ChocoMom

Oh, I hit post before I mentioned the cooling factor. I asked each customer the length of time before the truffles will be eaten, (esp. if its a gift), then tell them to keep in a cool, dark place until its opened, then bring to room temp before eating. (When I ship them out, I put the cold packs in a Ziploc bags, and wrap the actual boxes in bubble wrap or styro-peanuts. That way, there is no direct contact with the cold pack, but the product is kept cool.) The best part of the whole craft show thing is the face to face interaction with the customers, and making faces light up. Elderly people morph into little kids. Kids squeal with delight. Its just the best feeling in the world when you see what joy a little confection can bring to a person's life. Can't say that I've ever had that much fun at a "job" - ever!

Well, the first time I did it - I didn't have a clue. But, learned afterwards that the attendance was roughly 800- 1,000. The second and third times, 1200+. I kept increasing my supplies, and it was just never enough. That was a nice problem to have. But, since I had products at several hotels, I could direct the out-of-towners to those locations as well. There were many items that had very low Aw (Iike malt balls and the espresso beans), plus confectionary coating. I've never worried about those. They traveled better-- so a lot of the items that were going to be eaten later were quite safe. I've also taken to spraying confectionery spray on some of then hand-dipped truffles- just to keep a nice appearance. I figured that the liquors, added properly and in the correct amounts, would serve as a decent preservative. And, I use Trimoline as well- so crystallization hasn't been a problem, either. I did shows right up until 2 weeks before Chirstmas previously. During those last two weeks though, I'd get knocks on the door looking for more because some of these customers would eat the candies that were supposed to be gifts, and then have to buy more - that was quite fresh. It boggles my mind to no end how crazy people go for chocolate. It shouldn't surprise me, because I'm the same way.

OH! Samples!!! That was a definite help. I had some antique stems that belonged to my great grandparents, and got handed down. They were pretty ornate. I filled each one with different samples of the espresso beans malt balls, cherries, almonds, etc.. I also had a tiered platter, and for all the reject truffles (cracked or funny shaped), I'd cut them into fourths, and place a couple types on each tier, along with labels. That way, customers were afforded the opportunity to try before they buy. For the big craft show, I made a dark chocolate bowl on pedestal. (I think that was from an Elaine Gonzales book.) I made it more winter-friendly looking, using a snowflake mold, some lustre dust, and edible glitter. I brushed the white chocolate snowflakes with lustre dust for a shine, and attached them onto the outer edges of the bowl. Lightly sprinkled the edible glitter all over. Filled it full of the peppermint bark scraps. (I hate wasting things!!!) Near the end of the show, there were these cranky little kids tugging at their dad's arm, crying because they wanted to leave. I enticed them to come over to the table and showed them that they could eat the bowl. I can still remember how their eyes popped right out of their heads! It was a great Willie Wonka moment. The dad about flipped his lid when he saw- what the thought was his children destroying my display. So, I assured him that it was my idea, and broke a piece off for him to try. The kids started screaming..."You can eat the bowl!!! You can really eat it!!!!" It went pretty quickly after that. Samples are good, and its a great way to make use of any "rejects". Just have fun with it, whatever you do, When you see a child's face light up like that (or an adult!) it makes all the hours of labor completely worth it. -Andrea

Sugared/Candied Almonds are a simple - yet tasty- treat. When I lived in Ann Arbor, there used to be vendors in the mall with those Swiss Almond carts, and the aroma would drive me mad! So, I doodled around until I figured out how to make them. (We had dial-up internet at that time, so searching for things on the computer was a royal pain. I just tried to employ those things that made sense.) I do variations on the sugar/cinnamon/vanilla combination. I've added combinations of cumin, turmeric, cayenne, sugar, salt. Another variation, I dipped them almonds in dark chocolate, and then panned them in raw cocoa powder mixed with cayenne, tiny bit of sugar and salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Once cooled, I just package them in cello bags, and tie them off with wrapphia ribbon. Peanut brittle, macadamia brittle, caramels, toffee---I did two versions: milk chocolate/almond, and dark chocolate/pistachio. None of these items require an oven. When you start checking the market for ovens, try going to Best Buy, and ask about seeing a dinged-up model. I did that for my first candy-fridge 18 years ago. Got a $1,000 fridge for $400- all because of a 4" scratch on one side. I can cope with a scratch. Have fun with your goodies!!! Andrea

