lebowits
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Posts posted by lebowits
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Thanks for all the replies. I plan to work on this over next week and will report back.
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I'm looking to make a Guiness Stout ganache for filled bon bons. Does anyone have any suggestions for reference formulas? The Guiness web site has a basic 2:1 ganache formula with a bit of orange zest. Wybauw also has a beer ganache formula I believe in "Fine Ganache 2".
Anyone else have favorites they are willing to share or pointers to references?
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I was just checking the Hilton and the web site claims that the group rate is no longer available. I'm guessing that either we've filled the alotted rooms or that there was a time limit for booking the rate. Anyone else notice this?
March 28th is the cutoff date - try calling them.
Kerry - I spoke with the hotel this morning. After initial confirming the group rate at C$109 up through 28 April, I received a call back claiming that the room rate escalates through the weekend from C$109 to C$119 and finally to C$139. The very nice woman who spoke with me claimed that this escalation is in the contract.
I was just checking the Hilton and the web site claims that the group rate is no longer available. I'm guessing that either we've filled the alotted rooms or that there was a time limit for booking the rate. Anyone else notice this?
March 28th is the cutoff date - try calling them.
Kerry - I spoke with the hotel this morning. After initial confirming the group rate at C$109 up through 28 April, I received a call back claiming that the room rate escalates through the weekend from C$109 to C$119 and finally to C$139. The very nice woman who spoke with me claimed that this escalation is in the contract.
UPDATE: I received a confirmation e-mail from Hilton with the following:
Rate Type: EGULLET CHOCOLATE WO
Rate per night: 109.00 CAD 25 Apr 2013 - 26 Apr 2013
119.00 CAD 26 Apr 2013 - 27 Apr 2013
139.00 CAD 27 Apr 2013 - 28 Apr 2013
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I was just checking the Hilton and the web site claims that the group rate is no longer available. I'm guessing that either we've filled the alotted rooms or that there was a time limit for booking the rate. Anyone else notice this?
March 28th is the cutoff date - try calling them.
Kerry - I spoke with the hotel this morning. After initial confirming the group rate at C$109 up through 28 April, I received a call back claiming that the room rate escalates through the weekend from C$109 to C$119 and finally to C$139. The very nice woman who spoke with me claimed that this escalation is in the contract.
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Things are moving along in the Saturday morning part of the program. Callebaut is onboard and will provide us with chocolate. They have also asked Ruth Bleijerveld to be our instructor and she has agreed. Ruth actually attended the first eG chocolate and confectionery workshop at Niagara College while she was in her apprenticeship.
Since that time she has won the Intercollegiate Barry Callebaut Competition in 2010 and just competed in the World Chocolate Masters. She has become a pretty amazing chocolatier.
I'll be getting together with her in the next few weeks and we'll be discussing what she might like to cover in the time we have her.
So I'm looking for input - anything you might want to learn from someone who has competed at this level? What shall we ask her to show us, teach us and guide us through?
I would certainly enjoy hearing her thoughts about crafting bon bons for competition. For example, what does she believe is important? Multiple layers? Unusual flavors or combinations? What about decoration? Are there any trends in these areas? What tips might she offer to improve our molding skills which would help us reach for competition level shine?
I would also be interested in hearing her thoughts on showpiece design and construction.
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OK. I and my +1 are booked. Please also put us on the list for dinner Saturday night with Chef!
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I was just checking the Hilton and the web site claims that the group rate is no longer available. I'm guessing that either we've filled the alotted rooms or that there was a time limit for booking the rate. Anyone else notice this?
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I've been a fan for years of "The Bakers Manual" by Joseph Amendola and Nicole Rees.. My "copy" consists of 2 volumes. One is a set of "master formulas" and the other is a companion text which would be the foundation for teaching a class. From what Amazon shows now, it looks like the 2 volumes have been broken apart. But if you're looking for fundamental knowledge, I would consider this.
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My Valentine's day collection. 64% dark chocolate, raspberry, mint fondant, Earl Grey, salted caramel. And my first attempts at airbrushing. Thanks to Lebowits and RobertM for teaching me how.
Very nice!
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Might be cheaper to just grab some aluminum ones - I've got stainless ones that only serve to weigh down the drawer they are in.
I have both aluminum and stainless steel bars that were cut to order. The SS bars definitely have that "rough" look to them but I simply clean them with soap and water. I may have any extraneous metal ground off. After using both, I think I prefer the aluminum bars as well.
Could you tell me why you prefer aluminum? After having completed my first batch using the bars, I have a better perspective on what I am doing. First, wrapping the bars in foil does not work. It made me feel better, but when I started to cut the ganache free from the bars, little bits of foil were embedded in the ganache. So today I took some steel wool to the bars (not that it smoothed them off, but my theory was that it was getting off any dirt), then washed them thoroughly, and used them bare for the second batch. If any of my friends die from SS poisoning, I'll let you know.
