David J.

I've never heard of a butter only ganache before. What would the recipie consist of for a pound of milk chocolate?

I made hazelnut praline as in the demo, then chopped it up in a food processor and added it to the ganache as the last step. I didn't get the crunch though. Did I just process it to far? Or perhaps I should chop the nuts before making the praline? I couldn't see any obvious bits in the truffle I had, so they can't be all that large.

A friend brought back a few Jean Philippe chocolates from Las Vegas (based on the wonderfull thread of the opening of his shop), and one of them was a milk chocolate hazelnut praline with a delightfull bit of crunch in the ganache. I took it to be the sugar rather than bits of nut due to the texture. I tried my hand at such a chocolate, but it lacked that crunch and I figure that the sugar bits probably disolved in the ganache. Does anyone know the secret to maintaining the crunch?

I used 4 tsp in the orginal recipie and most people liked it. I reduced it to 3tsp and recieved more positive responses. I only had one person out of 30 dislike the salty carmels. This is one of my most popular items so far. I found the number of crystals on top of the carmels after enrobing make a big difference in initial perception. I try to keep it down to a small pinch now.

There are many resources to help you create your first mold. One place to start is: http://www.hirstarts.com/moldmake/moldmaking.html Note the keyways molded in to the torch and door molds to ensure the two halves are lined up perfectly when put back together. Here is a short video showing how to pour a simple silicon mold of a flat clay flower: http://www.hobbycast.net/video.htm It gives you a few tips such as not mixing in too much air, using a second cup to ensure all the rubber is mixed, securing the mold box with clay, and pouring the rubber in a thin stream. I would also use the same vibrating table you use for chocolate to get the air out of the mold rubber. There are many other resources including books if you want to start molding intricate objects with numerous undercuts. Take a look at your local library. With a little information mold making really is easy. With no formal training and only a copy of "The Prop Builder's Molding & Casting Handbook" I created a silicon mold of a whisky bottle that was then reinforced in a plaster mold for casting breakaway glass bottles for a play I was in.

Would you run a test on the tensile strength of the wire you use? If you hung a bucket from a length of wire and filled it with weights we could get an accurate measure of the breaking point you mentioned. This is a big deal because I want to design an 18" frame that won't buckle under the combined tension of 38 wires (1/2" spacing). It makes a difference if the tension is 5 lbs (190 lbs total) or 15 lbs (570 lbs.). I'm trying to get a formula for the strength of varioius bar and angle stock so I can calculate the required dimensions, but I haven't gotten an answer yet. I found a source of the aluminum angle you used for your cutter, and I can also get various sizes of bar stock if I need something stronger. Based on your experience, would you say that the stock you used would support 38 wires running in one direction across 18"? If not, would you say that aluminum bar stock 0.375" by 1.5" would do the trick?

Why do you say that you would put the ice packs on the top? Wouldn't you be concerned about condensation dripping down?

I don't believe that the table slots in commercial cutters are what keep the wires from wandering. It would be the tension on the wires combined with the frame being attached to the table via a hinge with no slop. I think some form of bridge with thin slots would keep the wires from wandering on the frame, and a solid hinge should keep the frame from shifting relative to the table. At least that is what I am aiming for. Does anyone have knowledge of the precise tension applied to the wires? That is one critical piece of information I currently lack.

I have both the Silicone Plastique and the CopyFlexTMLiquid Silicone from Culinart, Inc. I have been using it to make stencils for molds rather than molds themselves so far, but it is easy to work with. If you have a positive of the logo it would be a snap to make a mold that will stand up to repeated use. http://www.culinart.net/silicone.html

That's Lloydchoc's cutter that I was referring to. I'm starting from there and furthering the design to be hinged with interchangable frames so it is easier to use.

