GRiker

Happy to share! I studied the ideas posted here about making this filling. Then I went online to see what I could learn there. I distilled it down to four different recipes plus the suggestions about caramelized sugar, white chocolate and the thoughts on pistachio paste vs butter. I found a couple middle eastern stores where I could buy kataifi - much cheaper than Amazon and close. I chopped the kataifi into pretty small pieces and toasted them in ghee. One of the stores had pistachio paste. Ingredient list taught me that it was 30% pistachios plus milk powder, sugar, vegetable oils, vanilla and soy lecithin. I decided I'd rather use 100% pistachio butter and add my own additions. I bought my pistachio butter from Fiddyment Farms as @Jim D. recommended. I combined my pistachio butter with pulverized caramelized sugar and tahini. I liked the idea of adding chocolate for flavor and body. It also mimics the pistachio paste - adding oil, sugar and milk powder but where I control ratios myself. I thought white chocolate would be too sweet so used Callebaut Gold chocolate. I combined the pistachio butter mix with the melted gold chocolate. Added toasted kataifi and a touch of silk from my EZ Temper at proper temp. Then piped into my dome molds. Piping was easier than I expected. I cut the opening about 1 cm, then used one hand to open and close the bag filling the cavity. The first attempt was good, but second attempt was better with more pistachio, less chocolate.

The Ruby was a great fit. I have made a previous iteration of that filling molded into white chocolate. The filling was good, but overall pretty sweet. The ruby added a nice tartness that complemented the lime. I still have some ruby left to use. Will need to come up with another complimentary flavor. Indeed. The business is getting started. 🙂 It's a cottage business and I'm slowing getting the business pieces together. I decided that if I waited to start until everything was perfect, I never would. So, I'm learning and developing as I go. I owe lots of my inspiration to @Jim D. for the idea of making chocolates on my schedule which allowed me to make it work for my current circumstances.

While past performance is no guarantee of future results, what has been the cost in past years?

Found a better design for my Ruby Lime Coconut Highlights the ruby color nicely.

First attempt at a Dubai bon bon.

First time working with Ruby Chocolate. I was worried but they all released easily! Still working on the decorating, but was very happy with the flavor - Coconut and Lime in White Chocolate.

Thanks for that info @Jim D.. I don't have a melanger, but I suppose if the hard carmel still has some small bits in it, they'll get lost in the crunch of the filling anyway. I'll have to get some ingredients and start experiments. Hoping to have some ready by the end of January. I have a couple local middle eastern markets so I'll see if they have any kataifi there and maybe they'll have some Sicilian pistachio paste as well. If not, Amazon seems to sell a popular brand. Thanks for the suggestions for the California pistachio butter. I'm also looking to make bon bons, not bars.

Thanks @RWood for the clarification. Were you able to find that product locally or did you buy it online? I do see it on Amazon.

Following the discussion about the Dubai Bar with interest. Tasted this for the first time at the Dallas Chocolate Festival in September at Kate Weiser’s booth. Just had a customer a couple weeks ago request that I make it and justust started looking into how to make it. I see some people online are using pistachio butter/paste (pistachios ground into a paste) some are using pistachio cream (which appears to be a sweetened butter/paste). @RWood I see you’re buying pistachio paste. Is that pistachio paste just unsweetened ground pistachios? Anyone using pistachio cream? Is anyone making their own ground pistachio butter/paste? @Jim D. you said the Dubai bar is essentially a gianduja. Are you mixing the pistachio paste with chocolate?

I’ve also used my immersion blender to beat the unmelted chocolate bits into submission! I find it useful for older chocolate that doesn’t want to liquify even when at temperature.

I’ve never been to a chocolate and confectionary workshop so don’t really know how these things run, but it’s in my backyard. Count me in and I’ll figure it out!

@Kerry Beal @gfweb @curls Thanks for the responses. Sounds like I’m not the only one who thought it was an unusual strategy. That said, we were in one hour before they closed on Christmas Eve and they did have several customers come in and purchase while we were there. I only heard one comment about prices - something about a larger quantity of truffle box being a better value than a smaller box.

