Jim D.

Some more efforts in the Dubovik course, some more successful than others: Photos #1 and #2: The tomato simulation, mine filled with a citrus ganache (couldn't bring myself to try a tomato ganache). When I was making these, I asked myself what fool would ever do this again, but I am now going to repurpose the tomato as a cherry (colored with a dark red and bright red gradient and topped with a longer leaf and filled with cherry pàte de fruit and pistachio gianduja--a flavor combination requested by the bride and groom for their wedding). Photo #3: the "shades of grey" design, this filled with pineapple caramel mousse. Photo #4: the first of the four "eye" designs. These proved a challenge for me, and I still haven't mastered the technique, which is very dependent on consistency and temperature of the cocoa butters, temperature of the room, strength of the air stream, and too many other factors to mention. Even Andrey has varying results, but he makes the process look effortless. Photo #5: The controversial pill design, mine filled with walnut caramel (to make the medicine go down more easily) Photo #6: My version of the gianduja-filled lollipops, technically mini-lollipops because I didn't have the proper size mold. There was also the issue that most of them came out of the two-piece mold in two pieces, there was no way to judge how thin or thick the shells were until it was too late, and no way to tell exactly how much gianduja was being piped in. All in all, not a stellar result...but the cuteness factor of this design is undeniable. Photo #7: The matcha truffles. As I have said elsewhere, this was my first time tasting matcha...and my last. Photo #8: And last, my attempt at the gold-dipped gianduja-filled spheres. What a production this was. It didn't help that when I pierced the spheres with a skewer to suspend them upside down (to create the "tail"), the skewers shattered the spheres. This course is definitely a test of one's ingenuity. Picture me standing over a bowl of chocolate holding a sphere in each hand upside down (pierced with a thin metal skewer, which did not shatter the gianduja) waiting for the tail to set. As gfron1 said, not to be repeated.

Don't throw it away. In the tempering process, you would be raising all chocolate to far more than 30C/86F. So just temper it when you can work on chocolate again. Just don't assume they are still in temper. Experts say these temps reduce shelf life, so use them as soon as you can.

If you think custom polycarb molds are expensive, wait until you investigate custom trays! I was astounded at the cost. The search experience has given me a whole new level of appreciation for the plastic containers in produce sections. Of course it's not the actual making of the trays but the tooling costs that get you, and the minimums are very high. I found only one company that would make them for my relatively small quantities, and I did a lot of searching and inquiring. I did finally get some made. I am very pleased with them, but they would make only clear ones (no gold, which is what I wanted) unless I paid even more. I use stock trays for three of my sizes and the custom ones for the fourth size. I would like to get one other size, but the cost holds me back. If you want more details, just ask.

I have FLIP insurance, $299 per year. It gets good reviews, but unfortunately it's one of those things in life where you don't know whether it's good or bad until you try to use it.

I think Kerry had the right idea, to find a substitute for the tea specified. I think Earl Grey ground to a powder might be very good. Matcha is certainly not my "cup of tea." The best description I have seen of it is "vegetal" in taste. It does produce a great color, but the taste is really disappointing to me (I'm trying to protect the feelings of the matcha fans out there). As I was preparing an insert to accompany the homework assignments from the course that I will be giving to family and friends, I came to the matcha truffle. I decided to include a few of them in the assortment but to add the note that recipients should feel free to toss them out if they so desired but that if anyone really liked them, there were lots more at home. All I could think of is what a waste of pistachios (the taste of which is lost in the matcha). All in all, it was a curious choice for one of the final lessons of the course (#18 out of 21) as it was very easy to make whereas the others have been increasingly difficult (wait until someone posts photos of the chocolate-covered gianduja spheres crowned with a peak dipped in gold).

I found the bare bones of Kerry's recipe. There are other threads dealing with buttercreams as well.

I make buttercreams quite a bit--with vanilla, with rum, and as a "crème brûlée" (with even more vanilla and some caramel crunch). I use @Kerry Beal's recipe. It is based on fondant and butter plus white chocolate to make it firm up (and add yet more vanilla). Since it's her recipe, I don't feel I can post it, but she will probably notice this and respond. Contrary to expectations, the fondant is not overwhelmingly, cloyingly sweet in this recipe. I tried Jack Daniels and also a "boutique" bourbon as flavorings once, but surprisingly to me, the booze flavor was lost--it would take so much of it to taste that the buttercream would be practically liquid. Dark rum, however, is delicious. These are quite popular--it's that old-timey thing, I guess. Why don't you want a butter ganache? That would also work with what (I think) is the right texture. It's quite similar to the fondant approach.

Told you so. 😋

You can increase the proportion of chocolate and get a firmer product, but it will have less hazelnut taste. I don't know if adding chopped nuts works into what you are thinking about, but that would add some flavor without thinning out the mixture.

In my adaption of Greweling's recipe, I use: 200g dark chocolate (I know you said you would use milk) 200g hazelnut paste 50g hazelnut praline paste 4.5g cocoa butter silk It gets quite firm, in fact so firm that I posted a question on how to get it softer for bonbon fillings (the answer was to add coconut oil). But when gianduja is handled, it's the nature of the beast to melt. I would think adding more cocoa butter (probably not silk) would make it even firmer.

Yes, a huge amount of gold dust--and some truly beautiful packaging.

Almonds and cherries are a great combination. I would go with that. If your friends aren't so weird that they dislike nuts, you could also add some chopped toasted almonds.

That is exactly the quote I was going to use as a caption of my "pill" picture on Instagram. I think the pill design falls into the classification of a "witty" piece, probably not something one would make by the dozen. A number of the last designs in the class are more in the showpiece category, and it's a bit difficult to labor over them too much when in the back of your mind you are thinking that this is something you will never, never make again. If some pill and lollipop molds show up in the eGullet classified section, you will know where they came from.

