chocoera

words can not describe the love and respect i have for my eG'ers a favorite thing i learned? well....always have to remember to think outside the box. when you're producing the same thing every day due to what customers expect, its hard to be encouraged or inspired enough to try something new because you're always on a deadline and you need to get things on the floor and what if it doesn't work? (which it usually doesnt the first time or two) but going to the conference and getting a fresh perspective on decorating or flavors or ganache-balancing has been awesome. i loved learning about the different sugars when it comes to preservation or texture of a ganache, and steve's presentation was amazing and informative and even though i knew one or two things it was amazing how he found something on a subject i THOUGHT i knew, and boom...it takes on a whole new meaning. i am really encouraged to try those nasty macaroons we love so much too.....the folding technique was super, i can't wait to try (and fail) but try again!!!!!! anyway, yes, a fresh perspective on flavor and the ganache balancing science was my favorite educational thing and i would LOVE to see this again at the next conference, i don't think we can ever stop learning about these topics. BUT MY FAVORITE THING WAS ALL OF YOU. i can not tell you how excited i am about our friendships and how supportive we are of each other. besides...you guys are so frickin' fun and super duper love to our newest, plus one :0)

amen! xoxox pat

question: would you like us to bring poly molds? not sure if we covered that? and i assume, if possible, a thermometer, spatula and off set spatula? anything else? i would bring one of my melters, but since we're staying open, the shop needs all of them..... but did i miss anything?

wow, thanks susan! and i'll look up the shuttle service and get something arranged

hey folks i am flying in on american airlines and will arrive thursday night (because from my town its 2.75 hrs to Minneapolis airport) so i leave MN around 5:30 and arrive at reagan at 11:55 and i'm staying at the springhill suites. so i know that's late....but the earliest flight i could get in for friday would be arriving at the airport at 4 so figured this was the best option *sigh* and i can't leave much earlier because i have a store to run and my gal can't come in till 11 at the earliest...so that's that! my flight leaves reagan on sunday at 5:10 so i figure i should be at the airport by 3.... if anyone has thoughts or suggestions, i would most gratefully appreciate it!

won't have a car...still figuring out how to do airport to hotel....perhaps a very long cab ride? or else may rent a car...but not sure, so put me down for needing a ride for now

ok kids. i have no time at all to post the gazillions of pictures i want to post, so instead i am hoping i can put a link to my blog on here? the last three entries are all about the store....from construction, to grand opening, to special visitors etc. http://www.thechocolateseason.com/journal/ but all i can say is, well, i was not expecting the amount of production needed to keep up with demand. i had planned on hiring 2 part time employees, but instead, have already hired 4 part time and then brad and i are full time. my typical day starts at 6 am at the shop, and depending on what's needed, i may not go home till 10 pm (though our goal as of late is to leave the shop at 8...have we met the goal? nope.) you can not please everyone. what i like to do is surprise people with breakfast items. i don't want to be stuck offering only 5 different things. so one day its white chocolate cherry scones and banana nutella bread, the next day muffins with yogurt sauce and biscotti, the next day monkey bread, the next day caramel apple rolls....but its so funny because one day i have scones and all they want are muffins. next day: muffins. and then "hey, i head about the scones do you have scones?!" but all in all, its very tiring, but very worth it. the community response is amazing and i have a facebook fan page with over 500 fans (cheesy i know, but i get people coming in just based on what i put on facebook for the snack of the day etc) and we are getting soooooo many great compliments about the building, service and especially the variety and range of "cool" chocolate and dessert products we make. oh yeah. and our coffee is superb. if you need a great coffee company i can hook you up. the service is wonderful and the beans are roasted at their store. we've been told we have the best hot chocolate (remember that thread?!!!) and best coffee in a 2 hr radius at least so here is the link for some pictures of the store and let me know if you have any questions...but yes...wow....busy!!! so i apologize for not being on here as much as i should, but i will try to make it more regular as we get to know our scheduling and production times etc. it will all calm down soon (so i hope....or at least have manageable chaos) PS- have a crazy wedding cake coming up...expect some questions and pictures and i know i put this in the chocolate conference thread, but does ANYONE want to start a thread on component cakes or plated or individual desserts? thoughts on equipment needed, ideas, production schedules for set up and garnishing, shelf life, inspirational plates you've seen or tasted etc i'm totally interested in that sort of thing, but have limited experience in that area of dessert/pastry best always! xoxo

i can bring some caramel rulers....and did no one care to do any dessert topics? (i'm not volunteering, i was hoping for some help or insight) pastry/mini or full size/ component cakes/decoration or garnishing with chocolate....thoughts? or am i flying solo on this one?

