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Hello All I am a student and need to begin preparation for the class final project which is a decorative centerpiece. The medium to be used include chocolate, pastillage, pate morte and cast sugar as these are the class topics. Any other medium that I have learned to use could also be included. The class has just started but I want to work early. How do I implement the design process? Any input that you have would be appreciated. Please include any books, websites, articles etc. Thanks.

The Ideas in Food people did it. I read about a white chocolate and creme fraiche consomme on another site. They don't give any detailed (or even vague) information about what they actually did on either site so I'm going to figure it out for myself or (even better) with some help from folks here that have already done it or have some ideas for it. I'm going to start with the most basic and obvious version, water and white chocolate, and go from there. Please join in. If you have ideas but don't have the time or the desire to experiment, throw them in here anyway.

Just ordered the most recent issue (2:2) of cocoaroma magazine, looks like its only been out for a year? I was considering ordering all the back issues if it was worth the read and the $$. Any of you have any input?? Thanks in Advance,

I have been hoodwinked into participating in our local chocolate festival again. The festival consists of several dozen restaurants, farms, resort pastry chefs producing sweet as well as savory chocolate items. We are each asked to produce 500- 1000 pieces. There will be a judged competition (the judges are usually local, well known chefs) and a people's choice competition. The overwhelming critieria is the quality and strength of/potency of chocolate flavor. There are also points for presentation. The resort chefs usually do a mini-plated dessert. The winning entry last year was exquisite molded chocolates. The year before that a 7th grader won with a "Chocolate Shot" drink. I own a small bakery/cafe; we do panini sandwiches, salads etc.. as well as almost three dozen sweet items. Here is what I'm leaning toward: Chocoate Panini : chocolate brioche, schmear of caramel sauce, semi-sweet chocolate pistoles, grilled w/butter panini style topped w/a squiggle of vanilla creme and a sprinkle of finely crushed mac nut brittle. OR "Oreo" bar: three different flavored mini oreos (vanilla (traditional), espresso, chocolate) served w/ ice cold milk ( I have these really cute white ceramic beverage dispensers ) The oreos are tremendously popular at the shop but I am SO OVER them! on the other hand I don't actually sell the chocolate panini at the shop..... OK, so which one? TIA!

Say I want to make a regular cooky chocolate. Can I just add some cocoa to the flour mixture? I was thinking it might add an interesting layer of flavor to chocolate chip cookies, but didn't want to go all the way to full fledged chocolate chocolate chip with melted chocolate. If I can do this, do I need to make any adjustments to the amount of other stuff. And how much should I add to a cooky made with, say, 2 c. flour? Ta! Kim

At risk of asking a silly question, I have someone who is looking for "high quality nonpareil chocolates." I thought that had something to do with the Kosher process, but when I looked up the definition of the word, her request became redundant since technically nonpareil means unparalleled quality. So what does this term mean in this context? And if its a legitimate term, does anyone have recommendations for such a thing? Thanks.

Does anyone have any tips on how to cut the sweetness of fondant? When I add maple syrup to flavor it, it becomes really sweet. and since this is going inside chocolates, i feel it is overall to sweet. id like to havea strong maple flavor, but less sweetness. any suggestions?

In a bunch of threads over the last few days, I've come across references to chocolate wholesalers that I'd never heard of before. I don't think there's any single thread where we've all listed our favorite sources, and I know it's a resource I would have found really useful for when I was getting started. So I figured I'd start one. Assouline and Ting - wholesale, no minimum order. Great prices on E. Guittard, also has Valrhona. http://www.icaviar.com/Store/Scripts/prodL...?idCategory=387 Noble Ingredients - Michel Cluizel's USA operation. http://uk.cluizel.com/chocolatier/Retailers/48.html Chocosphere - Big advantage here is huge variety, in both brands and package sizes. But prices are not as good as the others. http://chocosphere.com/ Where do you source your chocolate?

Hello. Does anyone have a fantastic choc spread recipe? I know Wybauw has one-page 228 I think. Did anyone make it? If so, did you use tempered chocolate or just melted choc? I was thinking of his fat based one with just PRA and dark choc. I am looking to cut down on the sweetness of nutella and of course, one that uses great dark choc. Okay, so thanks!

I've got a request to make a football helmet chocolate and would like to use a football helmet mold with a transfer sheet for the decal. Anyone ever do something similar or have suggestions where I could find such a mold? I'd prefer a polycarbonate mold as I may have to make quite a few. Thanks!

here is the info and batch numbers http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/kraft10_07.html

I'm looking to buy big bars of GOOD chocolate (dark chocolate mostly, from El Rey, or Valrhona... I know Gourmet Warehouse does carry big bars of Callebaut, as does Superstore in their bulk section) in Vancouver. Does anyone know any stores I could go to? I tried to e-mail Valrhona's distributor, but I haven't heard from them! Maybe they are not interested in my business. Failing that, what online stores will ship to Canada without too much hassle (e.g. expensive shipping costs, needing my own customs broker, OH GAWD). Thanks for all the help!

I've got a couple bags of Callebaut C811NV when I wanted 811NV. The only difference is that the C811NV had 3% less cocoa butter so I should be able to add it back to achieve the same viscosity. The problem is that I don't know precisely how much cocoa butter there is in the 811NV formula (just the total cocoa mass), so I can't calculate it. I'm looking for how many grams to add per kg of chocolate. I wrote the USA representative for Callebaut but didn't get an answer. Does anyone here know?

