Susanne Hindle Kher

Oh, I forgot to ask...are basically just heating the chocolate to 110, and not worrying about the "overtemper" thing? And how long do you wait before spreading the ganache (does it even matter once the chocoalte has set)? Thanks!

That's pretty awesome, great photos. I am getting the impression that there aren't health hazards with smoking, like there would be with an actual infusion of the leaves in a liquid. I appreciate this link.

Thanks Phillipe. Looks like the 3 variations each are applying smoke to a different ingredient (cream, chocolate or both). So, I am thinking the smoke is applied as cold smoke, rather than infusing in the cream? This probably would not have health effects - was this mentioned. By the way, this is great blog (luckily, I speak German as I'm from Austria...partly). Thanks again!

Thanks Jim. On a side note, does the guitar save you time? I spend A LOT of time measuring and cutting :-)

Good luck on your chocolate making adventure. I think the best advice is to be patient and be prepared to make the same recipes over and over again to get them just right and to build your skill. Don't be discouraged by any less-than-perfect batches - it's part of the learning process (this is art and science combined!). Keep posting photos and questions, this is community is extremely supportive and eager to help!

Please share your experiences once you get it. That's a nice looking gadget!

I use and love both Edwald Notter's (Art of the Chocolatier) and Peter Greweling's (Chocolates & Confections) books on making chocolate confections. But sometimes I wonder about different advice each of these experts gives. Case in point: the chocolate pre-coating on slabbed ganache before it's cut. Greweling says to slab the ganache, allow it to crystalize and then apply a thin coat of tempered dark chocolate at 86 F on top of that. Notter says to first apply a thin coat of overtempered chocolate - hot (95 F to 100 F) - to acetate, then lay down the frame and pour/slab the ganache. I've tried both, and like aspects of both. Here are my issues. (Note that I use a knife as I don't have a guitar cutter.) I'm attaching two photos to illustrate. 1) Tempered chocolate at 86 F method seems to result in chocolate that's harder to spread (thickens as it cools) and seems to break quite easily when cutting, compared to the overtempered 95-100 F chocolate method. However I've had varying degrees of success with "overtempered" since I'm never quite sure if I've achieved overtempered or just out-of-temper chocolate. The chocolate is easier to spread at the higher heat, but sometimes it gets streaks all over and is just hideous. But when I get it right, it is noticeably easier to cut. 2) Additionally, as I don't have a guitar and I find acetate to be a bit spendy, I slab my ganache on parchment paper. When I used Notter's method of first applying overtempered chocolate to the parchment (he says to use acetate), the parchment kind of warps and doesn't stay flat. Perhaps the combination of shrinkage and heat? I use parchment paper because cutting on the acetate damages it, and it's just expensive to use a new sheet for every batch. It's a bit easier to just apply the chocolate to the top of the ganache, in my opinion, rather than applying it as the first layer (though that layer of chocolate on the bottom does hold the bars down nicely). In my photos you'll see one is nicely tempered (Greweling's method), but it cracks so easily when cutting. And you'll see one doesn't crack, but it's clearly not properly tempered as I was aiming for "overtempered." What's your experience? Thanks!!

Hi Andrea, I keep reading and re-reading your message, each time gleaning more from it :-) I hope you don't mind me prying a bit more, but I have some questions. 1) It seems like truffles/chocolate pralines don't sell as much as confections (bark, almonds, fruits, etc.) - did I interpret that correctly? 2) You mentioned that you sell bark by the box - how do you package that in a box and do you price it by weight? 3) You made a LOT of some items I love making - chocolate covered almonds, cherries, etc. Do you have panning equipment or have you devised a clever method for quickly making gobs of these? I have made them for family/friends (so delicious), but always figured I couldn't make it economically enough to sell. Also, I just found out that this "Holiday Boutique" event will bring in around 500 visitors rather than the 1,200 advertised. Thanks!

I love your ideas Chris, thanks!

Thanks! How did customers react?

That's interesting! One recipe I found called for a water infusion using quite a lot of pipe tobacco and the other called for infusing the tobacco in the cream, at much lower quantity. I think I've read enough to make me want to hold off until I figure this out better. Another option *maybe* is using my smoke gun that I use for foods...stick some tobacco in there (normally uses wood chips) and see if it will give a smoky quality to either the chocolate or cream or the ganache (that actually retains its aroma...). Thanks for the thoughts. Customer survival is key to success!

I'm working on a ganache recipe that uses pipe tobacco infused either in water or with the cream. I've pulled together a few recipes and they sure vary widely on the amount of tobacco to use. None of them address how much nicotine actually ends up in the ganache - and I read a post (http://www.artofdrink.com/blog/nicotini-tobacco-infusions/) that makes me want to be absolutely sure I know this before offering it to anyone. Do any of you have experience with this? I'd love to hear your thoughts. I tasted a truffle from Vosges that had a tobacco infusion and it was good - barely noticable, just enough.

That would definitely engage customers a lot more! Thanks

Oh how I wish I had a guitar :-) These are great ideas and tips, thanks so much!

Funny you mention that about free samples. I was just talking to a woman tonight who used to sell at craft fairs and such and she said that if you're not careful some people will eat the whole plate of samples and buy nothing. She suggested cutting truffles or pralines into quarters and keep only a few at a time out for samples, to make it seem like something special (rather than something to be devoured). It's really interesting that the sales vary so much - sounds like there's just no good way to estimate this. Somehow I'd thought this might be like advertising or direct mail, where you can "guesstimate" that xx% of people who walk by will buy something. Thanks for the suggestions.

That's a good point - some people may not understand that there's a "best by" date for preservative-free confections.

Very cool!

Andrea, you're amazing. Thank you so much! I suspect your chocolates must also be very good and beautiful to generate such fervor! I can only hope to have such an experience. Your tips are exactly what I was hoping for. Can't thank you enough!

Great tip! Thanks.

Thanks Matthew. I read in a different thread on holiday bazaars to limit the different types of products to no more than 12. I'm still figuring out which chocolates I make best and will offer those types at the bazaar.

I'm just starting out, so I don't have a customer base or name recognition. And with Thanksgiving right after this event, I have a feeling I won't have too much trouble finding homes for at least 100 chocolates. But, ideally, I'd rather not have lots of leftovers. My goal with this event is really to better understand customers and their tastes and buying preferences. Thanks for your insights.

I have my first holiday bazaar gig and am very excited. It occurred to me that I have no idea how many chocolates to make for this fair. They estimate 1500 attendance and it's at a private club (golf course, spa, etc). How do you estimate quantities? I did read through an excellent thread on the topic of fairs, but didn't come across formulas or strategies for estimating how much. Thanks.

Great suggestions. Thanks.

Wow, that's interesting. I have seen beer caramels, but that could be expensive to reduce down already expensive craft beers by 90%!! Sounds like yours were a hit!

That's pretty awesme that you've got your very own brewmaster!!! I agree, the whole chocolate and beer combination is challenging. I am finding that sweeter, less hopped fruit beers are better suited. Otherwise it's more a novelty that you've got beer in the ganache (since the taste needs to be mild to be palatable).