Chocolot

Better late than never:). I finally have a moment to post some of our pix from the class. Lunch on the first day. Chef Donald fixes everything for us while we are working. GWBYLS and Kerry. Keegan Gerhard from the Food Network joined us that day. And of course, Paul Young. Amy Guittard stopped by. (White shirt) GWBYLS and Kerry enjoying lunch. Kerry contemplating her afternoon plans. Bob and Paul Ruth (Chocolot) and Paul Kerry hard at work Kerry and new friends, Bob, GWBYLS, Tamara and Tandem Chocolates.

Yup. There usually is only 8, but he allowed more this time.

It was wonderful!

Helping Paul get ready.

We were early. No line this time. Only allowed to buy 2.

Dominique Ansel Bakery. Special case. GWBYLS and Tandem chocolates at the Grove. Cronuts Chocolot and Gwbyls at Smorgusburg. Notice our Dominique bags. We each enjoyed a Pork belly taco. Messy and delicious. Then, it was off to Grand Central market in downtown. We had to walk around to find room to eat again at Eggslut. This is my Egg salad. The other two got the Eggslut—soft poached egg over mashed potatoes with slices of baguette. Then it was back to the hotel for a meet up with Bob and his wife Barb.

Is that Romina's eyeball?

Yes on the hand. I tend to pick up chocolate with my fingers, and "wipe" it into my palm. Place center on finger tips, close, and open leaving center on finger tips. Then, deposit on the parchment. You can keep this up all day. You only have to temper the small amount you are working with. Have chocolate cooling on the marble, and add it to the working chocolate as needed. Then, take warmer, untempered chocolate from the melter, and allow it to cool. It is really hard to explain!! You basically have three temperatures of chocolate you are working: warm, cooling, and cool and tempered. You just keep feeding the slightly warmer chocolate to the tempered choc. You will be putting on a much thicker layer of chocolate than when you fork dip. If you are trying to mark with a design, remember to "lay" the string, don't dig a trench with it. Keep your left hand as clean as possible. Good luck!

I hand-dipped for years. I was a palm dipper rather than a finger dipper. Yes, there is a difference:). I put tempered chocolate in the palm of my hand, then pick up the center to be dipped, and placed on finger tips. Close hand and open hand. Piece should now be on your finger tips and ready to deposit on piece of parchment. You can dip off marble, or out of a machine. I was very fast, but I prefer an enrober:). You have to use a thicker chocolate to retain the mark you place on top. Pretty hard to mark with a fork. Fork makes a much cleaner looking piece.

Just buy some freeze dried fruits and put in food processor. Drying your own, unless you have a freeze drier will work, but not as well.

Have you looked at a Savage? https://www.savagebros.com/p.25/artisan-chocolatier-small-batch-chocolate-melters-temperers.aspx They are a bit pricey, but I have 3 of them and wouldn't be without them. They are simple to operate. You can temper in them, or get an EZTemper. My enrober is a wheel (Perfect). It gets the job done, and has paid for itself many times over. It just takes some work and experience to get it where you want it. Before investing, I would try to see the equipment in person. The thing with the Savage, it has a guillotine drawoff. You can place your molds under and control the amount of chocolate that comes out. Tap excess back into the top. Great for production. Another consideration is where you are, and if you have the electricity necessary. All my equipment runs on 110. Most equipment can be ordered either 110 or 220.

Yes Passionfruit ganache. Probably the combination of Iphone and fluorescent lights changing the color.

Why is it that in person, your chocolates look pretty good, then you take a closeup and post them and all the flaws show up?? Square is a new flavor--Browned Butter in Dulce, Green is Caramel Apple Caramel, and heart is Passion Fruit, with a loose PDF and ganache. I'm sure I could have found thinner bottoms, but didn't want to waste them all trying to find it:)

In my experience, there is no need to lower the temp to 88 after seeding with Mycryo. Just put in the seed, stir, test temper and go. If chocolate cools too much while using, add a little warm untempered or tempered chocolate to it and continue. Using heat gun and not stirring really well, could be part of the problem.

I think it does both, but it might just be my imagination:)

Jim, Bob has a brilliant solution. He uses a large Presto electric cooker. They are only about $30 at Walmart. You can control the temp. I use it when I only want a few hundred pieces. When I need more, I use the large copper kettle.

To get the color darker and flavor stronger, just cook it longer. So when the temp goes too high, add a little water to drop it down. Try to not let it stop boiling when you do this. You can keep doing this for a long time and get it to the color you want. Glucose interferes with browning, baking soda increases browning. You can cook caramel for hours this way. Just remember that the longer you cook it, the more sugar is inverted.

I think there is a base that people who own a "fudge kettle" buy and do their own add-ins. It is probably specific to their brand of kettle.

Sounds like a great venue!! Would it be possible to get RJ or NR to teach a class? Definitely want to visit their stores.

Glad you are enjoying the book. I can’t believe it has been more than 34 years since we wrote it. I have changed most things, but the caramels are the same😀. My mother would be amazed to see what we are doing today.

The electric fry pan was used only to hand dip from, never melt. The idea was to turn it on only for a few seconds to get the edges to melt back in. It was very limited to hand dipping literally with your hands, not a fork. Kerry came up with a great way to keep your melted chocolate melted, using a warming tray from the thrift store and a lamp dimmer from IKEA. Once you get your initial chocolate in temper, you can feed it with untempered chocolate and work all day. No need to stop and retemper when you run out.

He is coming to Salt Lake to teach two classes. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/amaury-guichon-masterclass-tickets-47623730861?aff=eac2

What about using a silicone mold instead? https://shop.chefrubber.com/products/155/Caramel-and-Ganache-Moulds/

Kerry's link shows it in operation. That one looks just like mine, although the die is smaller.