chocoera

you guys are my saviors!! this all sounds mouthwatering.....and i like the idea of giving them an option to have some "full-force" chocolate desserts and some desserts that have just an accent of chocolate to them. (and call me crazy...i would love to do a salted caramel tart or a nutella tart with marshmallow icing (blow torched of course!) and cut into mini pieces...) but yum. fruit and cream cheese flavors, the spritz cookies and handrolled truffles....even the choclava....oh. my. goodness. lots of hugs and kisses to you!!!! and i'm going to google those book choices ASAP i do have a question when it comes to mousses/custards etc.....since i'm attending the event as well, i will not have time to assemble on site 10 min before service etc, so i'm looking at a time frame problem. they have an appetizer buffet and free drinks cocktail hour, and thats when people bid, socialize etc (and since desserts are now the centerpiece, i would think some people might start nibbling then) but after that, we have dinner served, and then people will eat dessert after that(or as they eat dinner...), so i need to know if there's a difference (stability and food safe wise) with a baked ganache vs a mousse w/gelatin (or if choc mousse, no gelatin) vs a lemon curd or cream cheese base. i think these desserts will be out at least 45-60 min before cocktail hour (the lady planning it is VERY particular about everything being in place and looking perfect before guests arrive) then there's cocktail time, then dinner...... soooooo......advice? thank you!!! have a beautiful weekend! (*thanks for the ideas and comments too...especially with this time frame problem...i have to get a suggested menu to nancy before sunday night/early monday AM) oh geez.....

alrighty, so, my parents are on the board of a hospital foundation and they are having a fundraiser the first week of november. this fundraiser includes a silent auction (which i contribute to) as well as a sit down dinner and dance. every year is different, but this year, the theme is chocolate/desserts. so instead of centerpieces at the table (most seat 8, a few seat 10) they are doing a combo centerpiece/dessert. (its usually a plated meal with salad, entree and dessert) *ps: about 200-225 people attend...and its a formal affair* so, my point is, my parents asked if i'd help make dessert centerpieces, but *sadly* i have to share this duty with someone else (someone who, frankly, i don't think matches my idea on what to serve) so obviously, i want to make whatever i serve stand out or be fantastic! they are going to have tired plates on the tables, and 2-3 mini desserts per person. they can no be plated (so no garnishes/sauces etc) but need to be hand-held and bite sized...i'm just having a hard time figuring out what to serve that would be *wow*. i had thought choc strawberries or truffles...but anything chocolate related would do (Ex: brownies) does anyone have any ideas on what to serve for mini desserts? i know gfron did a BEAUTIFUL display of minis, but i wont be able to plate anything.... thoughts? i would love some motivation/inspiration! love you guys! go crazy

very cool ideas i'm thinking the brownie should be a main focus, so i probably wouldn't want to completely cover in chocolate...but, i do have my friend's rehearsal dinner party to do in 2 months and that my friend, sounds like a fantastic dessert idea!!! keep 'em coming...researching the sauce design page as we speak....

don't kill me...but what's a nut spike? and painting....just doing some brush strokes for texture on the plate? and a chocolate piece....that's would have to be something substantial to hold the weight of a brownie, yes? thanks for the cool ideas!

amen to that do some brioche with chocolate rum ganache, or do truffles, or chocolate ganache tarts or make your own chocolate sauce, bottle and sell

I'm up for breakfast at your house... ← this may not be what you're looking for....but what about doing two sheet pans of thin cookie dough, bake, cool. spread softened ice cream on it, top with other cookie pan, freeze, then cut with warm knife, wrap n' freeze. i did this once for brownie ice cream sandwiches..... ←

did you bake brownies in a muffin tin? how did you make cups? also...saw i didn't spell tulle cookies right! duh. its tuile. thanks jaz. (must be one of those days....)

