GRiker

Thanks for your insight! I think I understand the different equipment used now. Kind of like learning a new language! @Chocolot in this thread a couple times @Jim D. mentioned you've figured out a way to save your overspray, would you mind sharing it? Having read through this entire forum I know JimD has been using the Cake Safe cocoa butter spray booth with a respirator. Some have tried home made booths with limited success. @pastrygirl and @Chocolot seems like you are doing quite a bit of spraying, what are your most successful ways to contain the cocoa butter that doesn't go on your molds?

I snatched me up this used EZ Temper and now feel like I am cheating every time I temper up a batch of chocolate! I love that it's quiet and I generally keep it on all the time. Then if I have an occasion to need some tempered chocolate, it just takes a few minutes. Love it!

This is a pistachio crunch made in a CW 1157. I'm having an issue with a hairline crack along the base of the molded piece. In my first batch of this flavor I had quite a few of them, and also had a really hard time unmolding about 1/4-1/3 of them. I decided the shell was too thin. Second time around I made the shell thicker and while I had almost all the bon bons release easily, but a full 1/3 of them still have this hairline crack. Luckily, I was taking a tray to an event where they would be eaten immediately so I used the ones with cracks. but, I do wonder what is causing them and more importantly how to avoid them in the future. Any suggestions? Second, I mentioned that almost all of them released easily. I had one tray where about 7 of the 21 wouldn't release. My process is to shell, let start to crystallize, refrigerate ( at around 50 - 55F), fill when filling is 84F, refrigerate then let sit out a few minutes before capping and refrigerating when the cap starts to crystallize. Then I often just leave them for an hour or so while I clean up then I unmold. I was thrilled that they almost all unfolded with no smacking of the mold necessary. Except these few. I could see from the other side that they had not at all released from the mold. My experience has taught me that it's better to put them back in the fridge for a while than to smack them on the counter. So back into the fridge. After another hour or so they came right out. The curious thing is that these are the shiniest pieces. I tried to get a picture, but getting one of shininess comparison didn't work. Anyway, al the other pieces look great to the untrained eye, but the 7 that wouldn't unfold are much shinier. Any insight as to why that might be? Really, I'd like them all to be that shiny, but not to have them be so difficult to remove.

So what you're saying here is that had you a larger capacity compressor that you may have just gotten a spray gun to use with that larger compressor. Instead of the Fuji system. Is the Fuji considered a spray gun or an air brush?

Doesn't the Fuji have is own turbine system that replaces a compressor? When I looked at the size compressors being recommended to get enough compression for the Fuji, then compared it to the turbine system that comes with the Q4, I thought that space and noise considerations could be one reason to lean towards the Fuji system. Could one attached the Grex gun to the Q4 turbine?

I'm in! Sounds fun. I would love to lean new techniques for non-spray decorations. I see some beautiful work with that, but my own repertoire is pretty limited. I'm interested in pate de fruit and putting it in bonbons, as well as tips and tricks for working more efficiently. I’d also love to make fondant and cream centers from scratch. I’ve only ever done mint patties and would be happy to learn that technique.

@RWood What’s the consistency of your pistachio butter/cream? My 100% pistachio butter is quite thick - not quite as thick as commercial peanut butter but just a little thinner than the natural varieties. I decreased my chocolate it was a little too firm.

I was just looking for them last week and couldn't. If they are closed, that explains why.

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.