Jim D.
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Posts posted by Jim D.
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My experience has been different from what keychris says. I can always taste colored cocoa butter, even from a brand-new bottle. And especially white (with titanium dioxide) has a strong odor. There is a thread on The Chocolate Life about this topic (started by someone other than me). I mentioned this issue to the owner of Chocotransfersheets, and he was going to send me a sample of his white to see if it was different. I never got that but recently ordered a bottle to check it out. I don't think there is any way around the titanium dioxide to create white. All that being said, however, I can also taste plain cocoa butter and am not fond of its aroma. To check what I just wrote, I went to my supply and opened a brand-new bottle of Chef Rubber colored cocoa butter. There is definitely an odor--mostly cocoa butter, but more than that.
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2 minutes ago, keychris said:
If you're only after bonbons, you're probably going to be disappointed. But if you're interested in pastry techniques in general, I'd definitely have a look. I've been subscribed since the start (mostly just because I like to support local businesses now!) and still enjoy watching the videos. The Melissa Coppel one from last week was excellent, and there's another one coming out soon.
The forum is a little quiet compared to here!
Thanks for that information. The price is certainly low enough that it is worth trying.
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It was easier than I anticipated (I fully expected the compressor to blow up any minute), but I could not have done it without Grex tech support and the aforementioned photo. The difficulty was the info that knowledgeable people assume (such as using teflon tape) and that is not mentioned explicitly anywhere. But setup took a very short time and went without a hitch. I must confess that I had my very knowledgeable nephew in attendance watching things, but I think I could have done it without him. He is the kind of person who just pulls the emergency pressure release to see what happens! On my own I later found a far less noisy way to release the pressure and allow any moisture to drain out.
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41 minutes ago, dhardy123 said:
Jim
I noticed you mentioned you needed a moisture trap for the compressor? If so how easy was it to add to the compressor/air line? Do you have the instructions that they sent you?
Well, if you have some experience with compressors, it would probably be easy. As I stated previously, I am a mechanical novice. I watched some videos online about setting up a compressor., but it was Danny, the guy at Grex tech support who went above and beyond--he took that photo showing the connections (he must have taken over all the space in the tech support area that day) and gave me a list of all the connectors I would need, which ones Grex makes, which ones I needed to buy elsewhere. He also explained teflon tape (I said I was a novice) and which connectors needed it. I have the link to that photo and will send it to you via an eG PM.
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Thanks for the examples. There are lot of non-bonbon items, and whereas I find them interesting, that's not what I am looking for. So I guess my last question to you is whether the percentage of bonbon material is enough to make it worthwhile.
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I did not know they offered online learning. I guess when I saw "Australia," I immediately gave up. So you think the lessons are worth the money and time? Can one follow at his or her own pace, or how does it work?
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3 hours ago, dhardy123 said:
Yes it was from the Savour School that I learned the technique using multiple piping bags
From what I have seen on eGullet, the school's graduates learned impressive skills there. Too bad there is not a U.S. branch.
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I'll look forward to hearing about your reaction to the Grex. I forget where I read that the 0.7 nozzle would be better; maybe I just assumed it would when I realized the nozzle of the Paasche external mix airbrush was over a mm wide and feared I would never get cocoa butter through the 0.5. I believe @pastrygirl has the 0.5 with her Grex and has been successful with that.
Sorry, but I don't know any way to take photos or videos while using the airbrush (I am a one-person shop). Besides, I'm still getting used to the Grex and the results are embarrassingly messy at this point. Have you seen the Grex videos with Lisa Berczel? They are very helpful, and she is supremely confident in her work (there are also some creepy ones showing her spraying the body of a human being, but I try not to think of that when I'm spraying).
My only advice so far is to keep the cocoa butter flowing with a heat gun and a stirrer because it will tend to solidify in the bottom of the cup. Otherwise it has been a pleasure to use. As I get used to changing colors, I hope the mess will diminish.