Thanks for the feedback and encouragement. I see that the preferences are shaping up to a half sheet and quarter sheet cutter. Is there really a call for a home built half sheet cutter? I'm wondering if there are any businesses large enough to need one that don't have the funds to purchase commercial. Eileen is right in her observation that the table has to be square and a little larger than the product to keep it from falling off. That would dictate either 19" or 13" square. Now that I've heard your preferences I will detail my construction ideas: 1) I am considering aluminum angle for the base and wire frame. Lloydchoc showed that it is capable of withstanding the stress of the multiple wires. I also have the option of multiple size tubes and flat stock from the website OnlineMetals. The prices per foot are quite reasonable and range from $4 for a foot of 1.5x1.5x0.25" angle to $10 a foot for 2x0.375" bar stock. That would put the price of a frame in a decent ballpark. Unfortunately I am not an engineer and don't have the books to calculate how much stress each type of stock can take so it might take a bit of trial and error or gross over engineering. Does anyone know how much tension each wire is tuned to? I'm guessing 10lbs, but I could be way off. 2) I would use aluminum brazing rod to put it together. It is both much cheaper and easier to use than welding equipment. Anyone capable of soldering should be able to pick up the technique quickly, and it can be done with a propane or map gas torch available at your local hardware store. The finished joint is stronger than the parent metal, so it is just as good as welding for strength. 3) The table itself would be a PE cutting board with ¼ or ½" deep grooves cut every ¼ inch. It would sit inside the aluminum angle base to keep it from shifting and would lift out for easy cleaning or transport of the cut product to the dipping station. I found an online source for custom sized boards up to 1" thick, but you folks probably know the best source. 4) The cutting frame and base would be hinged together by simply drilling through both and brazing on a nut to the inside of the base. A knob with a threaded shaft and bushing would secure each side and allow quick and easy replacement of frames. The base might need feet to raise it up and those could be more angle aluminum. 5) I would like to investigate using inexpensive guitar tuners to tension the wires. I found an online source of economy tuners that are about $2 each. It's a called a guitar cutter, so why not? They are about 1" wide though, so I would either have to loop the wire back and forth to use one tuner for 2-4 runs or stagger them, perhaps in the front and back of the frame for the closer spacings. I favor using fewer tuners and looping the wire but I don't know if the friction would interfere with getting equal tension on each run. If I did that I would probably use half round stock to prevent sharp bends in the wire. Using the guitar tuners would prevent the need to drill a bunch of bolts and should make tensioning a snap. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guitar,...cs.html#details Your thoughts? David

Like many folks here I would love a guitar cutter but don’t have a thousand dollars to lay out for one. I have read the threads here and I’ve realized that there is a need for a design that can be built for under $300 by someone with little more than an electric drill, a hacksaw, and a propane torch. Lloydchoc made a great fixed width cutter but I would like to go a bit further and build a modular one that uses a hinged shearing action and can support different spaced wire frames. I have ideas for the construction technique, but I have questions about the design of the device itself that I hope you can help to answer. Feel free to answer whether or not you actually use a cutter right now. 1) How large a cutting surface do you need? Commercial models have 15x15” tables, but do you really need or use all of that? What size ganache casting frames do you use regularly? Obviously the smaller the wire frames are the easier it will be to build. 2) Would you prefer wires to trim a bit of the edge of the ganache sheet on each side, or would you rather have two less wires and let the edge of the sheet stay as it comes out of the frame? Given your choice, would you make casting frames just a tiny bit large so the edges get trimmed without a whole lot of waste? 3) How important is a backstop on the cutting table? I see models with and without. 4) What size wire spacings do you or would you use? 5) Is there anything important to you that I haven’t thought to ask?

I've been to their site and love the stuff. However, it asks for your SSN or IRS number for US customers. I'm not sure I want to provide them with either of those things. Unfortunately, I'm a little too far for a road trip to Montreal.... ← I emailed them about the request for SSN or IRS number when I ordered a book from them a few weeks ago. They responded that it helps clear the order through customs but is not required. I omitted it and my order came through just fine. My advice is to leave that blank.