Thinking about pricing…I’m in a tourist town on vacation. Went to the local chocolate shop to check it out and try something new. From a google review several months ago I knew their products had no prices on them. Their online response was that they were moving to a new system. When I asked them about it in person they said they were going to some kind of barcode where customers could scan it if they wanted to know the price. At the same time they explained that high end chocolate shops don’t mark their goods and implied that they were going to work under that model. I’ve probably been to more chocolate shops than average but am not generally a high end shopper so I don’t know much about that market. I understand that chocolates are a luxury but it does feel like not making prices readily available excludes all but the customers who don’t think about how much something costs. Is that pricing strategy one you’ve heard of before? Does anyone here use that strategy and if so, why?

Those are so beautiful! What’s inside and how did you get the coconut to stick so evenly on the outside?

Happy to once again have found this useful information on the forum. Also decided to try a fabricator in my area looking for a scrap piece. I was looking for a particular color on which to take some pictures of chocolates then was planning to have it on the table in my workspace. Found a 33" x 27.5" x 1 1/8" just the right color, Alaska White. Looks like it was going to be installed - all the edges are polished and the corners are softened - but there was a chip on the bottom of one of the edges. Wasn't free, but at only $20 was a bargain. So grateful for everyone who shares what they learn!

Update: Just ordered a Cocoa Barry 6.6 pound container from Pike Global Foods this morning. Wholesale application to Pike was quick and easy. Pricing delivered to TX was $17.38/pound. I waited until now to order as we are finally dipping below 80 degrees F! When I looked this morning Canadian Vanilla Food Company's cocoa butter was sold out.

I used a Blue Stripe chocolate bar as part of a chocolate tasting experience with some friends. No one liked it, including me. It all sounded good on paper but if it's objectionable to eat it's a waste.

Guittard makes a 72% coconut sugar wafer, Sante. I've hand dipped with it and it's pretty nice. They are selling chip version of this at the grocery store in a blue bag. Guittard also makes a sugar free (malitol) milk and dark chocolate. I haven't had these. These links just to go a store I know carries it. You may be able to find it somewhere else less expensive.

@pastrygirl Thanks for all those suggestions about places to look. ~$20/pound is more reasonable. @Saltychoc I submitted a wholesale application to Pike Global Foods so I'll see what shipping is to me. Thanks for the lead. @AAQuesada I have been to Restaurant Depot in Austin. Last time I was there they only had Callebaut chocolate and I think they also had cocoa powder. My Guittard rep told me that right now they are not selling the smaller tubs of cocoa butter (7.5 lb x 2) so I think that only the 40 pound pail is the only size available for Guittard, unless someone is repackaging it. I am placing a bulk Guittard order next week, so I could buy the pail, it would just take me too long to use it all so it doesn't make sense to buy that much. Edited to add: I'd be open to buying the 40# pail at Guittard and repackaging and shipping to anyone at cost. Let me know if you'd be interested in this. I'm comparing prices and seeing if I can get a wholesale account at Pike. Does seem like pricing is still on its way up. I did read that the harvest that started October 1 is expected to be better than last year, but still down from previous years.

I’m thinking about where to buy my next batch of cocoa butter. Several years ago I purchased 14 pounds from Guittard when I did a bulk chocolate order. Last year I paid $32 for 5.5 pounds from Chef Rubber. This year they want $250 for the same amount. Guittard’s minimum container size this year is 40 pounds at about $10/pound. Chef Rubber is way more than I want to pay, but Guittard is way more than I need. Anyone have a more reasonably priced source for cocoa butter where you don’t have to buy so much? Where are you sourcing your cocoa butter?

@Elle Bee, When you make your pate de fruits, do you use a refractometer or do you cook to temp only?

Agreed. I have only a few types. One that shape that is a pain and your hemisphere mold that I have to work with carefully because the piece sometimes wants to come out before I’m ready for it to. Quite the contrast.

The piping dot on the heart made me think they were piped on, but the symmetry made me think otherwise. They look so nice.

Those are beautiful! What did you use for the small pink heart on the dark square? Did you just pipe it on when you were finished?

My new guitar needed 10 new bolts/nuts. They run $6 each from TCF Sales. My resourceful husband spec'ed out the nuts and bolts, ordered replacements and drilled holes in them for about $2 each. (Price doesn't include the cost of a couple new drill bits!) Here's the specs: Metric Socket Cap Stainless Steel M6x25mm bolt Nut, Metric Stainless Steel M6-1.00 Also just to circle back around, I ended up with 22 gauge (0.65mm/0.025in) Stainless 316L wire. Decided I know I'm going to attempt to cut a thin soft caramel with this guitar so I went a little thicker than standard.