One other thought: I found it essential to find a place to "park" the airbrush when I pause. Grex does make a holder, but I didn't get it; instead, I used a heavy flower vase with a wide top, and the airbrush rests nicely in there and seems a bit more secure to me than the holder would be--obviously it's necessary to keep the brush close to vertical to avoid a bigger mess.
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@dhardy123, Thanks for the compliment. The assortment shows some successes and one "failure"--I use quotes because even that one turned out good enough to use (IMHO). First, the failure: I speak of the red and yellow piece near the bottom of the photo. For that one, using a gloved finger, I swirled red cocoa butter around the circumference of the cavity, and then, before the red was fully set, did the same with gold c.b. In a mold with steep sides (like the geodesic dome I used), it is difficult to do the swirling and impossible to keep the two colors from mixing. Thus the pseudo-marbling effect on that one.
Thanks to @RWood, I learned that waiting for the first color to dry is crucial. Then the colors stay separate.
This is all much easier to do in a more "spread-out" dome, like the demisphere I used for the others (the dark green + copper piece in the 1:00 position in the photo and the purple + gold in the 9:00 position). For those two, I used a somewhat easier technique of swirling one color (green and purple respectively), letting that dry, and then spraying the whole mold with copper or gold c.b. The end effect is marbling. I think in any marbling, it is necessary to spray a color behind the rest (that is, on top of the swirled colors); otherwise the chocolate shell shows through, which may fit the color scheme you have in mind, but likely won't.
I have used a technique similar to the one you describe, as in the case of having several different chocolates (white, dark) tempered in separate bowls and pouring them together into a mold, then mixing them a little in the cavities to achieve marbling. I found that very difficult--keeping two chocolates in temper, pouring them just right, and not over-mixing them. I'm just not coordinated enough to make that work in a consistent way. In that method you are not decorating the shell; you are creating it with a marbled effect, and the result is a beautiful bonbon. There is a thread discussing this technique as developed at Savour School in Australia.
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Not that this quote will completely clear up the difference between paste and butter, but this is what Fiddyment Farm has to say:
Our Pistachio butter and paste are both 100% pistachio! Our paste goes through a multi step process which makes it more fluid, ultra smooth, and mixable where our butter is similar to old fashion peanut butter consistency.
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3 hours ago, Baylee Chocolate Lady said:
I have not molded a bonbon with marshmallow, but I do mold it and then dip it. Don't know if that is any help. I just play with the syrup temperature and the
amount of time I whip it to adjust the consistency.
That was the problem I had when I tried this option. You have to get it just right, or it's practically impossible to cut, especially on a guitar. I know lots of recipes for marshmallow say how easy they are to make, but I have not found that to be the case.
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I recently purchased the Grex Tritium airbrush (fitted with the 0.5mm nozzle) and wish to report on it. I think most people use an external mix airbrush, where the cocoa butter does not pass through the body of the airbrush but is mixed with compressed air externally. I have used a Badger, and recently used as my regular airbrush a Paasche; both of these are external mix. The Tritium is an internal mix device, and I was nervous about clogging up the brush constantly with cocoa butter passing through it. In actuality that is not the case at all. I purchased a 0.7mm replacement nozzle to provide the largest available needle/nozzle for the cocoa butter to pass through. Replacing the 0.5 with the 0.7 was fairly easy. An internal mix airbrush requires more compressed air, so I knew my little Iwata Smartjet Pro (1/8 HP motor with top pressure of 35 PSI) was not going to be adequate. Grex sells a compressor for the Tritium (it is rebranded from another company, California Air Tools). They were phasing out the 1 HP model and so sold me a 2 HP one at the same price. A 2 HP compressor is an entirely different beast from the Iwata; its increased power is impressive--and a little scary for a mechanical-challenged user like me. But fortunately my nephew showed me that it was not as frightening as it looked, and my first time using it alone went without a hitch. This compressor is very quiet, as these things go. In these comments I am using space on the compressor because my conclusion is that the compressor makes all the difference in using an airbrush for cocoa butter.