What chocolate do you use for the ganache? Semi-sweet or Bitter-sweet?

I will recommend "Ice Cream! The Whole Scoop" by Gail Damerow. It is the best book I have found for describing the process of ice cream making and has a number of good recipies. I own several books and this is the one I find myself going back to. David

"150 g liqueur concentrate 60°, 150 g alcohol" So you substitued 150 g of Kirsch for the liqueur concentrate 60° and used 150 g of Everclear for the alcohol? If so, I can see that it would have some kick. Everclear is 95% pure grain alcohol. I just did some Googling and found a book on making liqueurs and cordials, "Cordials from Your Kitchen : Easy, Elegant Liqueurs You Can Make & Give ". I could probably benifit from something like that.

Kerry, I'd like to see that. Jean-Pierre writes about the cornstarch method in the book but doesn't have any pictures. My big question remains however. What is the recipie for the liquid centers? Jean-Pierre writes that the sugar concentration is extremely important for proper crystalization - too much and you get a lump of sugar, too little and it doesn't crust over. The ingredient list is specific on the sugar and I can follow that, but I'm still confused about the alcohol content. Does it matter much what it is? Can I just grab a bottle of anything such as Irish Cream and pour it in? If so, how much? I have to believe that it matters given the specific weights given, and it seems that the alcohol content matters too, but perhaps not. I'm just trying to understand the formula for the centers. Not being a drinker and never having made these I don't know much about it.

What is this stuff, Plutonium? Just what is it? It seems from the recipie that it is mixed with more alchohol to make a standard liquour, so I would guess it has concentrated flavor rather than being nearly pure grain alcohol. For that matter how far off is it from vodka or some other high proof alcohol? Is there some other way to make the end product? I'm only talking about your standard liqour filled chocolates. Jean-Pierre is going to teach us how to do this in his advanced chocolate class at the French Pastry school in November and I'd like to try it out beforehand so I know what questions to ask. Unless of course the building is surrounded by SWAT teams until we surrender our chocolate...

I have been reading Jean-Pierre Wybauw's book "Fine chocolates Great Experience" and I've run into a problem deciphering the ingredient list for the liqueur centers. On page 75 under the recipe for sugar crust in molded pralines he lists: 1,500 g sugar, 500 g water, 50 g glucose, 150 g liqueur concentrate 60° , 150 g alcohol First, does 60° mean 60 degrees proof? And is that measurement different in the US than in Europe? Second, what kind or proof is the 150 g of alcohol? Or do I have it all wrong and the 60° refers to the sugar content in degrees Baume or Brix?

Thanks for the input. The noise is an important issue. I've heard this particular model run some time ago and I recall that it was fairly loud (specs say 82db). The thing is I would only be perparing a mold or two at a time so I figure I could charge the tank in the garage and bring it in to the kitchen to spray. With a 4gal tank I can't see the compressor running very often regardless. The weight and bulk would actually be more of a factor. Also, would I really need a moisture trap with the air coming from the tank rather than directly from the pump? Wouldn't the tank act as a big moisture trap itself? I like the idea of silent spraying and I could get a scuba tank to do the same thing. I've got a regulator so all I would need is a secondary regulator to apply to the inflator hose. The air is perfectly dry, so no problem with moisture. The downside is the cost of the tank and the trouble with carrying it around and getting it refilled, as well as the inspections, etc.

I am seriously thinking of buying a general use compressor that I can use for different projects. This Craftsman model looks good to me: http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?...UseBVCookie=Yes It has an oil-free pump so it should be safe for food, a 4 gallon tank so the motor shouldn't run frequently, and has a regulator adjustable up to 150 PSI max. At 40PSI I should be able to spray quite a bit before the motor kicks in to recharge the tank. It does weigh 40lbs, but that's not a big deal for me. I like the idea of being able to use it for other uses such as filling high pressure bike tires. Does anyone know why this might not be a good idea?

