Israeli Chocolate Festival

[John DePaula]

Warm the nuts in the melter?! Can you please explain more!! What an amazing thought!!

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Oh, I just warm up any inclusions to the same temperature as tempered chocolate. When I add them, the temperature remains constant and stays more fluid.

[Chris Hennes]

Are you all using raw nuts for your bark? I was just thinking about the almond dragees I made, and was wondering if you could do something similar to the sugar-coating of the almonds before including them in the bark. They ended up with a really rich almond/caramel flavor that I really loved.

[John DePaula]

Are you all using raw nuts for your bark? I was just thinking about the almond dragees I made, and was wondering if you could do something similar to the sugar-coating of the almonds before including them in the bark. They ended up with a really rich almond/caramel flavor that I really loved.

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Personally, I always toast.

[Kerry Beal]

I toast too, and really dark, almost burnt.

[Lior]

I toast too. So the toasted nuts get warmed up!! Ingenious!

[Lior]

Well now there is a wine festival coming up next week of Israel wineries

and there will also be booths for olive oil makers,

cheese makers and chocolatiers. Less failures were experienced this time round.

I have to say it is hard making a few thousand chocolates

in 2 and a half weeks all alone... I don't enjoy the stress of this.

Those are some of what I will sell.

And now to get things straight, my youngest daughter is Lior, I am Ilana. I use her name upon request! Here she is in the Ganache Chocolate shirt after waking up all bushy haired!

Edited March 20, 2008 by Lior (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Well now there is a wine festival coming up next week of Israel wineries

and there will also be booths for olive oil makers,

cheese makers and chocolatiers. Less failures were experienced this time round.

I have to say it is hard making a few thousand chocolates

in 2 and a half weeks all alone... I don't enjoy the stress of this.

Those are some of what I will sell.

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Those spoons are fabulous, loving the rest of the items too.

[JeanneCake]

I can't make chocolates to save my life so I live vicariously through all of your endeavors. (I am much better with cake!) These look wonderful, good luck with your festival. Let us know what happens....

[Lior]

Thanks Kerry amd Jeannecake! I am working on my mini S"mores now- hope they aren't too tiny!!

[John DePaula]

Well now there is a wine festival coming up next week of Israel wineries

and there will also be booths for olive oil makers,

cheese makers and chocolatiers. Less failures were experienced this time round.

I have to say it is hard making a few thousand chocolates

in 2 and a half weeks all alone... I don't enjoy the stress of this.

Those are some of what I will sell.

←

Those spoons are fabulous, loving the rest of the items too.

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Hear, Hear!

[tammylc]

Everything looks great! Good luck at the festival!

[Tri2Cook]

Great stuff Ilana, hope you have lots of fun at the festival.

[Lior]

Thanks so much everyone! I still get soooo nervous. I guess time and experience will take care of that!

[Desiderio]

Lior , I understand the anxity and all, but everything look great and you will do just fine.Go girl!!

Please report after the festival, whenever you are all rested and relaxed.

I have my first festival in May , for mother's day and it is a chocolate festival, so I will be with a bunch of other local and not local chocolatiers that have been in business before I even thought about doing this professionally

They are expecting between 5.000 and 10.000 people, so I would love you fed back on how much to make and what to expect.

Thank you

[tammylc]

That's a LOT of people, Vanessa! I can't even imagine! How many other vendors will there be, and how long does the event run? Are you planning to hand out any free samples?

[Desiderio]

There will be 100 vendors, it should be 50 chocolate base products and the others for gifts and chocolate releted etc.

Free samples are strongly suggested and ofcourse its something I would do anyway.

There will be a bridal magazine also so I am planning on having one of the 3 tables ( the booth came with 3 8 ft tables ) reserved for wedding favors and some ideas I came up with for wedding displays etc.

Also few contests and I am planning to enter the best truffle one with 3 different entrance, just for the fun of it.

It will be 2 days event , more 1 1/2.