The good thing about Grex is that they are aware of the food decorating crowd out there; they have a whole series of videos on various decorating techniques, mostly for cakes. Their tech support people are so responsive and I consulted them so often that Gmail now doesn't show the whole thread with my questions and their replies unless I specifically request it. Grex never failed to be responsive (usually within a few minutes) and to be sympathetic to the special needs of chocolate making. In explaining to me how to add a moisture trap between the compressor and the airbrush, one technician even took the time to set up the whole system (hoses, attachments, adapters, everything) and take a photo of it with every part labeled. I have never encountered tech support this good.
The Tritium setup I used had the cocoa butter in a container attached above the airbrush (not in little jars with siphons as I had been using with the Paasche--although the Grex can be adapted to use siphon-feed jars). This setup provides the most direct flow of cocoa butter to airbrush but does require a whole new system of preparation for airbrushing. I had the cocoa butter in temper in a Pyrex container (which can be microwaved and heated or cooled over water) and spooned it into the metal cup on top of the airbrush (I purchased larger cups than the ones that come with the airbrush so that I wouldn't have to waste valuable time refilling the cup so often). This process can get messy! But it really worked. The cocoa butter stays liquid much longer than it does when it is in an attached glass container and traveling through a siphon. Yes, a heat gun is still required from time to time to keep the cocoa butter liquid, but I could spray several molds without stopping. I learned a lot from this first session and now know to get a little stirrer to keep the cocoa butter from hardening in the bottom of the cup. But it does work much better than any external mix airbrush I have used. Changing colors is easier than I anticipated: You simply turn the cup (still attached to the airbrush) upside down above the cocoa butter container, drain out as much as possible, then wipe with a paper towel (again, this idea came from Grex tech support).
I had mistakenly thought the Tritium could be used on its own to splatter a mold. I saw a video featuring Salvatore Martone using a Grex Tritium to splatter, but when I mentioned this to Grex support, they pointed out what I did not notice in the video--that the chef is spraying the cocoa butter onto a little spatula or stick, and from there onto the mold. I tried this and had some success, though I will need a lot of practice to get it right. I think a spray gun (such as the Fuji or a Wagner) can do splatter without further equipment, but an airbrush cannot (though an airbrush can splatter with regular paint).
Final comment on customer service: Grex does not sell its products directly. I found everything I needed with Jerry Carter Airtools, and Jerry also provides excellent service and guidance. He even asked to see photos of the work I have done with chocolates.
Prices: Grex equipment appears to have the same prices everywhere. The airbrush was $209, the 0.7 nozzle $68, the larger cups $19 each, the compressor $299. Yes, it's appreciably more expensive than something like the Paasche I have. It does, however, do a better job in a shorter time and with less aggravation than any external airbrush I have used. It does not do all a Fuji can do, but with my limited space and the number of chocolates I produce in a batch (so far the most is 900 pieces), I think it is the most satisfactory and the cost is less than for the Fuji system, which even companies that sell paint gun types of sprayers have told me would be overkill.
Final verdict: I am very pleased with the Grex Tritium and would certainly buy it again. The added power of the compressor makes airbrushing almost (!) a pleasure.
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
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30 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:
Does the ganache have to be liquid? Obviously I'm confident enough to sell them, but I wish I had numbers to back me up.
No, the sample can be solid. The issue is that it has to be spread into a little plastic cup (1.5" in diameter, a little less than .5" in height), so liquid is definitely easier. But food inspectors carry these devices around to test the shelf life of things like baked goods, which have to be chopped or ground up for the test. I am getting ready to experiment with incorporating shortbread into a bonbon and plan to chop up the shortbread to fit in the cup to test it. I own no stock in the company that makes the Pawkit, but checking the Aw does provide a large amount of comfort with a ganache recipe I have invented myself--or a lot of concern when the reading goes up to higher levels. At that point it's time to reformulate! I can say that when I submitted my application for approval to sell chocolates, the state authority appeared to be impressed that I included Aw readings with the recipes I was required to provide.