The craft show setting is quite the crap shoot. I've been doing them for about 11-12 years. Each year, I'd increase my supply more and more, and still sell out. I'm not sure what the draw is, but around here- anything that is locally produced gets snatched up quick. I've done the show at the college here for several years, and I have never seen people so crazed to get their hands on local chocolate items. The show began at 10am- and I was completely sold out by 11:30. I keep track of the numbers for future shows so I can adjust my supplies. This is what I had on hand when I sold out at that last show. 12pc truffle assortment, 30 boxes. Double layered peppermint bark....20 boxes; Swiss almonds---24 bags; Peanut brittle---12 bags Between the chocolate espresso beans, dark chocolate dried cherries, and additional maltballs....100 bags. Gone in 90 minutes. Have ample business cards available. Your signage should have something about "locally made" and "Artisan confections" - huge attention grabber. Have an order/invoice book on hand, so you can take orders from individuals if you sell out. I found that it was helpful to keep one sample package of each item, until the end of the show. That way, if customers come along, and want to actually see what you offer, you can show them. At the very end, someone will come along and buy your sample packages. Packaging. This makes all the difference. I did coordinating boxes, tissue, bags and gift cards. All of it is rolled into the price of the item. When people realize that, they are more than happy to dole out the few extra bucks for the gift packaging. I had several different patterns to offer, and it really went over well. It seemed like the closer it would get to Christmas, the faster the items sold- and the more aggressive the customers became. It got to the point where I'd have to bring my oldest daughter with me to help bag all the items, and take orders. So, if you have a kid or good friend handy, take them along. (The other crafters would "hire" my daughter to watch their stands while they ran to grab food or whatever. She got "paid" with hand-sewn stuffed animals, tupperware, hand woven mittens, and baked goods.) Funny story: A few years ago, I had two ladies fighting over the last box of truffles. The one lady had started writing me a check, but the other one just threw the cash on the table, grabbed the box and ran. (I was thinking about getting a body guard after that last show!) I didn't think my truffles warranted a yelling match in a public venue, but whatever. Chocolate can make people crazy. So beware. HTH-- Andrea

This is going to sound awful, in comparison to all the wonderful decadent cakes you all listed.....but, in Michigan, we used to have Bill Knapp's restaurants all over. If you went on your birthday, you'd get a little 6" chocolate cake with THICK chocolate fudge frosting. OMGOSH... I could've eaten that for breakfast, lunch and dinner! I don't know what the secret was to that moist, rich chocolately lovliness--or that super thick fudgey naughtiness....but dang! That is the stuff that childhood memories (and a big butt) are made of. And, another great example of "opposites attract": Hubby's favorite- was Angel Food cake; iced with simple icing, then topped with fresh strawberries and sugar.

This post got my attention, because I did this not too long ago. When we were nearing Father's Day, I worked on a slabbed ganche, dark chocolate (72%) with Guinness Extra Stout. I kid you not, it only took 4-5 TBS of the beer to make itself stand out against the chocolate. And, I even tested it on a few folks. The first fellow picked it out right away- even named the exact beer. That told me, it was strong enough. I hand dipped them in the 72%, and garnished them with caramelized crushed pretzels and beer nuts. The candy shop nicknamed it "The Bartender's Truffle". With beer, pretzels and beer nuts. I guess that makes sense. There are a couple micro-brew co's in our area, and the most local one carries a stronger brew (The Widow-maker), which is comparable to the Guinness. So, that will be my next venture, but using the same formula as the Guinness. I did one using an amber ale with milk chocolate. The brew had caramel undertones, so it worked well with the milk chocolate. I wasn't crazy about- but everyone else enjoyed it. If you can get ahold of the "mixologist" at the brewery, they can give you some ideas as to which ones they believe will work better, due to certain undertones, --and they will certainly tell you which ones to stay the heck away from. Some companies- are willing to collaborate, and offer to make up a special brew for you. Off topic a little, but if you have caramel lovers nearby, you can do a reduction using the beer, and add that in near the end of the caramel process. (You could even do reduction for the truffles, I'd imagine.) I make confections for a local candy/upscale liquor shop, and one day, they handed me two bottles of Ichabod Pumpkin ale, while asking me "Can you turn this into caramel?" So, I did. It wasn't super-firm, so I ended up using it as a filling in for the milk chocolate caramels. But, wow...the pumpkin and nutmeg were quite noticeable at the finish. I reduced 8 oz down to 3 Tablespoons for the caramel formula. HTH....Andrea

Got a couple requests at the shop yesterday for a bacon-flavored, chocolate covered caramel. While I remain puzzled with this whole 'bacon-ized confection' thing, I'm intrigued at the prospect of trying it out with a caramel. Has anyone had a successful experience with bacon-caramels? (It sounds strange asking such a thing, but- its all about the customers- not me.) My initial thought is to use my regular caramel recipe, and sub in some rendered bacon-drippings in place of a portion of the butter. Not sure that would give enough bacon-flavor. So, I am thinking--once the caramels are enrobed, crushing up the fried bacon and using it in place of the sea salt flakes as a garnish. A second variation on this is to make a batch using peppered bacon. Any thoughts, advice, and/or warnings would be most appreciated! Lior....those caramels look delectable! :+) Andrea