I'm up for breakfast at your house... ← this may not be what you're looking for....but what about doing two sheet pans of think cookie dough, bake, cool. spread softened ice cream on it, top with other cookie pan, freeze, then cut with warm knife, wrap n' freeze. i did this once for brownie ice cream sandwiches.....

hey all so, i am in need of a way to jazz up some marbled cheesecake brownies....kinda taking a down home treat and making it an uptown kinda dessert since i'm girly, and it involves chocolate and cheesecake, i thought raspberry, since its pink and fruity and a bit tart, to go with the brownie. question is...i think i need a "crunch" factor, so my mind went to tulle cookies. from there?....i dunno. thoughts? how to arrange, or plate etc? does anyone have any great recipes for a tulle cookie? maybe a raspberry tulle cookie? maybe a wafer underneath ice cream and then brownie next to it? or piping soft raspberry ice cream into a cigarette type tulle cookie? and then...sauces....bittersweet chocolate sauce? raspberry coulis? both? or maybe both ideas are completely off...any suggestions or recipes would be great to try out! thanks for thinkin'! hope this gets your creative juices pumping oh, ps: no need to consider about multiple plate production, its just for a couple people, so no worries there!

would that just be shine? or impart a taste too? i'll give it a try though! thanks to both of you

wow! all your ideas are superb prices can range from $1 to $10....i'll look into the metal flower pots/trays/and buckets! even the kitchen themed pan idea is cool...never thought of that thanks for all your help! if anything else crosses your mind, i'll still probably be googling...forever and ever.... (ok, well, i hope not!)

so, i know i talked about this idea at the chocolate conference, (not like its a brand spankin' new thought, i'm sure others have done it) but i love raspberries and pistachios and think they'd be awesome in a white chocolate bark. question is, for the raspberries, i assume the best route are the freeze dried ones, and sprinkle on top? or would that be best mixed into the chocolate? but the big question is the nuts. i always caramelize nuts if used in bark, because, well, why wouldn't you?!! :0) but if i wanted those on top, how long would it be till they go bad? wouldn't the sugared/caramel coating or something "protect" the nut? or are they something that would have to be mixed into the chocolate? thoughts on this? thanks again!

hey friends so....i'm getting pretty darn sick of making gift baskets (basket, filler, wrap up in tulle, ribbon etc). The thing is, they are so popular, its hard to want to get rid of them. so i was wondering if anyone had any ideas on what to do instead? i thought since i love the outdoors so much if i could get access to a lot of different sized pots? like flower pots? i could do something with those...but they might be too deep and narrow? like not sure what i'd put in the bottom...so it might be too much empty space? but then i thought of paint tins? or hat boxes? or crates? does anyone have any thoughts or know of any web sites or vendors to contact for the ideas above? i'm up for anything at this point! and stuff that would go in the basket replacement? well anything from aprons, to dish towels, brownies, chocolates, canister or tea, cookies, chocolate apples etc....i'd probably make the products fit the container instead of vice versa thanks so much you guys!!

If I had to pick one that I really liked, its the French meringue recipe in Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme. In terms of appearance, they are not the greatest -- they tend to develop irregularities on the surface -- but, they taste great, have a great texture IMHO (never that chalky, sugar crust overload), a great chocolate flavor, and in my experience are totally reliable. I make them just like the recipe says, except that I use aged whites and let them dry for ~30 mins before baking. This is how they turn out for me: I have also had a good experience with the Italian meringue recipe Nicole Kaplan posted on the demo thread, scaled down to a home kitchen scale. ← thanks patrick those look perfect to me!!! i have pierre's book, but haven't made it to that recipe yet (especially since macarons scare the crap out of me!) (Sure like to eat them though...) but i'll give it a try when i have a moment.... have you tried it with non-chocolate macarons? do you add extra almond flour to compensate for taking out cocoa? thanks!!!!!

those look perfect! do you have a preferred recipe? or do you find that the italian or french method works better for you? i still have problems...with both methods! either they don't puff up, or they do and they're hollow, or i dont get good feet....uggg....any thoughts?

you intrigue me how/where did you put the olive oil in your ganache? is that in replace of a butter in ganache? also, the speckled chocolates...gorgeous. did you use an air brush? absolutely gorgeous though....best of luck!!!

hey steve- i'll let you know when i get a chance to try with white sugar base, thanks for the input, as i do agree the depth of flavor is wonderful with brown sugar.... as for powder banana...where would you find something like that? interesting...