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The chocolates I made for Thanksgiving 2017. I wish to thank two eG people who helped with the technique of swirling colored cocoa butter in molds: @Lisa Shock (in the thread on how certain decorations are achieved) and @RWood, who was very generous with her expertise on the same technique and how she created the beautiful piece that is her "avatar." Success at this decorating method has eluded me for longer than I care to admit. The marbling effect turned out better than any previous attempt, and in my new demisphere molds (custom made through Tomric), any decorating method seems easy. This was also the first batch decorated with my new Grex airbrush (when I have time, I will post some comments on that in the airbrush thread).
Clockwise starting with the yellow piece at the top: banana & passion fruit caramel, yuzu with ginger, Meyer lemon, apricot pâte de fruit & almond gianduja, chocolate chip cookie truffle, strawberry-flavored marshmallow & kalamansi, coffee ganache & hazelnut gianduja, eggnog with dark rum, spiced pumpkin, plum with port, coconut cream, apple caramel
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I have now used pipeable marshmallow in a batch of chocolates. Pastryani asked how much air was incorporated. I cut a piece in half to observe, and there were very few bubbles--it's similar to the swmsweets photo above, but even fewer real bubbles. That may be my lack of skill, but I think it's primarily a function of cramming the marshmallow into a plastic bag and squeezing it into many cavities--how many bubbles could stand up to that? The taste and texture, on the other hand, are very marshmallowy, so I am pleased with this recipe. I did discover that any flavoring (I used strawberry) becomes weaker than anticipated. I paired the strawberry marshmallow layer with a kalamansi ganache, in which I deliberately removed some kalamansi, replacing it with cream so as to decrease the citrus flavor, but the strawberry was still mostly overpowered. I am concluding that marshmallow needs to stand on its own and think I will next try passion fruit, with no second layer.
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6 hours ago, pastrygirl said:
I'll trade you pistachio paste for Aw readings
I would be glad to do readings, but the problem would be that by the time your sample gets to me, the reading would no longer be accurate.
When you mentioned not roasting pistachios, it occurred to me that I don't know whether the two brands I sampled yesterday were roasted or not--I just assumed they were. I always roast them, but only for a very short time as they burn very easily. I think it brings out their flavor.
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You have a stone grinder? I'm impressed.
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Here is my comparison of the Agrimontana (Sicilian) and the Fiddyment Farm (California) pistachio pastes: First, this is just my opinion (this should be obvious, but I will state it anyway). Second, I tried to taste them without concern for price, but it is difficult to do when the difference is so pronounced ($300+ vs. $127 for 2 kilos).
I did a blind taste test, plain and then with a piece of dark chocolate. I did not have a clear favorite for taste. In the Fiddyment, the oil does not separate out much at all, whereas in the Agrimontana, the separation is pronounced. This means that I might not have mixed up the latter well enough, but the Agrimontana is appreciably thicker. They are equal in smoothness--I detected no graininess in either one. The Agrimontana is darker in color (closer to brown than to green); I'm not sure if this means anything or not, perhaps just more roasting of the nuts? In answer to the crucial question as to which tastes more like pistachios, I would say the Fiddyment. The Agrimontana (the only ingredient listed is pistachios) has what might be called a "deeper" flavor, but the Fiddyment (which contains pistachios and pistachio oil) shouts out that it is ground-up pistachios. The Fiddyment tastes slightly sweeter, but neither contains any added sweetener; perhaps California pistachios are sweeter by nature.
I have not tasted the MEC3 product, which is more readily available than the Agrimontana (see earlier in this thread); both are made from Sicilian pistachios. Of the two pastes I tasted, if I had to decide right now which to buy, it would be the Fiddyment Farm. I will need to take into account its less viscous texture, but this is easy to do.
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3 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:
I can handle a big sugar hit from white chocolate, but it seems other people can't, so there's a big pinch of Maldon salt in both the base and the chantilly. It probably needs something sharp to balance it out; diners still commented on the sweetness...
It is a beautiful dessert. I can't imagine anyone commenting on your desserts except with the most lavish of praise. Having said that, yes, white chocolate can be really sweet. What chocolate are you using? If you haven't tried it, Valrhona's Opalys is a bit less sweet than all the others I have tasted (which at this point is a lot).