JimD, I quit washing molds so often. My personal experience is that washing made things worse. I found that, after washing/drying, in order to get a clean release and nice finish, I'd either have to buff each cavity with plain cocoa butter- (which was a major pain in the neck), or just polish the heck out of them after I washing- and only get marginal results. I even experimented with different soaps, etc- still nothing good came of it. One day, when I reached my wits' end...I grabbed my hairdryer and warmed the mold, polished everything off with either cotton pads or cotton gloves, used a Qtip to go through the grooves, and now...I am a much happier person. I've had no sticking problems whatsoever since beginning that process. No washing. Just blow dry, and wipe it clean. And the results are great. My little pink Conair became my new best friend. As for tempering the cocoa butter, I'd echo what KeyChris said. I don't test the cocoa butter, nor do I really temper it by the book. I checked the temp the first couple times to make sure I wasn't getting it too hot. Now, I only take the estimated amount I need, use a funny looking thick spoon, and warm it over a low flame on my stove. I stir it around with a toothpick, make sure everything is thoroughly melted and liquid-y, and then let the spoon rest on a quartz board until I'm ready to use it. Most of the time, I use the airbrush (which I heat up over the flame as well), or splatter it with a little paintbrush. I chill the molds for about 10 min before splattering or spraying, then chill them again after spraying or splattering. As long as I watch the clock, and take them out within 10 mins or so, I don't seem to have trouble with condensation. Not sure if any of that will help, but thought I'd throw it out there anyway. (Unorthodox, perhaps. But, I never went to school for this- so I just go with whatever yields the best results.) Hope that helps ya! Andrea

Playing around with molds this week...came up with this offering for the shop and hotel.... The little hearts with the pink and blue foot prints were a special order for a baby shower. She wanted all heart-shape; 4 different fillings, and both pink and blue feet. (Oreo)

Round 2: The sea shell is Marron/Orchata in 38%; dusting of Magenta lustre dust and a hit of pearl PME spray. The green/white is Key Lime/Limoncello in Soie Blanche -35%; random spray of Green Sphene cocoa butter.

Jim, Here is the link to the molds... http://www.nycake.com/search.aspx?find=Polycarbonate+mold The pumpkin one is the 3rd from the left on the top row; the apple one is the 3rd from the left on the bottom row. The apple one is actually a swirled dome mold, that is designed to be used opposite the way I used it. I've used it properly for other bonbons, but this time I just reversed it. To get the finished product to set still, you can heat up the blade of a small knife, and just press it gently against the dome/tip to flatten it a bit, then it won't wobble. (Yes, I am a little unorthodox in my ways.... but it worked. ) Another thought for the apple flavor is to use boiled cider. KAF used to carry it online. I haven't tried it, but I believe that would be a good alternative- or use in conjunction with the apple flavoring. Having increased the amount from the original recipe, I can definitely taste the apple now. It took some fooling with to get that flavor right. I just increased the amount by a couple drops at a time, until I achieved the taste I was after. I think the cinnamon really helped, also. The pumpkin in white chocolate sounds amazing! Mmmmm! Enjoy! Andrea

okay....New York Cake is where I got both molds. I will find the links, but I was able to narrow down where they came from. They're around $18-$20 each. The flavoring for the apple is the Lorann oils Apple flavor. I purchased that at Bakedeco.com It works fine, but you need to add about 3 times the amount called for in the Shott's recipe. (I'd bet a splash of apple schnapps would help things along too!) The flavor came through nicely, and the cinnamon kind of re-affirmed the apple taste. Hope that helps! Have a great night! Andrea

OH! Sorry GFron! I thought that was Kerry's heart. It is absolutely stunning!!!

Thank you, Jim! Yes, you are correct. The top one is Shott's Candy Apple. I tweeked it by adding in a little more apple and a tiny pinch of cinnamon to the ganache; and candied the almonds prior to finishing. Apple and cinnamon goes hand in hand around here...so I couldn't resist adding it! The mold used was slightly different than Shott's, but it was the closest one I had. The second one was a concoction I had been mulling around in my head for a couple weeks. I wanted to do something with pumpkin puree- for fall. So, the ganache is a combination of 38% milk chocolate (E. Guittard), pumpkin puree, ginger/cinnamon/cloves, and a splash of brandy. I started with a wet sand (sugar and water), let it cook until it started to brown and smoke (for some caramel flavor), then strained in the HWC/pumpkin puree/glucose. Mixed it like heck, and poured it over the chocolate. Splashed in a little brandy, and achieved the YUM-factor I was after. (There is a bit of kick to it, as the spice mixture 50% ginger.) So, I live in the UP of Michigan, otherwise known as "the Copper Country" because of vast amounts of copper mined here. So, copper coloring - and name- seemed natural. I wasn't sure whether to go entirely with copper or add some orange, so first I sprayed the mold with orange cocoa butter, then cast it with milk chocolate, etc. After I popped it out of the mold, I decided to given them all a light brush with the copper. And, that's how it ended up with its name. The mold is from either Bake Deco/Kerekes or NYCake. I ordered molds from both companies at the same time, and most of the molds weren't in boxes- so no labels or anything. I don't remember which company it came from, but I tend to think it was NYCake. It is a very large cavity though. (Finished, each piece weighs a little over 1 ounce.) There are 10 cavities per mold. And, I think is was only about $20 or less. Hope that helps some. Once I complete this evening's projects, (and providing one of my kids will take pics), I will attempt to post the Key Lime, Oreo, and Shimmering Shells (Marrons/Orchata) tomorrow. Now that I know how to actually post pictures, this is kinda fun! :+) Thanks again for compliment! Andrea