no, i do temper the chocolate, seed method the majority of the time. i never heard the warnings regarding the freezer till years after i was already using it. i find it sets them up quickly, makes it easier to peel the leaves off and results in more shine. as i understand, the risk of using the freezer is the onset of sugar bloom. the only time i experienced that fallout was when i made chocolate marijuana leaves...and the resultant sugar bloom resembled the resin that is considered desirable in a real cannabis leaf, so i actually worked to my advantage. here are more leaves i set while draped over objects to bend...not droopy but undulating... ← love you. keep inspiring us with your beautiful photos!!

hey steve, couldn't wait for the weekend...made some last night! so, at first, i was scared when i added the puree to the brown sugar base (i was like...seriously?) but it all came together with a minute or two of stirring and tasted divine. Finished the recipe, and i used some shallow molds so i could cure a bit of it and see if it can be cut and dipped, instead of molded (won't try that till tomorrow) Made a slight modification, since i'm not a huge rum fan, (i'm more of a vodka girl myself!) i only did 60 g rum and 20 g cream, and it was still "rummy" enough, nice subtle taste. question: would you ever consider a white sugar caramel base instead of brown? i like the way this tastes with a dk shell...it seriously is like you bottled up banana bread and stuck it in a truffle shell. but, just wondering what everyone thinks a white sugar base would do with this recipe? as a whole...love it a lot if i end of making another recipe from this thread, i'll make sure to post it and let you see the difference...but here's what i made last night, some flavors are a caramel/black sesame chocolate ganache, as well as a chai tea, raspberry, dk choc/vanilla with cocoa nibs, citrus/mint, stevie banana-rama (the yellow one) and ( i cut into the banana so you could see it...) and a salted lavender liquid caramel hope to hear from ya'll.....and let me know if anyone tries this recipe out, or any others!!! PS- so inspired by the truffle....i made banana bread this morning. yes. i am a dork.

i've never posted on this thread, though i read it all the time! just made some chocolates this week, and actually tried out lebowitz banana recipe (where i will also post these photos for those of us who are comparing banana ganaches) but just wanted to "feel cool" and be a contributor since i love to stalk this thread all the time!! enjoy the eye candy and have a great weekend and happy 4th!

hey there darlin'! have you tried with dk shells? does that affect the taste much? also, does this recipe make 1 tray, 2, 4? i might mess around with it this weekend! PS- kisses to your lovely wife!!!

uh. yum. come to nebraska. now. xoxoxo

A baby cake I made last week for one of my sorority sister's little girl....we also did a smash cake for baby helen to dig into! the cake was a 9 and 6 tiered, and the smash a 4 inch. It consisted of white cake w/citrus sugar syrup to moisten, strawberry puree and strawberry italian buttercream for filling, and then covered in american buttercream and marshmallow fondant (except smash didn't have fondant) lots of fun...and very girly! hope you smile when you see it

not a million, but well over a hundred. i put a couple of square cake pans in the freezer, took them out one at a time, alternating to keep them cold; laid each leaf as i finished it (either inside the pan, [which i propped at an angle], folding in on itself, or outside bent back on itself) at the table where i was brushing them, and after doing three or so transferred them to the freezer to finish setting; did another batch and upon transferring took the last batch out and unpeeled, set them on the cake, rinse and repeat... i had originally envisioned the idea as the cake being on a pedestal, and continuing with some leaves dripping down off the pedestal, even onto the table. but at 3 am, with a day job to get to at 8, i said 'to hell with it' and left it as is. the creative process can be entertaining - i think what makes this attractive is the border that the pointed ends make around the base - but that was not included in my (admittedly inchoate) vision of it. i love it when creations go their own way, sometimes better than i originally anticipated. even if it's due to hitting the limits of my technical expertise, or a time constraint i think it could be an awesome wedding cake design, with the leaves sliding all the way down three or four tiers... ← thanks for explaining! i'm assuming untempered chocolate if you're doing the freezer thing...maybe makes it easier to peel off and stick on cake? well, whatever you're doing...keep it up. i am still awed and slightly stunned at how beautiful it is!!

yea! sounds wonderful