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1 hour ago, pastrygirl said:
Also, I'm not sure how many health nuts are in your neck of the woods, but around here there is a faction who wants soy-free chocolate because soy is one of the crops most associated with GMOs.
I would expect nothing less from Seattle residents!
In this neck of the woods, we don't allow health nuts (your words), and soybeans are a big crop--regardless of their origin.
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9 hours ago, pastrygirl said:
So I don't think you should assume you need to add lecithin just because it's not already in there. If it's too thick, thin with CB as needed. If those scraps are blended with new, adjust that to your liking. Or if you don't want to add anything at all and it is too viscous for shell molding, use it in ganache.
You may be over-thinking it
Me over-thinking it? Never! I think of it as a healthy OCD.
I'm glad you mentioned the chocolates without lecithin. I'm not keen on using it because a little too much, and it thickens the chocolate. Norman Love and Jin Caldwell (Jinju Chocolates) appear to use Fortunato for bars both plain and with additives. I have not yet found anyone who uses it for shells, which may say a lot. I was leaning toward getting some to use in ganache if not for anything else.
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Those of us at the eGullet workshop in Las Vegas this past May were given, among other goodies, a large block of an unidentified milk chocolate. Several of us agreed that it was among the best milks we have tasted, and my own view was that it was the best, no question. Thanks to @Chocolot I learned that the sample came from Chef Rubber and was an example of Fortunato No. 3. For those not aware of this relatively new-to-the-market product, there is a website that explains the remarkable story of its rediscovery. I definitely wanted more and learned that Chef Rubber is the sole distributor of Fortunato in the U.S. I did not want to purchase a huge amount without knowing what it is like to work with (in particular, tempering and making shells), so wrote to one of the two discoverers of the chocolate, who referred me to Chef Rubber, from which I received this information:
QuoteFor the Couverture we do not add vanilla or lecithin to the product so tempering is helpful to add one tenth of one percent.
I would thin down the couverture with 3% to 5% plain cocoa butter for shell coating to make thinner shells.
This was not particularly good news to me since I don't like to tamper with the formulations of couvertures (by adding cocoa butter, for instance). On the other hand, I don't want to temper something that, within a few minutes, turns into a blob of solid chocolate. I do have some liquid lecithin, so might experiment, but with Christmas orders approaching, I don't have time to play around too much. One problem I foresee is what to do with leftover chocolate. I assume I would not add the lecithin again, probably not the cocoa butter, but I would have to keep track of how much of the chocolate is leftover (and thus has been doctored) and how much is new. This alone sounds like a pain. Any suggestions on how to approach this issue? I am puzzled as to why the usual additives would not have been included in the grinding, conching, tempering process (which, by the way, was done by Felchlin in Switzerland, though their name is not officially used on the product). Incidentally I have not tasted the dark chocolate, though Norman Love and Jin Caldwell are excited about it.
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4 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:
Spoke to the gelato maker who is next to us at the NW chocolate festival. He had a MEC3 'badge' on his chef's coat. He said there are two MEC3 products one pure Sicilian pistachio - the other a mix. He said you could contact him at info@nuttysquirrelgelato.com. He loves to talk pistachio!
Yes, that is what JeanneCake pointed out. Thanks for the email contact. Tomorrow the paste I ordered from Fiddyment Farm arrives, and I will do a side-by-side taste test with the Agrimontana product.
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I reread another thread on pistachio paste (mostly having to do with ice cream) and found the Fiddyment Farm reference, with some good reviews on Amazon for their paste. So I ordered a small container of paste and some pistachios and will see how that is. The pricing is about $125 for the equivalent of 2 kilos (somewhat different from the MEC3 pricing). I'll report here on how the California paste stacks up against the Sicilian.
Confections! What did we make? (2017 – )
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
That number of videos is certainly high enough that I will give Savour a try. (See, I didn't write "Savor"
-- and I like an Australian accent--just wish all your actors didn't work so hard to get rid of it.)