Truffle Guy

While I'm not a professional chocolatier/pastry chef I believe that people with true talent and who care about their passion, tend to share their knowledge. There are some strategic considerations (is the person going to compete in the same small market) but in general that isn't the case. My concentration is chocolate and I've got many books and experimented quite a bit. I'm pretty lucky in that my "real" job allows me to invest 10K+ per year in equipment/books/ingredients. Most people who DON'T share their recipes probably are overestimating the impact of the recipe. Thank goodness people like Michael Recchiutti, Jean-Pierre Wybauw, Pierre Herme, Roger Geerts, Carole Bloom, Bo Friberg etc. understand that what seperates them is not the list of ingredients and process but their own skill and ability to create new things. Every single person who says they won't share has at some point "borrowed" from another to create their "own" recipe, their just isn't that much new under the sun. I use many books to create my ganache recipes but the ones that people like the most are so simple that I don't use a recipe, I use base ganache's and then add lime zest and juice or vanilla beans and carmelized sugar with chambord etc. Egos are such a hindrance to success. I was lucky enough to spend time in Chris Elbow's kitchen and he was so incredibly helpful. We never talked about recipes instead I got to see his passion and his techniques and we bounced ideas off each other. Hopefully, I was able to give him some good advice as well, it wasn't all about chocolate. I do understand that people think they are "inventing" new recipes but frankly, if it really is any good, it will be copied and improved on by others anyway. Sorry....a bit of a rant but I think people should take the request as a compliment and even if they don't give out the recipe, find a gracious way to say "no". I have far more money invested in my degree, Six Sigma training, MBA etc. than most pastry chefs and yet I don't "charge" for my help. To each their own but I do believe that you will find the people with the most confidence and talent know it isn't what's on a piece of paper that makes them great.

I think it combines well with the right ingredient. I think Rosewater caramels are great because the buttery, sweet flavor of the caramel really mellows the rosewater flavor. I use Rosemary and Lavender with caramels also and you get the same effect....when combined with the right ingredient....2 strongs do make a right. Coffee can be the same way. To me, coffee is too strong by itself but when you add it to chocolate or even better....ice cream...it is the best thing in the world.

You can actually just brush the dust in the polished mold to go effect. On the bottom right are molds with just an antique gold dust. The color of this dust is not bright but when I use copper, brass or a colored metallic is does pop. If you use Chefrubber colored cocoa butter...some already has dust in the cocoa butter. I've also had problems when trying to layer colored cocoa butter and luster dust so I know keep it simple and think the results are great. Also, be careful with the amounts as neither colored cocoa butter of luster dusts have a "pleasant" taste and can compromise the flavor of the chocolate if you coat to thickly. The cocoa butter is actually very bitter. I just use a large artists brush and "pop" the dust in the mold and spread around. Sometimes I turn it over and release the extra dust but I actually like the depth of having different concentrations (though not too much). Here are the pics. Chocolates - bottom right are metallic dusts

You might want to watch the amount of sugar in the juice and add less if it is too sweet. Most of the juices I've tried have been sweeter than purees. Other than that everything should work fine.

Those look terrific! I love how you blended your colours. I'm particularly impressed with the green squares on the left, with the black veining being so distinct and not blending into the other colours like that. Did you apply the cocoa butter in layers and chill between coats to do that, or did you do something else? ← Here is another picture...not sure if it is better. The lighting in the pictures is bad. The chocolates are much more vibrant and shiny than the pictures. The green squares actually have dark green but it does look black in the picture. What I did is first use dark green cocoa butter to streak the mold. After it set I then came back with orange, yellow and a lighter green in layers with an airbrush. Here is another picture...not sure if it is clearer.

Below are links to some of the chocolates

I have put molds in the dishwasher without detergent and also hand washed with just hot water because like others, I like clean molds as I keep them at my house and am not a true production environment. I don't think that has adversly affected my chocolates as I had as much of a problem with a brand new mold as the others. Great idea to use distilled water though as Florida has lots of minerals in the water. I'll also use the my wine cooler rather than the freezer to cool the molds to see if that helps. I still think the problem is with the way the chocolate is setting up rather than the molds themselves. Probably the humidity, temperature or both. When I spent some time at Chris Elbows shop I remember how he would just go to the molds and pull out the shell, mine don't get the firm. I use El Rey most of the time and perhaps the temp of my machine needs to be higher/lower for that chocolate. I do notice the longer the chocolate is in the machine, the more it seems to lose its shine. The last molds I do are always worse than the first ones. But again, my transfers normally come out perfect. Like John, when mine come out they have a great shine and almost glass like appearance. I like a few hours from Norman Love's shop and stop by often and the last few batches I've done would not look out of place in his box (they may not be as good tasting but the appearance is there). On somewhat of another subject, anyone know of any good training/classes coming up for chocolate? I'd like to take something regarding bon bon production and I'm sure it would help.