hey steve, what address did you want us to send a check to? and no restrictions on restaurant, but i always strive to try new or exciting things...also, are we in need of wine? or are we grabbing some while in MD? unless we can sway kerry to bring her beautiful and much coveted ice wine

hey...wondering.... could we/would we ever go into chocolate work with pastries? i would love to learn some pastry dessert techniques from others (i see we have a discussion right now on mousse molding and glazing etc) and i would LOVE to learn about molds or equipment used and if we could do some recipes that are stable for individual desserts (like some mousses are good to eat with a spoon, fill a cake, or stand alone as a component cake etc) but yes...anything with chocolate decoration work (like fun ways to decorate a dessert or cake) or chocolate boxes to fill with a cream or fruit, or again, learn some fun component cakes or tarts or individual desserts.... let me know if this is way off topic :0) and sorry i've been MIA, its been a month at the store and i'm exhausted! will update soon. xoxo to my chocolate friends!

any tips on how to make those GORGEOUS ruffles?! wowzers. wow-zers.

PS- to clean apples...i've heard (and have not tried) dipping them briefly in boiling water. melts off commercial apple wax?!!

ok...don't shoot. i personally don't do this, but a friend of mine suggests (if using a commercial caramel) to use the vanilla candy melters in there when melting. so if you're melting a lb of caramel, add a sparse 1/4 cup (very sparse) of candy compound in there and it will lighten the caramel just a tad, but it will help it from sliding off the apple and is also supposed to give it a slightly firmer texture....so maybe it wouldn't bubble as much? but i agree with a previous post...its bound to happen because tempered choc contracts, forcing the caramel out somewhere. (i don't know who would use untempered chocolate, so i don't think thats a solution) but when i dip apples i always dip twice....that helps i think. or else try that idea of not dipping all the way to the stick. that could be cute having a bit of apple show, then a tiny bit of caramel, then all chocolate and toppings? hmmm hope that helps...

i agree, thanks so much to richard for sharing, can't wait to try

don't mean to stick my nose in your conversation....but right now i feel like a little kid in class with her hand raised going "me to? me to? me to?" i would love a pm also they are a real challenge for me and i would love some personal pointers! thanks richard PS- that mousse cake....drooling. for real. wow. (was that a transfer sheet on top? or what are those designs?) and the itty bitty little mousse dome....was that made in a silicone mold and then glazed? curious...

that's awesome though!!! but wait....if you're sleeping during the day, who's at the store? noticed any best sellers yet? what do you love most about the store being open? and when you get a chance to eat, breathe and sleep a bit more, would love some photos! congratulations though!!

sure do and sorry the pics have been delayed, we had like a 2 day blizzard so my granite guys were delayed and they are coming the day we area leaving to go see inlaws for holidays. but after christmas i will be able to update the joys and perils of opening the biz and will post updated pics! as for the license, i had erik, the 2009 kossuth county inspector (but he's getting transferred in 2010 to new county, so he won't be the guy to give my official ok, so i didn't feel like i was cheating...just being smart about it!) come in this last friday and do like a pre-test for me so i could better be prepared for the real inspection, which has to be 7-10 days before your opening date. already paid the $303.75 fee and did the paperwork and just waiting for my final ok. but my "pre-test" went great, a couple things to fix, and things i didn't even realize i needed to do were discussed, but he loves the facility and thinks i'm on the right track! (ps: appliances are in and have been hooked up, so he got the full effect when going through the entire store) and then i need to have my sales tax id, my biz id (sole proprietor so its my social security number) and also need my food/retail license and inspection (the $303), my native wines license (about 1/4 the cost of a retail national wine license, about $125 or so) and my employer id since i will be employing some part time help. will write more later...but if you have any other questions, let me know and i will do my best to answer them!!!

i really like that idea jenni...simple is best. did some trials, and found that a loose ganache with 2% milk and an espresso steam wands is working pretty well (like 1/3 cup gananche to 1 cup milk) and then i feel that the 8 oz cup (6 oz choc drink, 1-2 oz w. cream and shavings like previously suggested) would be good, as it was def. a drink and not dessert. but i still love the idea of a demitasse, so possible 75% shavings and 25% milk and steam would be perfect for more of a "dessert drink" in a super small cup.... thanks for the suggestions!

