Report:eG Chocolate and Confectionery Conference

[Lior]

Check this out DENTAL vibrator!

[John DePaula]

One thing we noticed when unmolding our chocolates was that some of the backs didn't really adhere to the shells, and it was suggested that you could remedy this by hitting the filled shells with a heat gun before backing them. What do you think of that technique? Is it acceptable, or poor form?

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I think it's fine. I usually do it but it depends on the filling. One of my pieces is a butter gianduja and any amount of heat gun would sufficiently melt the filling to make it a problem.

* Just be careful not to heat too much or you'll throw your shell out of temper!

[John DePaula]

Check this out DENTAL vibrator!

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That's a good link, Lior, Thanks!

If I was making it though, I sure wouldn't put that big honkin' vibrator on top taking up half of my usable workspace. I'd find a way to put it below...

What if you glued a small sheet pan to the top? Then you could put a mold on there and not have to hold it down so it doesn't slide off.

Edited April 23, 2009 by John DePaula (log)

[Lior]

Oh John- you are a gem!! Thank you for so much- the advice every time, the pictures- they are just lovely, and the support that I don't know if you are aware of... but it is usually there when needed!

And Steve- thank you so much for the fantastic pictures. An absolute feast- better than the one all of you had there with the chef and his staff!!!

[MelissaH]

I'm even more in awe of what happened over the weekend, now that I've tried doing some chocolate-making at home. (I should explain: I'd seen it done many times, even in my own kitchen, but until the weekend workshop I'd never actually tried it myself.)

The successful parts:

• Tempering went smoothly in the microwave last night, both for the milk chocolate (for shells and fillings) and the dark chocolate (for fillings) I used. This morning, I did a second batch of milk chocolate, for capping. I love having an IR thermometer, and hope the friend I stole it from doesn't remember that I have it.
  
• I once again made a batch of flowing caramel to (IMHO) exactly the perfect amount of caramelization. I'd had practice, because isomer, merlicky, and I made a batch on Saturday, but this went a lot faster because I know my stove better than I know the portable burner we used.
  
• The caramel cooled nicely, and even set up with a little bit of a "skin" because I let it sit (uncapped) in the shells overnight.
  
• I made another half-batch of raspberry log filling. Except that this time I used seedless strawberry jam and kirsch, because that's what I had in the house. For whatever reason, this time it mixed together more smoothly and set harder than the batch we did in NOTL. I don't have rulers, so I just put the batch into a piping bag.
  
• Every last one I made released from the mold.
  
• Nothing leaked out the backs of these, so I must be getting at least a little better at capping.
  
• My fillings stored quite nicely in sealed plastic piping bags---and I was even able to clean out the chopped-off tips and seal them up again so I have in-the-bag storage the easy way.
  
• The kitchen didn't wind up with chocolate smeared everywhere, and my husband was only minorly annoyed with me using up so much kitchen space at dinnertime.
  
• I remembered to write down which filling went into which mold, so we don't need to guess later.
  
• I had fun doing it all.
  

The less-successful parts, or What I Learned:

• The third filling I made wound up more firm than I'd have liked. I'm trying to figure out a butterscotch filling, and it made sense to me that a butter ganache would help to amp up the butteriness of whatever else I used. So last night after I made the strawberry filling and made my shells, I weighed the leftover tempered and melted chocolate (both milk and dark), added about a third of their weight in room-temperature butter, and once those were mixed up I added a bit of DeKuyper Butterscotch Burst schnapps. (Hey, I live in a college town, and here, this is considered "good stuff!") But (duh!) by this morning, it had hardened more than I would have liked it to. In retrospect, I probably should have added a bit of cream, to help keep things softer. And if I'd really been thinking, I would have browned the butter first also. This will definitely need some more work on my part, because the butterscotch flavor is more subtle than I'd like. Maybe ditch the chocolate for a gooey caramel made with brown sugar?
  
• I don't yet have a good feel for how much filling I need to fill a mold's worth of shells. As a result, I have lots of extra fillings (albeit in easy-to-store-and-reuse piping bags in my fridge).
  
• I don't think I melted enough chocolate to properly fill the molds I used, because I kept hitting the bottom of the bowl with my ladle. But here's the catch: I do this at home, on a teensy-weensy scale. I don't necessarily want to keep tons of candy around, because my husband and I certainly don't need to eat it. So, what to do if I only want to fill three molds?
  