You know, I've read all through this thread in the past and other threads using cocoa butter in the molds first, (with PERFECT results now every time - thanks everyone!!) but I'm not gonna reread it all today so forgive me if you've already covered this point. But it sounds like you've got one major problem: Your cocoa butter isn't completly firmed up/hardened back to its solid state when you're pouring the tempered chocolate in, hence the stickiness in the crevices. Even if you're not heating it to apply it, the heat generated from rubbing it in there will be enough to turn it to a semi-liquid state. Think of it exactly like regular butter.....cold butter when you rub it on something will soften and stay softened at room temp, so you need to solidify it again. Try popping the molds into the fridge for a few minutes after they're coated, then allow them to come back to room temp before pouring your chocolate in. If it's terribly warm where you're working, try keeping the molds in a cool, but not cold, place. (You don't want to pour the tempered chocolate into a cold mold, of course.) I hope that helps solve your problem. If I stated the obvious here for you I'm sorry. Edited to add: Cocoa butter is not in temper/doesn't need tempering. ← I actually have not been using cocoa butter on the molds except the colored cocoa butter and it hardens completely before I put in the chocolate. I actually hit the mold with a hair dryer before putting in the chocolate to get the mold closer to the temp of the chocolate. But...as I've mentioned what throws me off is that sometimes it works fine. The white chocolate seems to work best. I'm also not sure about rubbing the mold with cocoa butter then applying colored cocoa butter and then chocolate, seems like too many layers. When I pour the chocolate into molds with cocoa butter...won't the temp of the chocolate "soften" the cocoa butter anyway? If anything, it seems the bonding between the cocoa butter and the mold is firmer than the bond between the colored cocoa butter and the chocolate. Thanks for the reply, I'll look into it and see if it helps but I suspect it must be something else.

Chocolate is like golf. When you hit a good shot, it is the best game around but most of the time it is frustrating but the good feeling keeps bringing you back. I've been working on molded chocolates for about a year now. Sometimes they come out great and I would put them next to anyone's chocolates. But...I keep running into problems with the chocolate not coming out of the mold cleanly or having "chips" of cocoa butter. I seem to be fine with white chocolate in a rounded mold. On other molds, the cocoa butter is "sticking" to the mold, especially in cracks and crevices. When I use dark chocolate, the problem seems to be even worse. I have a Rev X and Rev 2 and so I believe it is tempered properly. Also, all my palets with transfers come out fine. I've had problems with some couvertures but I've been using El Rey with good results. It is disheartening to spend hours airbrushing only to see muddled results. I'm open to any ideas. I have washed the molds, they don't appear scratched. I then polish them with cotton. Sometimes I use a small amount of cocoa butter but it doesn't seem to matter. When they work, they are very shiny and beautiful. I suspect humidity might be an issue. I live in Tampa and they normally are "sticky" when cooled at room temperature and don't normally pop out of the mold on their own without using the freezer. I also suspect the cocoa butter may be out of temper but then why does it work sometimes. Also, I got a brand new mold on Friday and polished it up thinking it was scratched molds and got the same results. I'd love any ideas that might help me be more consistent. Thanks All.

I've had Key Lime in dark chocolate from other chocolatiers (Norman Love) and in milk chocolate (Chris Elbow) and they were great. It's probably personal preference. The dark chocolate will be firmer if you are doing palets. Also, coconut is excellent in dark chocolate so you might try it that way.