[Lior]

I use my flops for tastes- cut up bite size-small ones pieces for tastes and I make little truffles of the leftover ganache sometimes also for tastes. I also have the chocolate itself available for tastes - just plain. Here are some pictures of my latest efforts. The Nigiri are made from Tamarind marshmellows, rice krispy treats made from Tamarind marshmellows and the rice K's are w/out any sugar. The strwberry marshmellows are for the s'mores.

Strawberry:

Tamarind:

Nigiri:

[Kerry Beal]

Nigiri:

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Too adorable!!

[Lior]

Thank Kerry! It was a lot of fun. Although once again I need to perfect things.... Tell me, do you sleep?! Okay I am off to my festival. Thanks so much to all for the good wishes- it helps a lot. I get sooooo nervous! I will try to take some photos.

[Lior]

Well these festivals are exhausting! After two days I am tired. It went rather well. The evening were very pleasant. There were booths of wineries giving explanations on the products and tastes. At the entrance people paid 30 shekels (1 $ is 3.48 shekels) and got a wine glass. Then they went around with their glass for tastes. There were olive oils and 3 chocolatiers. There was live blues and jazz playing in the background. In the center of the hall therewere high tables and chairs for people to sit and chat over wine and chocolate. So it was a nice atmosphere. Here are some pictures:

My set up, son/helper on your far left and in the middle his friend who came to help out:

Butterfly- white chocolate ganache with fresh mago puree:

Capezzoli di venere (nipples of venus) - milk chocolate ganache with chestnut puree and Brandy

My 100% line:

Creme Brulee - milk chocolate and cremebrulee with brandy and cacao nibs:

Daniel monster - dark choc ganache with chipotle and coriander

Frog- also in milk coating- no picture- white choc ganache with fresh strawberry puree

Hedgehog- milk choc ganache with praline:

75% dark maltitol line:

Mendiants and squirrels:

Passion - white choc ganache with passion fruit (pasiflora) puree

Sahlav - also in dark-no picture- white chocolate and sahlav

S'mores - strawberry marshmellow with homemade grahams

Tapuz (orange) - milk choc ganache with kumquat puree and peels and brandy

Wasabi - milk ganache with wasabi

My t shirts:

Bars - weren't too popular:

Cherry- dark choco ganache with cherry puree and Cherry Heering

Frangelico - milk choc ganache with praline and Frangelico

Lollies

Souris - white choc ganache with vanilla beans

No pictures- palet d'or- picture didn't come out and to my disappointment for Mark- Bittersweet Mark also didn't come out. So sorry! I will make sure my husband gets that one next time. My Palet D'Ors didn't get pjotoed and many others.... I will get them eventually!

Edited March 27, 2008 by Lior (log)

[Anna N]

It all looks just fabulous! I know how tiring it can be - my Easter production was so much less and even I was tired when it was finished. You have my total admiration.

[Kerry Beal]

Fabulous pictures. That's a lot of chocolate. Interesting the bars didn't do well again - but you are getting to know your customer base. I guess they like the same thing in a bite sized mendiant. It's probably cultural - in Israel you share - a bar is less amenable to sharing.

So did you sell enough to make it worth your while - or at least generate a future customer base?

[Lior]

Yes I did quite well. And it was in my town and people were very surprised that there is a chocolatier (sort of?) here and expressed a lot of interest. So I will have to wait and see exactly what happens next. It is not simple because I can't have people knocking on my door and expecting all those chocolates immediately available. I told them that it is best by order. I have to work this issue out. I am still not ready to have a store and I still need more experience and perfection. Yes, the bark and bars did not seem popular. About sharing- that was interesting because when people needed help choosing I suggested 2 of the same kind and people said, "no. one bite me, one bite my wife..." Perhaps I should try small small bars... Yes I made tons of chocolate. And thanks for all your help, advice and surprises!

[gfron1]

Your creations get more beautiful each time - what a wonderful collection!

[cakewalk]

They look gorgeous. How long did it take you to do all that? That is a ton of work, and goodness knows you've had plenty of interruptions in your neck of the woods. I love it that you used shalav, that is sooo particularly middle-eastern. Mazal tov!