Okay...well, these aren't nearly as gorgeous as Kerry's heart---love that shine! But, I was really encouraged when I dropped them off at the shop and received from very enthusiastic comments.... so here goes:

That is absolutely AMAZING!!! We're huge LOTR fans over here...and that cake just blows me away!!! You are truly blessed with such incredible talent, Elizabeth! WOW. WOW. WOW.

Franci, that looks absolutely divine! Enjoy!

Well, I just sorta ran with it after I read Pastrygirl's advice. It turned out FABULOUS! The thing that amazed me about it was absolutely NO specks in the caramel...not even on the bottom of the pan! I was in total disbelief, because even with the original recipe I'd still get a few specks. The texture was the same as the original- very silky, no graininess, doesn't stick to the teeth (I love that!). I tweeked the original recipe to only use half the water for this one. Other than that, it worked exactly the same. I am so grateful for your suggestion!!! THANK YOU! Janeer, I will heed your advice for the next time around. I got going on it before you posted. And, the syrup producer lives right down the road from me, so I can get the grade B or C directly from him. Thank you! You know, I was really tempted to do the honey caramel last night too, but my feet were killing me after chasing cattle all day--and I could stand no longer. That might be a project for this afternoon or on Monday. I will post once I get that one done, too. Thank you again for all your expertise! It is very much appreciated! Andrea

Thank you so much for suggestions, Pastrygirl! I haven't quite figured out the metric conversion for the whole recipe. Its one of those older ones that's been "written" in my head for a while. (And, I've tweeked it a few times to reach that perfect texture and flavor. I really need to get all that down on paper!) Sounds like, for now- I need to whittle this down, and try something small first. Off to the kitchen! Thanks again for your help with this!!! Much appreciated! Andrea

Two cups.

I've had a few requests for maple syrup caramels. This is a new one for me. Anyone had any successful experiences with this, or words of wisdom before I embark on this adventure? My plan was to replace half of the corn syrup portion with locally produced, grade A maple syrup. Does that sound about right? (I also had requests for a honey-caramel, so I plan to use the same formula- replacing half the corn syrup with honey.) I'm not afraid to try new things, but this could be a costly little experiment if I screw it up. Any help or wisdom you'd care to impart would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks, in advance. Andrea

Oh wow...that sounds great, too. We live so far north- on the Keweenaw Peninsula- that we rarely get anything really interesting like that. That's why I was so intrigued with the Pluots. (Thimbleberries are about as rare and delicious as far as local fruit is concerned.) I think I'm going to check L'Epicierie and see if they have any purees from some more interesting fruits and then toy around. Ah, so much to experiment with....so little time! Thank you both for the ideas and advice! Much appreciated!!!! Andrea

WOW, I never thought of drying them! Thank you for the idea and advice! . I've made Shotts' Raspberry Wasabi truffles before, with the two layers. (Wow, those are delish- only with more wasabi!) I was contemplating a similar approach with the pluots, by making the puree, pressing through mesh, adding the powdered sugar, cooking it down a bit, etc,... and either doing the PdF, or adding the puree right into the dark chocolate. PdF sounds better, and more promising. Well, now I have something to work with. Thank you again, and if I have any great success---I will post! Have a wonderful day! Andrea

So....I was wandering through the produce section this evening and noticed Pluots. Never heard of them before. They looked interesting enough that I bought a couple )each) of the orange and purple varietiIes. I'm curious to learn if anyone has had any great success with these little marvels, and morphing them into some kind of ganache - soft or firm, and what the heck kind of chocolate would work with something "very sweet and tangy"? I tend to gravitate towards dark chocolate for almost everything- but I don't know how mild or strong the flavor is. Can it stand up to dark chocolate---say 72% or so? Just curious....I'd love to hear about your experiments with the pluot! thanks so much! Must clean up the workshop now. It looks like a bunch of Oompa Loompas got loose and had a food fight in here. Andrea