There are a couple recipes you can use. The first is a coconut-lime variation. 3/4 cup heavy cream 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk 14 ounces white chocolate 3 teaspoons invert sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Key Limes to taste (some don't give much juice so I change the amount each time) It's a very simple recipe. First you combine the cream, coconut milk and normally I add Key Lime juice and bring to a boil. Sorry, again I do this to taste so no amounts on the Key Lime. Most of the flavor will come when you add the zest and lime juice at the end though so don't worry about getting too much Key Lime flavor here. For my cream mixtures I normally do try to cover and let cool overnight if possible but you don't have to. Next I put the white chocolate in a metal bowl and place over warm water until it melts, be careful not to let the water get too hot. Put the cream mixture back in a saucepan and add the invert sugar and bring to a boil then pour onto the white chocolate. I then use an immersion blender to combine before adding the softened butter and then combine thoroughly, again an immersion blender is really nice here. After the ganache has cooled somewhat I start adding Key Lime juice to the tartness I want but remember....it will get more tart as it cools and you add the zest of the limes so don't overdo it. After the ganache is completely cool, I start zesting the limes into the ganache and blend. It does a couple things, it adds color and also really adds flavor. I actually normally use a regular lime for the zest, its just easier to work with and usually much greener. I then again will add more lime juice as needed. After it has cooled I pipe into molds filled with white chocolate. If you are doing palets you will need to pour into a pan or confectionary bar set. It will not be a very solid ganache so you will probably need to put in the fridge to harden and then take white chocolate that has been melted and put a thin layer over the ganache. This will give you a better substance when dipping the squares as they will melt quickly and you want a stable base. It also works best if you don't use tempered chocolate for this thin coating. You will need to cut the squares as the chocolate is almost cooled. Next, after the chocolate has hardened, you can dip in tempered white chocolate. You will need to work quickly as the ganache will melt easily. As a garnish you can add lime zest or if you have the time, candied lime peel or coconut. For a recipe without the coconut, just use 1 cup of cream instead of the coconut milk. FYI...this is a simple base recipe and you may want to play with the ingredient amounts somewhat depending on your tastes and whether you want bon bon's, palets or scooped truffles. Hope this helps. Simple things can really taste good and white chocolate works well with the tartness of key limes as it doesn't compete and mellows the sensation.

I agree with El Rey....I've tried everything and really like it the best.

Typically it is about a half sheet. I have a couple large marble boards and I use confectionary bars to get the right height. Sometimes I do very thin pates which I then top with a ganache and enrobe, other times it is the thicker more traditional type of pate cut and rolled in sugar. Never used molds but thinking about it, not sure though as the more I see the cut pates the more I like them. S Some of my pates set very quickly (Passion Fruit, Mango) while others seem to take longer (Morello Cherry, Blackberry) so the mold would work better with the types that take longer. I do typically add a little extra pectin just to make sure the fruit sets though which may be the reason it sets quickly. Also, I cook for a long time until the fruit has thickened and lost volume with the evaporation. One thing I'm toying with is a layers of different fruits (strawberry and banana) for example...has anyone done that and was it difficult? The other thing is maybe doing a layer of pate with a thin layer of marshmallow and then ganache and enrobing it. Maybe too much going on but I've done Passion Fruit marshmallows and they had a great taste (You probably can tell now I like Passion Fruit). I can't stress enough having the right ingredients to start. Powdered Apple Pectin really helped and also using quality purees. I've tried using fresh/canned fruits and it just doesn't get the same results. If you cook it long enough, it should thicken...if not just add a little more sugar/pectin mix. If it is too sweet from the sugar...try the citric acid to give it some zing.

I was just looking at your recipe and noted a possible anomaly. You say you boil the puree and sugar, then add the pectin. If you're not mixing sugar with your pectin that could be part of your problem - pectin on its own will clump in liquid and that may reduce it's effectiveness. Also, it looks to me like you may not be cooking long enough. Try this recipe: Blackberry Puree 500g Sugar + Pectin 50g + 13g (thoroughly mixed dry) Sugar 500g Glucose 100g Citric Acid 15 grams Cook the puree until it reaches about 100F. Add the sugar+pectin mixture and cook until the temp reaches about 190F. Add the sugar in 2-3 batches, trying not to let the temp drop below 175F. When the sugar is well incorporated, and the temp is back up to about 190F, add the glucose. Now bring to a boil and let the temp rise to about 215-217F. Cook at this temp until the mixture is very thick, but still pourable. Turn off the heat and quickly add the citric acid. Pour into molds. At every stage you must stir, stir, stir. Let me know how this works out. Cheers, ← stscam has a good point about the pectin. Even mixed with the sugar I have to watch for clumping. I actually started using an immersion blender when adding and it seems to have really helped. After the pectin is blended, I use a whisk or wooden spoon. Also, when I first started I could never get the pate to set. I was not cooking it long enough, it isn't just the temperature....don't cook it on too high a temp but let it come up to temp over time. I've had no problems at all since I started taking longer and cooking until it looks right....you should see the pate forming small dollops on your whisk. I use a powdered apple pectin and it has never failed me....liquid just never worked well for me.

