Trendy Pralines Callebaut Course

[Lior]

Thanks Rachel!

Here are the Passion Fruit after being cut and then the first recipe- raisins and berries- also cut.

About guitars:

The bottomed ( where a thin layer of chocolate was spread in order to make dipping or enrobing easier) part of the slab needs to be on the bottom, not by the wires, so you need to use a flat tray to turn the slab over and then with the help pf a caramel bar, slide the slab onto the guitar. It needs to be positioned in such a way as the edges are placed for least waste. If it is hard to slice through,do not use force as a string can break. Slip a caramel ruler in and simply nudge the slab forward, and then slowly continue cutting, nudging if and when needed. I will post pictures of this.

Edited June 17, 2008 by Lior (log)

[Marmalade]

Thanks Rachel!

Here are the Passion Fruit after being cut and then the first recipe- raisins and berries- also cut.

About guitars:

The bottomed ( where a thin layer of chocolate was spread in order to make dipping or enrobing easier) part of the slab needs to be on the bottom, not by the wires, so you need to use a flat tray to turn the slab over and then with the help pf a caramel bar, slide the slab onto the guitar. It needs to be positioned in such a way as the edges are placed for least waste. If it is hard to slice through,do not use force as a string can break. Slip a caramel ruler in and simply nudge the slab forward, and then slowly continue cutting, nudging if and when needed. I will post pictures of this.

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Wow nice photos! The edges are very clean. Thanks for all this great info Ilana!

Jeff

[emmalish]

Thanks Rachel!

Here are the Passion Fruit after being cut and then the first recipe- raisins and berries- also cut.

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Those look so great! Makes me want to make them. I love how the first row on the right is almost perfectly straight, and then they gradually get messier and messier until it's just a total jumble on the left.

[Lior]

Yes!! Stress was rising and we had a chef there prodding us along at a mad pace. Someone nicknamed him... but I don't know how politically correct it would be to divulge this info!!! But as I said before, the enrober was literally like that famous scene in I Love Lucy...!!

Having turned the slab upside down, you now need to remove the acetate and then position itfor least waste:

Positioning:

If it gets hard to cut, nudge forward with a ruler or tool:

Always wipe of base and strings with a towelor paper towel after each cut!!Turn around to cut the other direction. Slide off using a ruler (or long finger...)

Position for least waste!

For diamond shapes. The angle has to be just right or they will be long:

Final result. If the chocoaltes are a bit soft, put in fridge for a bit before pulling shapes apart from the main mass:

Next will be enrobing and then all about caramel.

Edited June 17, 2008 by Lior (log)

[John DePaula]

If you are tempering the ganache by the cooled cream/melted tempered chocolate method, then it is highly suggested to add the butter to the cream while hot.

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So does this mean the butter melts?

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Interesting... I have been using the tempered ganache method for a while now and I reluctantly have to agree that it produces a better product.

As for butter, I like to add it to my melted chocolate and emulsify. That's a point I think I picked up from Morato, but not certain it makes a difference either way.

[John DePaula]

Took a few days off from eGullet and WOW! What a great report, Lior. Thanks so much for your report. We are all learning a great deal, I must say.

Edited June 17, 2008 by John DePaula (log)

[John DePaula]

I am so glad some of you are benefitting- I was beginning to think I was getting monotonous!! And yes! Thank you HQAntithesis! I now recall that is exactly what he said. I remember it being along those lines but could not recall exactly so I hesitated to give partial info!! Well back to layer two. I think there was a problem with the recipe as all ganaches but one broke. JPW then wrote a new recipe onthe board. We are all human!

Flop recipe:

100g cream

300g honey

800 g milk choc

600 Praline

250 g butter

Boil cream and honey. Pour the mixture when cooled onto melted tempered chocolate. Mix well and then add room temp praline and butter. Put into fridge as it has a tendency to break. When it startsto crystallize mix in a robot coupe or mixer and pour into a frame on top of frame from layer one. This frame should be5-7mm high. Put in fridge to crystallize and then put a thin coat of chocolate (to bottom it). Turn over to cut so thatthe fruit layer is on the top and the chocoalte bottom is on the bottom. Cut and dip into dark 70% chocolate.

As mentioned the second layer broke so we used a different layer. But perhaps if the chocolate and praline were mixed with the butter and then the cream it would be better...???:

recipe 2 for layer 2:

300g cream

50g honey

50 g butter.

300 g melted tempered dark chocolate

300 g melted tempered milk chocolate

boil cream and honey and add butter, Let cool and pour over melted and tempered chocolates. Then continue as above.

I will be back to post pictures of this. Have to take my little one to some math test.

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So I take it that you guys used 'recipe 2' for the 2nd layer? How did you like this one once you had enrobed them? Did you have a favorite bonbon from the class?