I suggest pre-chilling the mix in the freezer until it is about ready to freeze. I also toss a folded dish towel over the top of the unit to cover the pour hole and thus reduce heat loss through air transfer. You could wrap the whole unit in a big towel to further insulate it.

There is a reason for the small container size you find with your premium ice creams. The main enemy of ice cream is the freeze/thaw cycle. Each time the temperature of the product goes up, some of the tiny ice crystals melt and creates free water. When it freezes again the free water joins existing ice crystals to make them larger. So over time you go from many microscopic crystals to fewer larger ones and people start to notice the the product is icy. The small size of the container ensures that it won't last long in the customer's freezer and will therefore undergo fewer cycles. The big benefit you can get selling your own ice cream direct to the consumer is that you won't have to worry about intermediate storage of your product. The companies that sell to the grocery stores will have their product sit on the shelf for weeks, and that means many cycles before the consumer even touches the container. What that means to you as a consumer is that you should keep your ice cream in the back of your freezer and NOT in the door where it swings out into a warm room every time the door is opened. Also don't stock up many gallons in a frost free freezer as it cycles. Haagen Daaz and Ben and Jerry's are both "Super Premium" products, and you would have a hard time convicing anyone that you were producing anything a whole lot better. The real problem you will have is the cost of producing a competetive product. The best ingredients cost the most. The low overun they use (overrun = air whipped in) means that you actually get more ice cream in that small container than you would get in a comparable size of the cheaper stuff. Air is the secret ingredient that ice cream makers are selling. Too much of that, though, and the customer can tell in the mouth feel as it melts. The big boys have a real advantage of scale over you so it is difficult to beat them on price. Most premium shops rely on other methods to add percieved value. You are correct about the problem of educating the consumer. In the class I found that to a large degree the average consumer can't tell the difference between the middle to high end products. That is why the manufacturers can slip in whey and other ingredients to lower the cost without loosing customers. Some ice cream shops take the tack of selling an ambiance where the perception is of greater quality. It may be very good ice cream, but it is the whole experience that the consumer is paying a premium for. One chain here uses the process of hand mixing the inclusions on a marble slab as a draw. If you are concerned about cost you could consider mixes rather than cooking your own custard. If your area is anything like the USA you will find the complete range of mixes available, from the cheap ice-milk, to super premium custard bases. I am sure you could find one that would satisfy your quest for quality. From there it is a matter of keeping the quality up with your flavors and inclusions. If I were to open a shop I think I would look seriously into Gelato just for the visual appeal. As a consumer I love the way it displays, and it offers an opportunity for the shop to garnish the gelato in the trays in very creative ways.

How could it be humidity if the chocolates are still in the mold? Wouldn't the close contact with the mold prevent any significant moisture absorption? Or would it be the moisture gained if it is demolded when still chilled from the fridge? Did you unmold the first set when cold direct from the fridge and the second set at room temperature?

How much ice cream are you planning on producing in a day? 40L (10 gallons US) is not a huge batch size for a commercial operation, so you could probably scale up a recipie from one of the books. I favor "Ice Cream: The Whole Scoop", but I have also been thinking about purchasing the Gelato book. It sounds as though you want to produce either a "Premium" or "Super Premium" custard based product. If you sell it quickly enough you won't need any fancy stabilizers since the eggs will supply it naturaly. The long named stabilizers are used mainly in lower fat content/lower price products. In taking the class and making it at home I discovered that there really isn't all that much to producing great ice cream. If you start with top quality ingredients and follow the instructions with your freezer you will end up with a great product. Most ice cream shops don't want to be creating their own custard base because they just don't have the staff or kitchen for it. That is why they purchase premade mixes. They just pour in the mix, add flavoring, and crank it out. If you want to distinguish yourself and have some fun doing it, I say go for it! I don't think it would be worth your travel expenses to attend the "Ice Cream 101" course, and the full week long "Short Course" is going to be overkill. Do you have any specific questions?