Key Lime bon bon's or Truffles are by far the favorite flavor of anything I make. I know some chocolatiers don't like the citrus/chocolate blend but most people love them. I use white chocolate ganache with the zest of the lime and juice. Very simple to make. If you have molds, you can do bon bon's if not, you can make palets by spreading the chocolate ganache out and letting it harden then cutting and dipping in chocolate or roll into balls and make truffles. If you are interested, I can send you a recipe. You can also use coconut milk instead of cream for a bit more exotic flavor and roll the truffles in coconut.

Was your ganache with white chocolate? White chocolate is much more sensitive than dark. I've never had a problem with dark chocolate ganache and I've thrown everything but the kitchen sink in there. I have noticed on occassion if the temp is too high and butter is added and melts....it can be quite a mess. But...if you let it cool down and mix it thoroughly...it should come back together. Also, if you used white chocolate for the ganache...did you use chips and if so check the ingredients most have palm oil etc and don't work well. Did you add more cream/butter to try to recover the ganache? I've had many similar situations and always have been able to get a smooth ganache by altering the temperature or the ingredients. Did you premelt the chocolate? I've had much better success when I have melted chocolate prior to adding the cream/butter/flavorings. It may be your chocolate was bad and if it wasn't melted you wouldn't know that was the culprit. Sorry more questions than answers.

With the number of replies, I'm sure some of these caramels will be redundant but here goes. All of these caramels are very fluid and are centers in my bon bons. They are very easy to make and the combinations are pretty endless: Rosemary Caramel - Lavendar Caramel Earl Grey Caramel Creme Brulee - I brush the inside of a white shell with Chambord then drop in some bits of caramelized sugar and then finish it with a white chocolate-vanilla bean caramel. I just expermented and came up with this a few weeks ago and it has gotten the best response of almost anything I've ever done. Lemon Caramel Gran Marnier Caramel Some I will be experimenting with shortly: Basil and Curry Caramel Anise Caramel Key Lime Caramel Cardamon Caramel

I echo the previous posts, Boiron has a good recipe. I did get a great reaction when I added citric acid to the recipe once when I was out of tartaric acid, it made the pate de fruit more tart. Not sure if it is what you want to do but it certainly got a positive reaction with the Passion Fruit and Morello Cherry.

I'm in a similar situation and would suggest you be careful. It's one thing to do charity events and bake sales where you donate items and yet another when you become a business. I've been taking some chances to help good causes but the liability scares me. I've done about 1000 boxes of artisan chocolates for local fund raisers all for no charge and I typically donate the chocolate. These are alwasy for non-profits and organizations with wealthy patrons so I feel the liability is less. But, I worry about nut allergies which are real concerns but another issue you absolutely have to consider when you sell is the opportunity you allow for unscrupulous individuals to sue you. Everything you own is then on the table to be taken. Get a business license and get insurance before starting to sell anything. If you think doing it right costs too much.....then you probably don't have the business opportunity you think. Don't rush to "make money". First, test your product and the demand and then try to develop a business plan that others believe will be profitable. It "costs money to make money" and you should really understand if you are in a niche that will make sense financially. You need to "know" you will make money before you "hope" you will make it. For example, I have donated 200 boxes to a large non-profit fund raiser just to get feedback. These are people who are patrons and donate money, i.e. they "have" money. I just wanted to see how they responded. That was 2 weeks ago, now I have another order for 300 boxes from the same company in 2 weeks. The chocolates were the "hit" of the event in the words of the organizer. I also did the same thing for a local charity when my company asked if I would make the chocolates. In 2 weeks we have raised about $2000 for the charity from my chocolates. 2 nights ago I gave a local upscale wine shop 200 chocolates for a wine-tasting by one of the more prestigious wineries in the U.S. Again, I was told they were the hit of the event and people were hesitant to eat them as they were so "beautiful". Of course all these people wanted to buy them and the cheapest bottle of wine sold that night was $60. The executive chef of the restaurant next door came by to see/taste them and now there may be an opportunity to supply them. Next door on the other side is a high end specialty cook shop (similar to Williams Sonoma) and they also want to buy a case and sell my products. In addition, I have 3 candy stores and one of the most prestigious restaurants in town wanting to buy from me. So what is the purpose of the last paragraph? I now know that I can be successful and not only that there is a demand but also where that demand is located. How much have I made off all this? ZERO. It "takes money to make money". My advice, don't look to make money yet but rather look to make demand and get feedback. Perfect your skills and know EXACTLY why you will be successful. Who is your customer? How much will they buy? How much will it cost? While I don't doubt you can sell your products right now. Take a little time to put everything in order. Have a license, have insurance, have a business plan and revenue projections and revenue streams. Who knows you may be the next Mrs. Fields and for most of us that is the dream.....but the reason dreams don't come true is because they are magical and happen without planning or direction. If you have those things then dreams become goals and then accomplishments. Good luck but I'd encourage you to "go big" and be safe doing it with all the proper licensing/insurance.