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When I got both sets of bars initially, I ran them through the dishwasher so I could clean off any residual oils or other cruft. I don't wrap them when I use them, and after use, I wash with hot water and dish soap.
I prefer the aluminum bars frankly just for the lighter weight. The SS bars can be heavy if you stack 8 pieces (2 layers x 4 bars) on a board. The positive side of the SS bars is that they tend to move less on the board when I'm working on slabbing something.
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Might be cheaper to just grab some aluminum ones - I've got stainless ones that only serve to weigh down the drawer they are in.
I have both aluminum and stainless steel bars that were cut to order. The SS bars definitely have that "rough" look to them but I simply clean them with soap and water. I may have any extraneous metal ground off. After using both, I think I prefer the aluminum bars as well.
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I use a variety of techniques for slabbing
The first method I use is a 12 x 10 wood frame that is 1/2" high. This I made from maple with half-lap joints that are pegged. I lay the frame on a cutting board, lay a sheet of cling film on top, pour in my ganache, and smooth flat. When set I remove the frame which comes away clean, brush couverture on the surface, pick up the whole slab and flip over, remove the cling film, and brush couverture on the newly exposed side.
I also bought a set of frames from D+R in Montreal. These are S/S and quite nice, but expensive. However they come with a "movable wall", a bar of s/s that you can move within the frame to make any size you want. I lay a sheet of parchment on a large cutting board, then the frame, then fill. When cold, I run a torch along the frame to remove it.
I also have a set of s/s bars in 1/4" and 3/8" widths that I got made a metal shop for quite cheap. Very flexible and usefull. I toyed with the idea of cutting grooves in a cheap nylon cutting board so the bars can sit in and not move about, but that means I have to custom-cut a piece of parchment to fit in the bottom. I prefer the other methods
Thanks very much for those ideas. I have ordered stainless bars. My concern remains how stable they will be when I am smoothing the ganache, but I will soon find out. Someone mentioned taping them down if necessary. I will have to do something like taping when making a two-layer ganache.
If you happen to have melted, tempered chocolate on hand, it makes a handy "glue" for the bars to the "table" and between the first set of bars and the 2nd set on top. You don't need much, and it cleans off rather easily with warm water and soap!
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Hello, I think most of us are using metal frames form different sources.I bought mine froma a metal shop ( I got some heavy alluminum bars that I put together) and I got one fram ( set frame ) from Tomric, plastic http://www.tomric.co...=12&sec=31&cmd=
I have seen Chris here that made his own frames and it looked like a pretty smart idea ( he is a brainy guy
), we might have to ask him how to make our own , probably cheaper.I've had "custom" aluminum bars cut to specific lengths. Check out Online Metals.
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You could probably use it as a substitute for any recipe calling for pumpkin puree. A few that come to mind:
Pumpkin pie (duh)
Pumpkin ice cream
Pumpkin panna cotta
Baked pumpkin breads/muffins/cakes
Not to mention, pumpkin ginger <insert item here>, pumpkin carrot <insert item here>, pumkin rasin (& carrot?) <insert item here>... you get the idea.
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The first time I remember posting about that method was here.
Kerry - You're much too organized.
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I've never ever made ganache with a power tool before. What's your texture like? Particularly with dark chocolate, I'm always concerned about bruising it and the resulting separation and graininess that causes.
I've been using a stick blender on a relatively low speed when I incorporate the butter and booze. This gives me an excellent emulsion. I'd love to say I came up with the idea, but I saw this technique being used by someone else.
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I've been using the AUI Orchid line for a couple of years and find it's flavor, quality, and usability all quite good. You also have to consider what you're using it for. If you're simply eating chocolate, then yes, I would go with something different. One of my favorite eating chocolates is the E. Guittard "Sur del Lago" single origin. However, if you're making bon bons or other candies which include rather strongly flavored centers, then you should be looking for chocolate(s) which complement those centers. Personally, I find that the Orchid line has very nice flavors that work well with a variety of centers. This means I only need to stock 4 different chocolates (white, milk, 65% and 74%). Every additional chocolate you stock increases your costs. Finding something you like enough to use more broadly makes your operation more efficient.
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I'm UK based too, but trying to save the pennies for flights etc. It is a source of frustration that chocolate and it's related arts seem to be very accessible across the pond but not so much here.
I think "accessible" is a matter of opinion (and available cash).
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Mine should be delivered today (arrived in my local post office at 1 am). Hooray!