[Lior]

Yes we used recipe 2!! And soon I will reporton my favorite- with olive oil and cardomon!! I am glad you are enjoying my report! But I also like the Passion one in the picture a lot!

And now for those who have not seen this- it is a must! The woman in charge is like the guy we nicknamed...

I LOVE LUCY!!

Be back- dinner is waiting to be made!!

Edited June 17, 2008 by Lior (log)

[Lior]

About caramel.

The caramel is recommended to be a light brown color.

Some makers pour in all the sugar and water, boil, evaporate and caramelize. This is a long process and not recommended. Others pour in all the sugar, stir, then thebottom melts, mix and then it getslumpy. By the time the sugar is all melted andthe lumos are gone the caramel is too dark.

JPW's solutions:

Either add glucose or corn syrup to the sugar, but then it takes a long er tie to color the sugar,

or

add a bit of butter

or

add lemon juice, but again it will take longer to color the sugar and may be too dark.

JPW's method:

Start of bit by bit. Begin with a bit of sugar, mix it and getit melting and keep adding bits of sugar into the melted. Gradually and bit bybit yo have better control of the color and no lumps form. It should never smoke! Keep color consistently light brown by continually adding bits of sugar. This works very well IMO.

JPW then added glucose and it bubbled up a bit. Then he added coconut cream/milk. Best to boil it first to so there is no big temp difference. Add it bit by bit. slowly at first and as you go alonger, faster and faster. Then add butter and boil for about a minute. This was based on a recipe, but the techniques are really good.

250 g sugar

50 g glucose

250 g coconut milk

20 g sorbitol

1 g sodium bicarbonate

100 g dark chocolate

260 milk choc

100g butter

25 g coconut liqueur

Method:

Caramelize the sugar bit by bit and then add the glucose. Then add the coconut milk bit bybit, followed by the sorbitol, butter and sodium bicarb. Immediatelyremovefrom heat and pour over callets of both chocolates. Cool to room temp and then add the liqueur and temper the ganache. This is for using in molded chocolates, so prepare them in advance.

We airbrushed but it did not come out very shiny. I think the cocoa butter was too hot and we applied gold dust before it set... We were really rushed etc...

More to come...

[dcat]

Thanks for all your reports. There's a lot of good information here and I'm looking forward to the rest of your reports.

[Lior]

[renam]

Thank Lior for all the pics and recipes. I'm taking a class here in Calif in Oct at the San Francisoc Baking Institute. It's Called Gourmet Confection. I hope it's like your class. The instructors are going to make all the centers and then we will fill or hand dip them. I can't wait. It's a 5 day course. The emphises will be on tempering the chocolate and all that goes with it...

Thanks again for the info

Rena

[Lior]

Here is a picture of the caramel/coconut ganache:

It sat outside all night and the next morning I piped it into the shells. The second day, as I said was way too full and stressful. We enrobed in milk what should have been in dark due to no time and the dark enrober was always occupied. Did anyone watch the I love Lucy utube video? This is what happened to us. Four of us helped each other enrobe and decorate and even that was crazy. One time our pralines fell off as we had no "enrober tray" to catch them! Or too many were place on the belt and they fell over each other as they came off. It was VERY annoying. And we had the "nicknamed" chocolatier yelling at us to move our butts. I actually came "home" to my hotel that night very frustrated. I was picked up, according to my plans, by the taxi which took me to Antwerpen in order to get to Chocolate world in time on the following day. I flew home that same day so I wanted enough time there. The driver - who works for Callebaut -was annoyed at me for being "late" out of Callebaut, as he had two others in the taxi who had a plane to catch on the way to Antwerpen!! I tried to explain that our course ended late - to no fault of mine- hah! Then he drove like mad to the airport. I got to my hotel- an Ibis, and my room was more a closet than a room! Do you know what it is like sitting on a toilet with your nose 2 inches from a wall?!! And after such a day?! I went down to the bar and ordered a bloody mary which I drank ALONE in my room. SO I do suggest asking about the syllabus before hand- if you take any course! Well enough complaining!

Now about the enrober. We used two, one for milk and one for dark. It required at least two people- one for placing the pieces nicely on the belt, and one for taking care of them as they come off. Now, to place then, always place points facing the chocolate "curtain" as this aids in their leaving the belt and being "dragged" onto the paper, without a foot. When a set come off onto the paper, the procedure is to stop the paper from rolling, even though the belt continues moving. You need to lift the paper slightly from the belt and cut it. Then you need to slide this paper, hopefully with the help of another person, onto a tray that is attached to the belt but can be removed. This must be done gently as the pralines are still wet and any fast movements will cause a chocolate foot. Then the tray is lifted off and the paper with the pralines is placed onto another tray on the counter. The enrober tray is then put back onto the enrober for the next set. Always do only two or three pralines at first to check that all is in good order. Pictures to explain:

First only a few to make sure is is correct- sorry about blurry photo!