You can do this pretty easily and it can be very cost effective as far as using the transfer sheet. Just lay down the transfer sheet, temper the chocolate and apply a thin coat to the tranfer sheet. As it starts to cool and holds its shape, cut the desired shape you would like. After the chocolate hardens you can just snap the transfer tiles from the sheet. I've found the transfer is shinier if you let the chocolate set for a day or more before removing the transfer. You can also do this with textured sheets for a nice effect. I've used glitter dust on top of the textured sheets before spreading the chocolate and you get both the texture and some nice color. Its all very easy to do and gives a nice look to the pieces. Its interesting to use circle tiles on square tiles and vice versa as well. Hope this helps.

For nice examples of airbrushing check out Norman Love or Chris Elbow's websites. Paul from ChefRubber has been invalueable to me as a resource and coach. I'm still trying to figure it out and I think a more powerful compressor will yield better results but it is a nice tool. The biggest problem I have is changing colors, I have to clean out the airbrush each time. It would be great to have a thread up here on using an airbrush to color molds.

I live in Florida and have been to Norman Love's on several occassions, the quality is always high and the chocolates are beautiful. I also have had the opportunity to spend an afternoon or two with Chris Elbow and can't say enough about him. The quality is outstanding and he has a true passion for the craft. You won't regret ordering his product. I think it is the best I've tasted. I've also had Recchiuti chocolates and they are equally excellent. If you want the artistry of Norman Love and the quality of Recchiuti then try Chris Elbow. You really can't go wrong with any of the ones you've listed but I think you will be very pleased with his product.

What temperature are the truffles? Did you put them in the fridge/freezer? If the room temperature is the same as the milk chocolate..I wouldn't expect such a drastic difference but good point by Trish in case you did them on another day with a more suitable temp. I've seen this happen when the truffle center itself was too cold...it cools the couverture almost instantly. If your truffle center is different than the milk chocolate truffles and you've had to freeze them to make them more solid...that is probably the issue.

What type of white chocolate are you using? If you are using "chips" from a grocer, they probably are not chocolate and have palm oil etc. If you are using white chocolate, I've found that I often have to really spend more time blending the chocolate/cream together. Eventually, it does lose that grainy, globby look and pick up a smooth consistency and shine. You may want to emulsify or use a blender on the ganache. Also, maybe chop the chocolate even finer to help it melt better with the cream. You may want to chop the white chocolate for tempering into even small pieces to see if that helps with the consistency of your tempered chocolate. I even have added cocoa butter to help create a thinner viscosity. Are you heating it too fast? It might be a slower process will melt all the chocolate or you may need to agitate the chocolate while tempering with a dipping fork. That generally helps my chocolate to all melt.

I have had similar problems before and found it was the cocoa butter I was putting in the molds. If you are getting pieces of colored cocoa butter left in the mold and the chocolate lacks the normal shine, it might be the cocoa butter you use to polish the molds themselves. At least that seemed to be the case for me. I now just polish the molds well with cotton and get much better results. I'm in Florida and I suspect the temperature/humidity may have cause problems with the "polishing" cocoa butter. I experimented by not polishing some of the mold with cocoa butter and was able to see that was where I was getting the defect.