• Air bubbles in my shells are becoming the bane of my existence. I don't think I tapped the molds against the table enough, when I was in the process of making the shells last night. (The relatively tiny amount of chocolate I had available also didn't help.)
  
• My caps didn't leak, but they aren't perfectly flat either. Again, I think this is related to the fact that this morning I didn't melt a whole lot of chocolate, since I only needed to cap three molds. (The leftover, I poured out onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, let it harden, broke it into pieces, bagged the pieces, and put them in with the rest of my supply to use next time.)
  

So, here are the end results:

The entire collection, ugly bottoms and air bubbles and all. The clovers (back right) have the flowing caramel, the truffley-looking ones (back left) are butterscotchish, and the triangles (in the front) have the strawberry-kirsch filling I cribbed from the raspberry log recipe.

A few of them, from the top...

...and more of a side view.

I probably don't have to worry about shelf life, as I'm sure they won't last very long.

MelissaH

[Kerry Beal]

And to further the discussion on the matte finished molds - those are the ones on the left of Melissa's last picture. You can see how they are more dull than the others - now try picture them pastel green - looked moldy I say, moldy!

[MelissaH]

And to further the discussion on the matte finished molds - those are the ones on the left of Melissa's last picture.  You can see how they are more dull than the others - now try picture them pastel green - looked moldy I say, moldy!

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Good point, Kerry.

Fortunately for me, I have only chocolate-colored chocolate. That's a lot less scary than green. Fuzzy, however, would still send me running.

MelissaH

[John DePaula]

Melissa, I'd count on about 6g of filling per bonbon - a little more or a little less depending on your mold, of course.

Don't be shy with the amount of chocolate you temper to make and cap the shells. You can always pour the remainder onto some parchment, allow to set, and wrap well in plastic wrap. It'll keep until you're ready to make another batch if you store it in a cool, dark place.

As for air bubbles, the only way to get around that is to a) use really fluid chocolate and vibrate well*, or b) paint in chocolate first then mold normally.

Your chocolates look great, by the way!

*sometimes pre-warming the mold evenly to just below working temperature can prevent the chocolate from setting too quickly i.e. before you get a chance to vibrate out the bubbles.

Edited April 23, 2009 by John DePaula (log)

[MelissaH]

Melissa, I'd count on about 6g of filling per bonbon - a little more or a little less depending on your mold, of course.

And I guess it wouldn't be out of the question to actually measure the volume of my molds, via the mass of water they hold, and extrapolate to an amount of filling.

Don't be shy with the amount of chocolate you temper to make and cap the shells.  You can always pour the remainder onto some parchment, allow to set, and wrap well in plastic wrap.  It'll keep until you're ready to make another batch if you store it in a cool, dark place.

I actually had a little bit of an issue with chunkiness. When I tempered, I did it in the microwave using the seed method, and I always wound up with some remnants of solid chocolate that never completely melted. Because I didn't have a whole lot of chocolate to begin with, I'd wind up with chunks in my mold that didn't always come out. I'm guessing that I either need to start with more chocolate to begin with, so I can avoid scooping out the chunks, or I need to make a point of pulling them out before I try to fill the molds to make shells. The chunks either stayed in the shells as solid lumps of chocolate (not necessarily bad, just not what I was after) or when I pulled them out, left voids in my shells (bad).

BTW, my 8-cup pyrex measures are just a little wider than the widest of my molds. It was much easier to work in a square container over the weekend!

As for air bubbles, the only way to get around that is to a) use really fluid chocolate and vibrate well, or b) paint in chocolate first then mold normally.

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Do you think it's worth actually doing something to thin out the chocolate that I use for the shell, like adding extra cocoa butter to it? Although, given the tiny scale I work on, it seems like a waste to dedicate a batch of chocolate specifically to making shells. I'm guessing that part of my issue might be that the chocolate is setting before I get rid of the bubbles. My kitchen does tend to be cool (some might say chilly) at this time of year. (Have you warmed up yet, Kerry? )

Maybe I'll try painting in next time, if I can find a non-shedding brush.

MelissaH

[John DePaula]

Melissa, I'd count on about 6g of filling per bonbon - a little more or a little less depending on your mold, of course.

