tikidoc
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Posts posted by tikidoc
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if there was much residue, I would think you would not get a shine there on the finished piece...
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On 4/15/2019 at 4:59 PM, Jim D. said:
You have got me thinking about the food safety issue. Of course, I have yet to see any plastic adhesive tape that is certified food safe--I can't imagine the manufacturers have ever thought about crazy chocolatiers using it in the way we do. Since you are an M.D., what are your views on the subject? (I know that you have made striped designs) The VinylEase tape is so successful that I would give it up reluctantly, but I am not keen on poisoning my customers--well, most of them.
If there is no visible residue (and the chocolate or cocoa butter that is applied after removing the tape still comes off shiny), I would guess that the amount of stuff that you could consume from eating the chocolate would be pretty minuscule. If the tape didn't come off really clean, it wouldn't work for chocolates. If a small amount of the adhesive was seriously toxic, I would think that the label would be covered with warnings.
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We're in (Maddie = Choco Monster).
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Just plain adhesive vinyl? I have a bunch of it. That stuff is made to stick to stuff permanently. You didn't have an issue getting it off or leaving a residue? If you have a design you want made, let me know, I can cut it for you and pop it in an envelope.
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21 minutes ago, Jim D. said:
I have been intending to post about the tape I used. It was recommended to me by @Miriam G (for which I thank her) and was intended to be used with the Cricut machine for making designs. I don't yet have a Cricut but decided to get some of the tape and cut it with a paper trimmer. The downsides: it is difficult to separate the tape from its backing (though the technique can be mastered) and the sheets of tape (it's not on a roll) are not large enough to be able to cut one stripe for an entire row of cavities. But the upside is that the tape really sticks, even better than the vinyl (electrician's) tape used by Andrey Dubovik. It also conforms to the curves of a mold cavity the best of anything I have used. One caveat: It's crucial to leave a tab to grasp the tape when removing it--it sticks so well that it takes some force to remove it.
The link for the tape did not work. I do have a Cricut, so if you want me to cut anything for you, let me know.
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3 minutes ago, Jim D. said:
Thanks for the kind words. Glad you recognized the galaxy design, and you are right: it's very difficult to get in all the colors on a small egg.
What kind of sponge did you use? That was the big issue I had working on a smaller egg - an open enough texture to get the right effect, but small enough to have some precision in dabbing color...
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On 4/11/2019 at 8:01 PM, Jim D. said:
Here are my offerings for Easter 2019, first the bonbons:
Fillings (clockwise starting with the yellow piece at the top): (1) banana and passion fruit caramel in dark chocolate, (2) apple caramel in dark chocolate, (3) layers of dulce de leche and coffee ganache in dark chocolate, (4) layers of cherry pâte de fruit and pistachio gianduja in dark chocolate, (5) layers of black currant ganache and hazelnut gianduja in milk chocolate, (6) dark chocolate ganache with orange, cinnamon, and habañero pepper, (7) layers of butterscotch and caramelized pecans, (8) layers of dark caramel, almond gianduja, and shortbread. In the center: (9) yuzu and ginger ganache in white chocolate.
And the eggs:
The fillings (clockwise starting with the red egg at the top): (1) layers of strawberry pâte de fruit and strawberry cream in white chocolate, (2) layers of coffee ganache and rum buttercream in milk chocolate, (3) salted caramel in dark chocolate, (4) crispy hazelnut gianduja in dark chocolate.
Gorgeous as always, Jim. I see you have mastered the stripe! I'd love to know more about your technique for the galaxy eggs. I watched the Savour video but it is hard to translate to a smaller egg.
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I could use some!
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Dark chocolate eggs filled with peanut (fro fresh peanuts) and bean to bar dark milk chocolate mixture made in the melanger.
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Flight still not scheduled so later probably safer for us. Tasting sounds great. We are looking forward to it.
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Sorry, still interested. Tried to PM you but I don't see the option...
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Count Maddie and me in please.
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4 hours ago, Beckykp27 said:
The Chocolate Journalist has a good article about ruby chocolate. Apparently Callebaut has been quite transparent in the fact that they developed it to appeal to millennials and Instagramers and that it's more about the look than the taste. I have yet to hear anyone speak highly of the flavor. (That being said, I'll still probably pick some up next time I'm near a TJ's)
It's pleasant. I dislike most white chocolate, and I'd much rather eat this than white (unadulterated white - I do like some fruity ganaches made with white chocolate). My kid LOVES the ruby (and she tends to have a pretty developed palate for a teen - she's very much a cheese snob), but she also likes white and milk chocolates, so it's not too surprising. For me? Overall, meh. I think it will be useful to provide additional color to a box of chocolates, and I think it will be nice with an appropriately matched fruity ganache. But nothing to get excited about. If my kid wasn't so enthusiastic, I would have stopped at one 5 oz bag.
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Sorry, life got busy. If we can still do $6 cheap shipping, I can get the 3 discussed.
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2 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:
TJ does have freeze dried fruits!
And thanks to Kerry’s enabling (and mild paranoia about the political situation in the US, thanks to the current WH occupant) I have a freeze dryer!
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Just now, Jim D. said:
I got (from Uline, though there are many sources):
3M 6200 HALF-FACE RESPIRATOR
3M 2091 PARTICULATE FILTER P100
I spoke with a tech person at 3M, who said this filter is all that is needed for dealing with particulates (I specifically mentioned atomized cocoa butter). If you also want to remove fumes (as with spraying paint, varnish, etc.), you need an additional adapter and special cartridge, but I have had no issues with fumes. There are many different filters, but this one is bright pink. The respirator itself comes in several sizes to fit your face; it is very lightweight. Warning: it takes a while to get it adjusted the first few times and even longer until it feels reasonably comfortable to use, but now I hardly even notice it (too much).