You might want to check the existing thread on natural colored cocoa butter.

I"m sure you are already aware how quickly hazelnuts go rancid. I bought several U.S.-made praline pastes, and all were rancid. Now I buy Cacao Barry from reputable places and (so far) haven't had any issues. If you find good hazelnuts, I am sure your homemade paste will be even better. I wish I had space for a melanger, but I have to draw the line somewhere. The (former) guest bedroom is now completely taken over by chocolate-related equipment.

Let me add my praise of Felchlin. I regularly use Maracaibo dark and Maracaibo Criolait milk. Albert Uster has free shipping (if I buy enough) and good customer service. A few minutes ago I picked up some leftover Maracaibo dark I had firming up on parchment in the kitchen and scarfed it down--couldn't resist. I am very surprised that Felchlin is a less expensive brand in Australia because in the U.S. it is about the same as Valrhona, but as @ChocoMom wrote "worth every. single. penny. or franc, or whatever." I think Valrhona Caraibe tastes very much like it, and if the political situation in Venezula ever puts an end to Maracaibo, that will be my substitute. I have tried the various Felchlin whites, but found them too sweet. For white, it's Valrhona's Opalys for me, as difficult as it is to work with. For milk chocolate ganaches, I often use Fortunato No. 4, which is amazing in taste.

Yes, the cost is 1400--but that is in Belarusian rubles. It converts (at the moment) to about $725 US.

@pastrygirl, I was wondering what that black liquid was. I completely agree with you--if it's cocoa butter, then I think I'll pass. A thin layer of colored cocoa butter sprayed on a bonbon is one thing, but this seems a bit much. Is it possible it's something else?

I use a tempering machine, and I have also observed the temperature variations from one part of the bowl to another. And there is the issue of the variable temperature that comes from having the heat turn on and off with a thermostat in the chocolate--very inexact. In actuality I can usually tell if the heat has come on because the chocolate varies sightly in consistency--and the size of the "foot" (when I am dipping) fluctuates accordingly. Like you, I try not to worry (too much) about what I consider spoiled pieces; often, I have discovered, those who receive my chocolates don't appear to notice streaks or other imperfections, and, of course, with the right decoration on a dipped piece, no one notices! I believe @Kerry Beal has a temper meter but don't know whether she uses it regularly or not. I was interested that you switched from dipping to molding. I think of molded chocolates as much more difficult to make and more prone to "user error."

I am interested in what you write about maintaining chocolate's temper. The theory under which we all operate is that properly tempered chocolate has a predominance of Type V crystals. I think most of us take that on faith since it is impossible to test the chocolate constantly (and still keep working with it); we don't really know how predominant those crystals are or if other types are also present. I have long wondered what keeps the undesirable ones from re-forming as the chocolate cools, but I am not a chemist. And then there is the over-crystallization issue--too many Type V crystals--but then one wonders how many is too many? It seems to me that testing temper by spreading a little chocolate on parchment or marble is somewhat inexact--how long is too long to wait for it to set? or is that actually a streak or not? From what I have read about temper meters, they take quite some time to perform a reading, and it would seem that by the time the meter has the verdict, the chocolate has moved on to another state. With all of these issues, it's a wonder any people continue to work with chocolate!

I wasn't going to say anything, but since Kerry has commented: I would be happy with that dipping job. Those feet! Amazingly small for a non-machine job. I think you might need to accept that there are imperfections in chocolate work (particularly without an enrobing machine). And how did you make those green dots? A pastry bag? Very nice work, I would say. Certainly a steady hand at work. IMHO you should be pleased.

Now that sounds interesting. The screen in my faucet gets clogged much too quickly; the plumber thinks it is from the cast iron pipes. And it is horrible to clean since the manufacturer designed the faucet to be attractive to look at but impossible to take apart fully. I definitely don't need anything that will slow down the water flow more than it already is. So where would a prefilter be installed? Under the sink? That under-sink area would get rather crowded with all this equipment. I suppose everything could be installed in the basement before the pipe comes up into the kitchen. I did have a plumber discuss replacing just the particular pipe that runs from the initial house inlet to the kitchen (leaving other pipes as they are). That new pipe would still require some sort of filter because of the stuff in the pipe from the street to the house.

@paulraphael, thank you very much for all those details. Very helpful.

@paulraphael, I am very interested in what you installed under the sink to filter your water. I am in a similar situation: good water in the city, but by the time it gets through my ancient pipes, it has an "off" taste, slightly bitter, an iron taste. Currently I use the filter in my refrigerator, which makes a huge difference in the taste. As a result, for all my chocolate work and anything else requiring pure-tasting water (such as making coffee), I keep a pitcher in the fridge, but it is a nuisance to have to keep it filled and it doesn't help with all my other cooking (filling a pasta pot, for instance). I would love to know more about what you did. I have no mechanical abilities at all, so would have to hire a plumber to make any changes. Therefore it would help to know how complex this work would be. Lots of companies are more than willing to install a filter at the point where the pipe enters the house, but there are still the pipes between the new ones in the street and the ancient ones in my house.

I don't know the answer to your question, but must say they are beautiful. What intrigues me is that they seem to have overcome what I see as the major problem with transfer sheets--many colors, especially red, get washed out when they are applied to dark or milk chocolate. I have so many transfers that I can rarely use because I bought them before I realized that fact. And I am not going to coat them all in white (for one thing, it make them bend and the white flakes off--at least when I apply it). So I too would love to know the source of Marie Belle's.