And I guess it wouldn't be out of the question to actually measure the volume of my molds, via the mass of water they hold, and extrapolate to an amount of filling.

Correct. The amount of filling you use will vary a bit each time you mold since it really depends on a) the type of filling you use and b) the thickness of the shell for that particular casting.

Don't be shy with the amount of chocolate you temper to make and cap the shells.  You can always pour the remainder onto some parchment, allow to set, and wrap well in plastic wrap.  It'll keep until you're ready to make another batch if you store it in a cool, dark place.

I actually had a little bit of an issue with chunkiness. When I tempered, I did it in the microwave using the seed method, and I always wound up with some remnants of solid chocolate that never completely melted. Because I didn't have a whole lot of chocolate to begin with, I'd wind up with chunks in my mold that didn't always come out. I'm guessing that I either need to start with more chocolate to begin with, so I can avoid scooping out the chunks, or I need to make a point of pulling them out before I try to fill the molds to make shells. The chunks either stayed in the shells as solid lumps of chocolate (not necessarily bad, just not what I was after) or when I pulled them out, left voids in my shells (bad).

BTW, my 8-cup pyrex measures are just a little wider than the widest of my molds. It was much easier to work in a square container over the weekend!

The way I temper in the microwave is to heat it just enough to completely melt out all of the seed chocolate and end up right at working temp. I'd say you just need to use callets (or chopped chocolate rather than big chunks) and heat just a bit more than you did for this last batch.

As for air bubbles, the only way to get around that is to a) use really fluid chocolate and vibrate well, or b) paint in chocolate first then mold normally.

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Do you think it's worth actually doing something to thin out the chocolate that I use for the shell, like adding extra cocoa butter to it? Although, given the tiny scale I work on, it seems like a waste to dedicate a batch of chocolate specifically to making shells. I'm guessing that part of my issue might be that the chocolate is setting before I get rid of the bubbles. My kitchen does tend to be cool (some might say chilly) at this time of year. (Have you warmed up yet, Kerry? )

Yes, adding cocoa butter is a good option for thinning out your chocolate. You can get scientific about it and always have the same percentage or just eye-ball it.

Maybe I'll try painting in next time, if I can find a non-shedding brush.

I like the acrylic ones from the art store.

[psantucc]

I learned about the conference one day after I'd made other plans that prevented my attendance. Mostly my fault for not reading eGullet enough, but still a bit of a wrench!

I've already learned more from the reports than I usually do in a month, so I would certainly like to attend next year. Location matters only insofar as it affects cost. I'd rather drive than fly and D.C. is in my range.

Here's to hoping.

I would like to pose three questions:

1.  If you attended this years event, would you attend a similar event next year?

2.  If you did NOT attend this years event, would you be interested in attending next year?

3.  How important is location to you?

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[lebowits]

For those interested in an event for next year, I've created a new topic located here.

Please keep those cards and letters coming!

[Marmish]

I learned about the conference one day after I'd made other plans that prevented

psantucc,

So glad chocolate caused you to de-lurk. I noticed this was your first post. We are so honored You couldn't hang out with a nicer bunch of people.

Melissa - Whoah! Fantastic job! Good point on the rectangular vs round bowl. I put some v large stainless bowls on my shopping list, but was considering the advantage of the rectangular. Hmm. May have to rethink. I have restrained myself from attempting anything until the weekend. I did pick up some chocolate at Trader Joe's and will be getting a hunk of 60% Callebaut from our librarian of all people! I'm working on getting her to come next year.

John, thanks again for all your advice and pointers. So very helpful.

[Beth Wilson]

I just spent the afternoon in the kitchen making chocolates and got to try out something Peter of Niagara College showed us!

Microwaving stainless steel bowls without sparks. You just have to make sure you do NOT touch the sides of the microwave with the bowl - just place it in the middle of the machine.

Using the stainless steel bowls in the microwave means that I don't have to get any more glass bowls for the kitchen! I can use all the bowls that I already have on hand.

How handy I found this in the kitchen this afternoon but I still found myself cringing when I pressed the start button wondering if they had magic microwaves at the college but it worked in mine too!

Only stainless steel works in the microwave so be really careful if you do try this, and the bowl does get hot.

b

[lebowits]

The last of my pics are now up on Flickr. You can find them here. I'm sorry that there are so few from Day 3 that were worth posting.

