My course at Callebaut

[Lior]

Well I hope this works and is interesting and helpful...

These are the Mol d'Art 12 kg melters that we worked with. I bought 2 6kg ones the day after the course, packed them in my suitcase and flew home-no shipping cost or taxes!!!

Our class. I am next to my new friend, from Brasil, for placement purposes, she is the Japanese girl and I am on her right.

Dipping technique1 -placing the bonbon face up in a very full bowl of chocolate. You then knock on it gently a few times with the other end of a dipping fork, in order to submerge it to the correct depth.

Using surface tension, move the bonbon up and down till all the chocolate is pulled off by the surface tension of the chocolate in the bowl. I will post more later on as I am out of space!

[Lior]

Okay, I have a few minutes so I will continue!

Here you see the surface tension being used:

next step:

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11939213..._4944_30835.jpg

next: notice that the bonbons are placed(for right handers) from the far side of the sheet in order not to drip on completed ones while working. Also, as the bonbon is placed you should give it a tiny push forwards so it won't

show a little foot if there is one, it would sit on top of the foot instead.

Disconnect by swiftly moving the fork sideways along the bottom edge ofthe placed bonbon-so no fork points will be left on the bonbon from disconnecting.

Incorrect things- placing on the near edge of sheet, leaving a smudge, foot etc

[Lior]

So, to be continued (in between so many things of the day!!) We worked on hollow figures, using some decorating techniques, such as colored cocoa butter, dust and finger painting. It is important that the chocolate is not too thin -viscious is better for bigger and hollow moulds:

and to see the set up of the room:

We then went through some decorating ideas, some of which were done on an ice cold special stainless steel tray that had to be scraped clean of the ice dust in between uses.

The milk choc string or hair was done on the ice tray

[renam]

Hi Loir,

I like the dipping fork. Do you know where they got the fork at? I have many but not like that one.....How do you like your mol 'd art machine? I'm thinking of getting a second melter. I already have a Little Dipper but need one for milk chocolate..

The pics are great!

Thanks,

Rena

[Kerry Beal]

That is a great looking dipping fork. I'm in the market, having had one fall apart at the weld the other day.

[ejw50]

awesome thanks for the description and pics!!

[Lior]

hello. I will email the school and ask about the fork. You guys are sooo observant! I wonder what else I missed out on there in front of my eyes!

So here is more:

These are decorations also done on the ice tray. It was amazing how quickly his hands worked and all the creative ideas!! Sorry for messy photography-I could not keep up.

I think I forgot to use the flash! Here cigar making is being demonstrated:

The lovely cigars:

My cigars I need practice...

various decorating methods covered:

a quick peak. On the far side of the table you can see the

chocolate path" which is part of the cigar making process

Correct placement of slabbed ganache- prevent as much waste as possible:

Note the decorations techniques on the slabbed ganache

after being dipped:

My homely attempts:

Well I hope it was interesting. I will post some pictures of my visit to the Choco-story museum in Bruges, but I guess that should go into the Food traditions and Culture forum...

[gfron1]

Thanks Lior for taking the time to share your class with us. I am particularly interested in the lace tube in these pics. I've tried to make something similar, but I run into trouble when I try to join the seam. My method was tempered chocolate on acetate, rolled into a tube shape. But that's where I ran into trouble - the seams don't join perfectly and it either overlaps into a huge mess or its not even. I don't see any seam on his tube. Did you catch the technique he used for this?

[Lior]

Hi. You need to freeze your marble or stainless steel somehow. The you take tempered choc and with a hand - made piping bag- a small one - you need to pipe circles of chocolate - in the overall shape of a triangle.

The triangle is flat one dimensional as though drawn, not wrapped around or anything. Imagine a flat triangle made of lots of chocolate circles of uneven sizes.

Then with a "shpuchktel" (sorry that is probably not English!!) - a triangle shaped scraper/knife thatwe use with chocolate- it has a handle- you quickly scrape it up and very fast roll it into a cone/horn shape. It should stick together and here and there you can use a touch of chocolate as glue. I think it was a bit overlapped at the join-but I cannot remember clearly. I will look for a picture - I think it is in his decorating book and I will scan it as soon as I can.

Edited November 2, 2007 by Lior (log)

[gfron1]

A triangle?! I never would have guessed. I'll have to play. Thanks.