt and pepper to taste.

Royale

1 cup cream
2 eggs
1 tsp salt

Assembly-

To prebaked tart shell - add some of the onions, top with some danish bleu cheese or stilton (the moldy kind), pour over some custard royale. Bake at about 350 until cheese is melted and custard has set. Top with a bit more of the onions.

[curls]

Kerry, thank you for the recipe. Those tarts were delicious.

[DianaM]

Thank you for the recipe, Kerry! A while ago I saw a similar one, with leeks and goat cheese, but I loved the blue in yours. I've never made pastry using the technique you've described, but now I have a good reason to try it!

Thanks,
Diana

[Kerry Beal]

Thank you for the recipe, Kerry! A while ago I saw a similar one, with leeks and goat cheese, but I loved the blue in yours. I've never made pastry using the technique you've described, but now I have a good reason to try it!

Thanks,
Diana

The recipe for the pastry is from David Lebovitz's site - here.

Edited by Kerry Beal, 19 May 2011 - 07:58 PM.

[Kerry Beal]

Hey - check this out - the kits that Chef Rubber sent for our conference (workshop) are now available for sale on their website. We are some lucky, lucky campers!

[lancastermike]

Although I was not in attendence, a doff of the old skimmer here to Kerry for organizing this event for all who did and to all for sharing it here with us.