here are some updated photos! the first one is of bradley's area. he's not shooting there, but wanted a place to display albums, prints, etc and meet with people in a comfortable but impressive setting. the other photos are of the kitchen, front retail area, hallway with bathroom between me and brad, two more of retail area, and the last is a room just off the kitchen, which will be the cooling room. we are putting in a portable air conditioner that can keep it as low as 60 if desired with built in humidity controls. we'll install shelving all through the room for chocolates as well as finished goods to move onto the floor. we're framing out the door but using like a "butcher plastic" as a door. as you can tell, flooring was completed, we used VCT *the brown tile* and warm maple laminate. also started on the crown. note to self: if you have a bigger budget than me, i would consider having the flooring professionally done. i feel like we did a great job, but the bruised knees, glued skin, buckets of sawdust, frustrating cutting process with the VCT, dealing with uneven walls with the laminate, and the FOUR layers of wax and sealer needed, applied on your hands and knees, may not be worth the money you save. granted, we have a tiny budget, so we're doing as much work as physically possible, but if you have a short timeframe, then you should for sure hire someone for flooring, as the frustration and man hours needed were unexpected. as for flooring choices though, i think we chose well, it fits the space well and we have commercial warranties on both products. try to get all your flooring from one store, especially a private owned store, and you're bound to get a quantity or loyalty discount from them...especially in this economy. and we didn't get it right away, we were blunt and just asked...and there ya go for this weekend, we are building the sit up chocolate bar so that our granite guys can install the counters sometime this week. i will post a photo as soon as we're done! also on the list...finish crown, finish baseboard, install at least 2 of the 4 doors, touch up paint on crown and base and door moldings, and finish the bar. (i can tell you dimensions later if you want!) we are wallpapering the bathroom this monday and the plumber comes to hook up some things this tuesday! we're chugging along...so thanks for the support! oh, as for the landlord problem? well the power of prayer is amazing. he stayed with offer #2 in that he is no longer paying for electrical but he compromised and dropped rent $100 from the original offer and $200 from offer #2 !! he also agreed to clean up his computer stuff downstairs (he is a HUGE packrat) and we also nailed down a 3 yr term, with FOUR 1-yr renewals (if we want them) with same lease and only a 2% inflation rent increase!! and to top it off, he MAY (not sure yet) considering selling us the building in 7-10 yrs (which, when we asked before, he said NO WAY!) :0) so i'm amazed, it looked seriously hopeless for while, but thanks for your thoughts and prayers, it worked!

i agree, the mold was too hot, so the chocolate in your bowl would not need to be re-tempered, but your bloomed solid pieces can yes, be remelted and tempered. just make sure you get your choc warm enough to melt out those naughty cocoa butter crystals so you can re-align. i had a friend that tried to remelt and retemper and she only went to 95 F. it didn't work the best, unstable temper :0) best of luck!!!

got it figured out.....i bid on ebay

i'm having a hard time signing on to ebay....but i would love to put in a bid for $50

hmmmm....good concept. maybe a double espresso size (3 oz or so) of the super rich stuff...and maybe a larger cup of something like christinajun or even doing a larger cup of "stir yourself" drink (aka: kerry or lior's idea) so someone could take a 12 oz of steamed milk and a big ol' hot chocolate stick to go, or if you had a child come in, and needed something not so chocolatey, that might work for them too?

It's marketed as both, on the dessert menu as well as with a list of our coffees and teas. We serve it in an 8oz cup, but 6oz portions to leave room for creme fraiche whipped cream and chocolate curls. We used to have it come from the front of the house rather than the dessert station, but we found that our baristas weren't making it as fresh as we prefer (it does keep for a week as long as it's chilled properly). They would just re-heat it at the espresso machine using the milk steamer, which sounds something that would work better for you. Here's the recipe if you would like to try it: 1qt whole milk 2c water 2c 1/2 & 1/2 1/2c sugar 1/2c cocoa powder 1/2tsp vanilla extract 12oz 65% chocolate, melted Boil the water and cocoa powder together, whisking constantly. Add the whole milk, 1/2 & 1/2, sugar and vanilla, and bring back up to a boil. Slowly whisk your hot dairy mixture into the melted chocolate (as if you were making a ganache) until fully incorporated. If you add the dairy to the melted chocolate too fast, it tends to separate when cooled--this isn't much of a problem except that you have to whisk the entire mixture together again before re-heating. wow! can't wait to try this!!!!!! you're the best

thanks marmish looking more into those links this afternoon, but when i quickly viewed it i thought it was something that would help out a lot! thanks for the support, hot chocolate and steam wand trials to commence later this week