Here is where you place the pralines pointy part first:

Here JPW is showing the paper by pointing his finger. His other hand is showing the funnel part that blows air on the praline just after it has gone through the "curtain" of chocolate. This air blow/flow blows extra chocolate off the praline. From there it is dragged onto the paper:

Here you can see him showing the removable tray:

The milk chocolate enrober- a bit different:

A clearer picture of the firast few tester pralines:

Going through, being blown, going out:

One set- correct number of pralines:

Fresh out, onto that paper:

As they come out you begin decorating them. This can be witha dipping fork, a transfer sheet, or anything.

Before enrobing:

The caramel/coconut shells:

Ilze's and Jasper's lovely work:

My favorites, before enrobing:

Our "group". Without cap- Ilze, behind is Jasper, next to Ilze is me and then Yael and then Rupa. Somehow Elenice was not in this photo

[emmalish]

I can only imagine you trying to stuff as many in your mouth as possible to stop them from falling on the floor!

[Lior]

A few more pictures:

Here JPW is holding that enrobing tray and either taking it away or bringing it back:

decorating with cut up transfer sheets

Here he is shown cutting the paper- always becareful not tocut the belt-lift the paper up, then cut!!

night!!

[Lior]

Thank Lior for all the pics and recipes.  I'm taking a class here in Calif in Oct at the San Francisoc Baking Institute.  It's Called Gourmet Confection.  I hope it's like your class.  The instructors are going to make all the centers and then we will fill or hand dip them.  I can't wait.  It's a 5 day course.  The emphises will be on tempering the chocolate and all that goes with it...

Thanks again for the info

Rena

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Great!! That will get you into things!! If you can, please take photos and notes!! Don't be shy about it as I was first time around. Have a great great time!!

[sote23]

He did mention the advantages. I am not sure I remember though!

Printer. It is the canon printer I mentioned in the topic about printers . SO there are a few options:

1. 629 Euro- includes printer, software, security stick,carrier for ink, 2 ink sets , 3 magnetic molds and 100 transfer sheets

2. 477 Euro

Printer, carrier for ink. 2 ink cartridges, software and security stick

3, 98 Euro- software and security stick

you can buy blank printer sheets- looks like acetate and/or in size A4 or to fit those magnetic moulds,

The printer has to have this security stick so 98 Euro is a must.

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Hi Lior,

thanks for the printer info. What is a security stick? Did they tell you any other info? I'm mainly trying to find out the quality of print from the system.

Luis

[Lior]

I don't know what it is! I must say that the salesmen there were very preoccupied and were not very helpful. They were ou tof stock on their new Maya line and I had wanted to get a few of the little squares for origin chocolate tastings. A lot of their molds are now available in a smaller size- insteadof 11-15g they have the same shapes in 7-9 g. The quality of printing looked good in the samples. It is edible ink not cocoa butter though.

[lapin d'or]

The security stick / dongle has to be plugged into your pc for you to run the software. They can be used to ensure that only one person is using the software at any time. So even if you are allowed to put the software on more than one machine ie both your desk top and your laptop, only the pc with the dongle plugged in can actually run it.

Lior, did you see the transfer sample both on the sheet before application and actually on applied to chocolate?

[prairiegirl]

Lior,

When you were airbrushing was it just cocoa butter to make it shinier? The cocoa pod ones look like you used perhaps a reddish orange colour. I am interested in the airbrushing techniques that you used.

[Lior]

I am trying to recall the things I saw from the printer... I will find out to make sure. About the coco butter airbrushing:

They had premixed cocoa butter with colors in jars that fir directly onto their airbrush gun. They keep all of these bottles in the warmer so they are quite liquid. I think even too warm. So we attached them to the airbrush gun and in a 3 sided "box" to contain the spray from getting everywhere, we sprayed. We began to spray left of the mould- which sat on a table in the 3 sided box- and finshed right to the mould- the same way as wen you decorate a bonbon with lines of chocolate in a piping bag. If you don't get me- let me know!!!! aNYWAY, THEN WE TURNED THE MOULD AROUND so bottom shells- those closestto us, are now on the top- farthest from us and once again sprayed. Then we applied the gold dust. I think the cocoa butterwas too wet and we should have waited to apply the dust.

[Marmalade]

Do those enrobers really run from right to left as it appears in the photos? Seems kind of weird. Or did the photos somehow get reversed? I would love to know, as mine runs from left to right.

[Lior]

Yes. When standing in front of them to worl, you place the bonbons on thevelt first, which is to your right! I didn't even think about this... Now that you say it, left to right seems for a leftie, no? Odd!!