Thanks, Jim. I came up with the P100 as well, doing a little googling. A couple years ago, I had a respiratory illness that took about 3 months to go away. I even broke a rib coughing. In retrospect, I’m pretty sure I had pertussis. It left me with some mild asthma, so I’m being a bit more cautious these days. Also, since Maddie is getting more interested in working with chocolate, I want her protected.
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23 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:
Sure, but you could do that for real with valrhona strawberry inspiration. And it would be a beautiful red, not that (I find it ugly) pink. And actually taste like strawberry.
‘Although now that you mention it, I could see adding a little powdered dehydrated fruit to kick up the color and flavor a bit...
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3 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:
Sure, but you could do that for real with valrhona strawberry inspiration. And it would be a beautiful red, not that (I find it ugly) pink.
Sure, but Trader Joe’s doesn’t carry that!
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2 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:
The viscosity is fine for molding. You won't need to add any extra cocoa butter.
Oh, cool! Thoughts on fillings? Maddie really loves this stuff, so it appears I am making a Trader Joe's run this afternoon after we finish playing with the horses.
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1 hour ago, Jim D. said:
Having used my homemade box for spraying with a cutout filled with a house heating system filter and a large industrial-type fan behind the filter (thanks to @tikidoc for the idea), I can offer some information. There is some cocoa butter on the fan, so I know the setup is working, at least to some degree, to draw the cocoa butter out of the box. There is, however, still quite a lot of "blowback" of cocoa butter (toward me) as it hits the walls of the box. For reasons I don't understand, some colors are worse than others (white is the worst). My conclusion about a box is that it helps some, but if you really want to get the cocoa butter out, a strong vacuum pump drawing the cocoa butter outside the room is the only serious solution. Obviously that gets quite expensive and isn't even possible in some situations. I have seen professional setups with this arrangement, and it works. It also provides ample space to work, important because it is awkward to spray inside the box since I have to lean forward to get the spray gun far enough inside. A larger box would probably help, but it is typical (for me at least) to get so involved in trying to get the mold covered that I forget about being careful about the cocoa butter spray.
I have found that wearing a respirator really works. I have a 3M brand with its own filters. It's quite inexpensive, and while it's very uncomfortable at first, I have gotten used to it now. When I wear it, I look like a creature from another planet, but that's OK if it works. I can no longer smell the cocoa butter or feel it in my throat as I did previously.
There are, by the way, lots of Youtube videos on building a spray booth, from simple boxes like mine to more professional-looking efforts, some with vacuums.
I'm looking into getting a couple respirators for Maddie and I (currently using face masks made for painting). Which filters do you use? There are so many, I'm not sure which is best.
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2 minutes ago, Pastrypastmidnight said:
That’s what my husband and kids and I were brainstorming about. My husband suggested an inside out chocolate covered strawberry—strawberry covered chocolate ganache, but I’m not sure the Ruby is strong enough to carry it. We also talked about strawberry lemonade. That’s basically what it tastes like to me. White chocolate strawberry lemonade.
I remember reading that, here actually, years ago when I first got interested in chocolate. Long before I actually got up the guts to join all of you suuuuuuper intimidating people
Ha, great minds think alike, right? My daughter just tried the ruby, and she really loved it, so I guess I'm going to have to go buy a bunch of it. She's more of a milk chocolate girl than I, so not surprised. I think it's mildly interesting and an improvement on white (which I dislike, other than in select highly flavored ganaches), for eating out of hand anyway, but give me a good 70+% dark any day.
And I'm not part of the cadre of the super intimidating people. I'll leave that to Kerry and Rob and others. Intermittent chocolate hobbyist here. I just play with chocolate, and not nearly often enough.
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11 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:
I think this is the higher end version. Apparently Trader Jo's and Vogues are getting Ruby ahead of all the other folks in North America which is causing a tempest in a tea pot.
Makes sense I guess. Isn’t Callebaut rumored to be the source of TJ’s branded chocolates?
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How big is the champagne bottle? Might throw that in as well. Cheap shipping is fine, I’m just trying to expand my stash - I don’t need them in a hurry.
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The flavor is decent so I could see making one bon bon out of a box with the ruby chocolate, for visual appeal. Maybe just a spattering of colored cocoa butter in in the mold to make it look interesting. I’m assuming I’d have to add some cocoa butter to decrease the viscosity and make it useable as a couverture? Not sure on the filling though. My first impulse was something fruity, but I don’t know if the fruitiness of the chocolate might compete with the filling. The chocolate almost gives me a hint of strawberry, so maybe a strawberry lemonade ganache with a fairly neutral white?
I was thinking of making some chocolates for gifts for friends and relatives this month (since I was too busy with work to do much for Christmas), so I might play with it a little. It comes in 5 oz. bags, but it was a reasonable price as I remember, so not cost prohibitive to pick up a couple pounds to play with.
Report: eGullet Chocolate and Confectionary Workshop 2019
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
We are delayed as well. Our original flight was pushed back 4 hours (would have missed dinner tonight) so we switched departing airports. Still routed through Chicago but we have delays here due to storms - had to wait on the tarmac because nobody allowed out to hook runway to plane, then we got off and another delay so we had to wait to get our bags (which we had to gate check). Then we got to our gate, then a gate change. And now we are waiting on our plane to get here.