DancingLion Chocolates

There's some really beautiful work on this thread these days! I guess I should add my .02! The fedora was a commission. Three kinds of chocolate with a matcha-infused band. Intermezzo is about beauty in simplicity. A spiced sugar pumpkin ganache with toasted pepita. Take care, all. And keep making fantastic chocolate! ~Rich

Looks like it will depend on airfare for us. They're pretty steep at the moment, but if they get reasonable before the session books up, we'll plan on joining. Rich

Thinking about joining y'all. Did you ever decide if there would be a second masterclass? Kind regards, Rich

The eyeballs are awesome!

All 3 of them look great! I was wondering about the tiles, which mould did you use? On your site I see you have variety of tiles in your 'metal box'. Kris Hi Kris! I picked up the mah jong tile molds on sale at Chocolat-Chocolat (chocolat-chocolat.com)--my favorite place for finding molds--last time I was in Montreal. I like the size and shape; they're perfect for delivering a big solid flavor. Unfortunately, the mold only came in the "character" suit. I made the box from our own Tango chocolate and filled it with apple truffles under the mango tiles, btw. Kind regards, Rich

Figured I'd toss up a few of our latest. The spiral is a three-layer piece with cranberry-pear compote, caramelized pear puree, and Pacari 100% Ecuador ganache. It was created as an exercise for one of my chocolatiers, Samantha Downing, and involves hand-painting, airbrushing, and some work with a toothpick & gold dust.The tile is a local apple & scorpion chili caramelized ganache made with an unusual Puerto Rican 100% chocolate (only 10 trees!) and is brushed carefully with two lustres. The pear is cotes du beaune red wine & Vermont honey ganache in Patric Chocolate's magnificent (and painfully rare) Peruvian Piura 67% and is finished with a hint of red cocoa butter backed by a dusting of bronze lustre in the mold. I've been enjoying the creative work on this thread--keep it up! Rich

Drewman is correct; I meant to write "the caramelization *with* the beans." And unless Valrhona introduced something new, Guanaja doesn't come in milk chocolate form. Rich

Jivara is one of my staples, but I used a lot of Tanriva last Summer--I really like the butterscotch notes that come out from the caramelization of the Madagascar beans. Rich

Kerry, I finally killed my airbrush over the Easter rush (the threading that holds the lock-screw in place stripped) and replaced it with a Paasche VL internal mix, which I've now used twice and LOVE. It gives me complete control of the pressure and density directly from the trigger and doesn't stuff up as much. I was afraid the internal mix would be harder to clean, but it's actually much easier. Sorry to pass this along *after* you purchased you new brush! Kind regards, Rich Using the Paasch external mix with the large nozzle- and loving it! The Badger 350 - not so much! I agree. The Badger is more like an elephant compared with the Paasche. Still have mine, but haven't used it in years.

Kerry, I finally killed my airbrush over the Easter rush (the threading that holds the lock-screw in place stripped) and replaced it with a Paasche VL internal mix, which I've now used twice and LOVE. It gives me complete control of the pressure and density directly from the trigger and doesn't stuff up as much. I was afraid the internal mix would be harder to clean, but it's actually much easier. Sorry to pass this along *after* you purchased you new brush! Kind regards, Rich

Wow, Lior, that striped effect on the chocolates looks amazing! Wow! I love the stripy pucks! Rich

It'll still block--I keep a blow dryer nearby for frequent warming. It's important to ensure the washer in the nozzle head is completely screwed in before each use, or it will *definitely* block. Also, I keep the whole assembly warm for 30 minutes of so before use. Rich

Hi Lana, The gold egg was the simplest. I splattered blue, then gold lustre into the mold, warmed, tossed in a handful of cacao, then finally shot in the tempered chocolate. Sold the orange egg yesterday. Slightly sad, but it went to a good home! Rich

Hi Kerry, Pretty close. I blast a nearly-dry airbrush for 3-4 second each spot, then move on--a trick I picked up while visiting Paul Debondt in Pisa. Fill in afterward with an airbrush or colored lustre. There are a few wilder eggs on our facebook page that haven't made it to the site yet. Rich Looking at your facebook page - I'm interested in what sort of an airbrush you are using - looks like an external mix of some sort? http://www.paascheairbrush.com/products/airbrushes-airbrush-parts-and-accessories/Airbrushes/single-action/h-1l It's a little finicky with cocoa butter--have to keep it warm--but I like the control, especially with the finer tip. Rich

Thank you!