Gentastic

Tri2Cook, I totally hear you. I have no problem sucking down a Hershey bar when the mood hits. I'm not ashamed. I don't think anyone should be ashamed of anything they eat. I know that people have different taste preferences. I'm just trying to get a gauge on the best balance to suit an unknown variety of people. My personal grievence with the "it's too sweet/it's too rich" trend is the persons need to announce on a blog somewhere how rich the dessert was and how they could only eat one bite. I wish. The sweetness of the white chocolate doesn't bother me...it's that it is overpowering the flavors I'm putting into it. Kerry & pastry cook have pointed me in the right direction with layering and concentrated purees.

Since I'm still experimenting, I don't want to get super expensive chocolate. There are a lot of screwups in the gentastic kitchen. Callebaut is affordable and I don't feel as badly when I pour a pound of it in the trash. So a mid-range, non-revolting white chocolate is what I'm after. I think I just named my next candy! "Mid-range, non-revolting white chocolate ganache enrobed in an slightly less abhorrent shell." pastrygirl, your explanation of layering was more detailed than I've seen so far. Most recipes I've seen have layers of multiple types of fruits and flavors. Now I understand that to achieve the maximum effect, I need to use a variety of the one flavor I'm after (similar to using orange juice and orange zest). Regarding white chocolate preferences, I think it's just a matter of the people you're making things for. When I make candy, I get requests for "ooohhh..white chocolate this or that" before any thing else. And the commercials are always touting something fancy and romantical with white chocolate. So in my current, slightly limited user group, people love it. Flavors or I tried tonight: smoked sea salt (both dissolved and just stirred in) - this was a white chocolate I would lick off the spoon. Mmm. Thank you curls! Lemongrass w/ginger, ancho pepper & lime zest (rolled in coconut flakes) - kinda weird, but it did cover up the white chocolate taste. Caramel Rum - TBD I'm intrigued by the salty flavors curls told me. I want to try soy sauce tomorrow.

Curls, those are some interesting flavors you have there. Never would I have thought of fish and white chocolate. Wow. There are some adventurous eaters out there! I am going to try the smoked salt now. That sounds like it could mute the white chocolate flavor some. I'm also going to use the freeze dried blueberry I have on hand until I can get out to the store to get some more raspberry. I rolled one batch of guava in freeze dried mango and it turned out pretty nicely. Kinda ugly though. Thank all all of you for your suggestions!

I will have to work on my layering technique. I'm not entirely sure how it's done, but I have books and Google. And egullet. I've tried other white chocolates..not many since I hate it, but out of necessity I've tried finding the least objectionable one. Ghirardelli chips were the worst tasting things I've ever had. Can I mute the flavor of the white chocolate by adding cocoa butter? I welcome any flavor suggestions. I'm curious about "salty" being added to white chocolate.

I like some of both, so I will use your suggestion. My two tasters are my husband and daughter. My husband has the tastebuds of a hummingbird (regardless of taste, if it's disgustingly sweet, he loves it). And my daughter will eat anything candy flavored that isn't citrus or nutty. They're both useless!

Ok, sorry if I post a lot in the next few days. I'm a hobby candy maker, but someone asked me to make candy for their clients, so I'm trying to put my best chocolate covered foot forward (seriously...chocolate is everywhere). In your opinion do you find that people prefer the sweet candy (probably like the candy shops you find at tourist locations, fudge shops, etc.)? Or would they rather honestly have the bitter, dark chocolate without very sweet fillings? Or somewhere in the middle (which is where I'm leaning right now)?

First, hi all. I'm a new to posting, but I've browsed the site on and off for a long time. All of your candy is way beyond my level of experience and I hope one day mine will be that pretty. Secondly, I hate white chocolate. But I understand people lurrrrveeee it, so I try to use it in at least one or two chocolates that I make. It gives me headaches. My problem is this -how do you get the flavor into the white chocolate without the white chocolate overpowering the flavor added? I've tried infusing the cream for days, reduced purées, extracts, jams...it all just has that gross white chocolate taste and barely any flavor. The only semi-success I've had was by adding an entire block of guava paste. I don't mind experimenting and throwing stuff away, if someone could point me in the right direction that would be so very helpful. **right now I have a giant block of Callebaut white chocolate that I'm using. I've tried raspberry, key lime, black raspberry, passionfruit, chai and mango (indivually..not a combination). Maybe those are just bad flavors to use.