Hi, I was wondering if anyone out there has experience in vacuum sealing their chocolates before they are frozen, as mentioned in the Peter Greweling book. Any info, would be greatly appreciated. Luis

Chocolate This is one of a series of compendia that seeks to provide information available in prior topics on eGullet forums. Please feel free to add links to additional threads or posts or to add suggestions. Chocolate tasting 2007 Chocolate Recon Chocolate show 2001- Angelina’s Salon 2005- La Petite Fabrique The end of chocolate Chocolate surprises

Ok, I have a weird, but good desert idea that I want to explore. I can handle the fried egg part of the equation, but have no chocolate experience for the bacon. If you were going to make chocolate into the shape and look of bacon how would you do it? I was thinking you melt dark, reg, and white chocolate and pour out on wax paper. Swirl or streak with a chopstick and then chill. Remove when hardened and cover with a touch of simple syrup foam to look fried. Will that work?

Hi all, I have noticed that most of the mass-market cocoa powders sell in 8 oz containers. Some do have larger ones, such as 1 lb, but few have smaller. Scharffen Berger has a 6 oz container, but Guittard's small one is 8 oz. Domori has a container that is slightly larger than 5 oz. My question is this: How many of you use your full 8 oz container within a reasonable amount of time, let's say 2-3 months maximum? This is keeping in mind that the shelf life of cocoa powder in terms of "best flavor" is quite a bit shorter than for solid chocolate. Would a consistently smaller container actually help you to keep fresher powder on hand (let's say 3-5 oz)? Or, would you find a smaller container annoying in that you would use it up much too quickly. Personally I have found that I end up having a too-large container sitting around for much longer than is good for aroma and flavor quality of the cocoa powder. I would much rather have smaller containers available. However, I may not use cocoa powder as much as some of you, which is why I'm specifically asking for opinions here in the Pastry & Baking forum. All comments are welcome. Best,

Hey everyone, Does anyone have a favorite for flavoring their chocolate? The more I research this, the more flavor options I find, the more confused I get! Thanks!!

When I was working in Mexico City one of our clients was Chocolates Turin. They produced spectacularly good chocolate in many variations, not just plain. Has anyone seen them for sale in the US of A?

Wow, I’ve been reading through numerous threads here and just have no idea where to begin…I guess the beginning is always a good spot! I’m brand spankin’ new to the world of pastry and baking (outside the occasional chocolate chip oatmeal cookie which ends up mostly gone before I get to the baking part), but totally into learning about it…especially about chocolates. I’ve tried my hand at making a few different kinds of truffles. I can follow directions pretty well, so they typically turn out tasting pretty good. However, when I try to freelance and make a flavor for which a good recipe is not readily available (French vanilla for instance) it takes the crash and burn approach (then multiple trial runs before it gets to be even remotely palatable). Books and chocolate…those are the questions I have my mind on right now. What are the best books for a beginner which contain more than just an overview and recipes? I have read Making Artisan Chocolates which was a nice introduction, but it doesn’t have great depth of detail. Give me some classroom style material that tells me the whys and hows of the way things cook. I’ve read a lot of threads on the best chocolates to use: Valrhona, E. Guittard, Scharffen Berger, etc… The only problem I have is where to get them. I live in Southwest Michigan, halfway between Chicago and Detroit, and I know of no where that sells these chocolates. I am probably missing some obvious places, but not coming from a food/restaurant background I do not even know where to start. Is the net a good place to buy chocolate? So far in my experiments I have used Ghirardelli chocolates to make my truffles since it is readily available. I see that may not be the best approach for a few reasons; the flavor and quality does not compare (though I have not yet been able to sample the higher end brands), and the retail cost is more per pound for the Ghirardelli than some of the prices listed here for the higher end chocolates (if you know where to get them). So there ya go, that’s the beginning, an introduction, and a few questions to boot. Any input would be greatly appreciated for this beginning chocolatier. Thanks. Mike.

This is a chocolate carol, by David Avshalom, with pictures of chocolates to go with the lyrics Here Chocolate

I am wondering if anyone knows what kind of couverature Purdy's uses for there chocolates? I am doing research for an upcoming presentation and I can't remember what they use. I have emailed them but I need the answer sooner then later! Thanks for your help.

Okay, I’ve made some ganaches and most have turned out. I have now had a few that haven’t. I’ve saved some by adding corn syrup as described in Making Artisan Chocolates and I’ve read a few threads that give plenty of other options too. But, I also had one that wouldn’t come together. I’ve arrived at the conclusion that I do not have all the equipment that I need to make chocolates (or at least to save them). Any recommendations on the essential tools that I need and what the best brands (that are also economical in price) would be? Thanks, Mike.

Hi. Is there anyone who can refer me to research or studies done on the chocolate-health connection? I am interested in research conducted by universities/scientists independent to Mars or Nestle, for example. Thanks!

I play a little at home with decorating cakes for a little hobby, and I've tried without much luck to make those chocolate planks you see standing up around the side of cakes. I'm looking for some clues on how to make these nicely. The ones I have tried have ended up so thick I may as well have stuck a block of chocolate on the sides! I don't really have any 'equipment' as such, which is probably part of the problem, but am willing to spend a little so that I can make these work. I also wanted to make some long curls, like the cigarello's you can buy - but have had trouble getting the chocoalte to actually curl around - it crumbles and breaks. Can anyone give me some clues on both of these two items? Thanks