Just ordered my copy (again). Amazon had cancelled my previous "pre-order" over a month ago.
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Moving this over from the report thread on the 2012 conference - noticed I've changed the name to Workshop from Conference as it seems more appropriate to what we get up to. Conference sounds so dry!
Anyway I've already booked the dates with Niagara College - April 27 and 28, 2013. I'm working on a block of rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn - rates will likely be between $109 and $119/night depending on two queen beds vs 1 king. The rates are lower than that for the Wed, Thursday and the Monday after. I won't have definite amounts until the beginning of May.
There is certainly other accommodation available - but I won't be able to do block for that.
I think we can safely say that one of the Friday activities will be a tour of Art and Wilma's new panning facility - they've moved from their very small quarters in to a huge new building and it is a treat to see. I think we'll skip Tomric this time around - but I'm sure people may want to hit there if they are flying into Buffalo.
Are these dates still correct?
I would swear I answered this already - apparently I didn't - yup dates still correct.
No doubt you have.
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With shelf life I think it is often forgotten that this should not only reflect the microbial aspect (i.e. safety to eat and no spoilage), but additionally the taste/flavour aspect of shelf life. For example, in my personal experience I find a lot of tea ganaches have a shortened shelf life as the flavour fades much more rapidly than say my rosemary ganache. I even switched to having my tea ganaches kept in an airtight box with a muslin inside that had the tea leaves within it, as so to create a microenvironment that inhibited the loss of the tea flavour from the ganache (despite being dipped in tempered chocolate properly!). However my tea ganache lasts a good 2+ months no problems, but I would say from 3 weeks onwards the taste is significantly less superior than at the 1-2 week stage.
I agree with TCD about the flavor fading over time. It really depends on the flavoring agent used. However, I have a number of pieces in which the flavor declines far sooner than the shelf life of the product. For those, I recommend simply making smaller batches more often. This also has the benefit of reducing the time you hold the product before sale and/or consumption.
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Has anyone worked with anything like this? Any thoughts on the shelf life? I figure it can't be any worse than my other cream based ganache products and I plan to seal it in a shell. So as long as I don't trap air I would expect to get about 6 - 8 weeks.
Steve, sorry I don't have an answer, but a question related to what you wrote above. You were saying that for your cream ganaches you expect a 6-8 week shelf-life.
I am usually building my recipes based on Greweling's recommendation of 1:2 ratio of cream+liquour to (dark) chocolate, and my understanding is that this ratio gives a 3-week shelf life to chocolates, even if glucose or invert is added to extend the shelf life.
So my question is: what is the liquefier-to-chocolate ratio in your ganaches, so that they may last for 8 weeks?
I use a number of ganache formulas, some of them from Greweling. Many of the products include some form of alcohol which in addition to providing flavor, also inhibits microbial activity and extends the shelf life quite a bit. I'll have to check my notes, but Wybauw suggests that adding a alcohol (I'll have to check my notes on how much, but it's a few % of the total batch weight) can give you a shelf life of up to 6 months. Your mileage may vary. In my own case, I've done extensive testing by holding batches and cutting open pieces every week to check the status of the center. I've found that as long as I don't trap air, I avoid anything nasty for at least that long. Usually, I don't have things that long, but I want to make sure that customers have some time after the buy something to consume at their leisure.
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Moving this over from the report thread on the 2012 conference - noticed I've changed the name to Workshop from Conference as it seems more appropriate to what we get up to. Conference sounds so dry!
Anyway I've already booked the dates with Niagara College - April 27 and 28, 2013. I'm working on a block of rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn - rates will likely be between $109 and $119/night depending on two queen beds vs 1 king. The rates are lower than that for the Wed, Thursday and the Monday after. I won't have definite amounts until the beginning of May.
There is certainly other accommodation available - but I won't be able to do block for that.
I think we can safely say that one of the Friday activities will be a tour of Art and Wilma's new panning facility - they've moved from their very small quarters in to a huge new building and it is a treat to see. I think we'll skip Tomric this time around - but I'm sure people may want to hit there if they are flying into Buffalo.
Are these dates still correct?
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Lime from "Chocolate to Savour" by Kirsten Tibballs, released recently. I shall be making plenty from this book.
Chris
Those are beautiful!
Where did you get the book from? I haven't managed to find it on amazon..
The book isn't available in the USA, and checking Amazon UK, it appears to have a 1 - 2 month wait. I looked up the author and she teaches in Melbourne, VIC, Australia. I also went to the school web site which offers to sell you a copy if you provide contact details. I filled out the form and am waiting to hear from them in a few days since we're into the weekend on that side of the pond.
Chocolates with that Showroom Finish, 2012 –
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
I imagine that took a very long time!