Enjoy!

[John DePaula]

I just spent the afternoon in the kitchen making chocolates and got to try out something Peter of Niagara College showed us!

Microwaving stainless steel bowls without sparks.    You just have to make sure you do NOT touch the sides of the microwave with the bowl - just place it in the middle of the machine.

Using the stainless steel bowls in the microwave means that I don't have to get any more glass bowls for the kitchen!  I can use all the bowls that I already have on hand.

How handy I found this in the kitchen this afternoon but I still found myself cringing when I pressed the start button wondering if they had magic microwaves at the college but it worked in mine too!

Only stainless steel works in the microwave so be really careful if you do try this, and the bowl does get hot.

b

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We did that in culinary school, too. And it seemed to work without problems. Seems like I read once that a point of metal, like the tines on a fork, will be induced by the microwaves to emit high voltage electric arc. So, don't put a fork (or aluminum foil for example) in your microwave.

[Kerry Beal]

I hadn't burned chocolate in a while - the last time I did was in a stainless bowl - but I'm still happy to use them in the microwave - you just need to be aware that they have different temperature characteristics than glass.

[mostlylana]

The last of my pics are now up on Flickr.  You can find them here.  I'm sorry that there are so few from Day 3 that were worth posting.

Enjoy!

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Thanks for the last of your pictures Steve. I have a question

In the photo showing Kyle making his own transfer sheet - it looks as though he's painting on a texture sheet. Is he? That would make a neat effect. Has anyone tried that?

I also like the clever idea to keep the coloured cocoa butter melted. I don't have a microwave so was going to lay them in my yogurt maker.

We're quite an ingenious group aren't we?!

[Kerry Beal]

The last of my pics are now up on Flickr.  You can find them here.  I'm sorry that there are so few from Day 3 that were worth posting.

Enjoy!

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Thanks for the last of your pictures Steve. I have a question

In the photo showing Kyle making his own transfer sheet - it looks as though he's painting on a texture sheet. Is he? That would make a neat effect. Has anyone tried that?

I also like the clever idea to keep the coloured cocoa butter melted. I don't have a microwave so was going to lay them in my yogurt maker.

We're quite an ingenious group aren't we?!

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Looks like Kyle is painting on a texture sheet. He got a bunch of then a couple of months ago. He shared a couple with me - my favorite has snowflakes on it.

John DePaula is the master of the painted transfer sheet - as his avatar used to show.

The cocoa butter melter trays are those 70's warming trays (harvest gold, avocado green and burnt orange) with an Ikea dimmer switch to turn the heat down. Avoid the glass topped warmer trays - they are way too hot even with the dimmer. I use the dimmer with the yogurt maker too, because it's a bit too hot.

[lebowits]

The last of my pics are now up on Flickr.  You can find them here.  I'm sorry that there are so few from Day 3 that were worth posting.

Enjoy!

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Thanks for the last of your pictures Steve. I have a question

In the photo showing Kyle making his own transfer sheet - it looks as though he's painting on a texture sheet. Is he? That would make a neat effect. Has anyone tried that?

I also like the clever idea to keep the coloured cocoa butter melted. I don't have a microwave so was going to lay them in my yogurt maker.

We're quite an ingenious group aren't we?!

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Kyle was painting the colored cocoa butter on the "transfer sheet". In this case, the sheet looked to be an acetate sheet sold in office supply stores for making "slides" for overhead projection. The acetate sheets I've bought so far can also be found in art supply stores and are larger format.

[cmflick]

I don't yet have a good feel for how much filling I need to fill a mold's worth of shells. As a result, I have lots of extra fillings (albeit in easy-to-store-and-reuse piping bags in my fridge).

I usually weigh the first batch of filled chocolates that I make from a mold. When I figure that about 70% of the weight of the chocolate is filling (came up with the 70% by trial and error), I can calculate how much filling that I need for each mold. When you know the weight per chocolate, then you can easily figure out how much filling you need to even make partial molds of a flavor (like if you want to make more than one flavor in a particular mold). It works well with me. I usually have very little ganache left over and that's usually eaten with a spoon!

[Anna N]

The last of my pics are now up on Flickr.  You can find them here.  I'm sorry that there are so few from Day 3 that were worth posting.

Enjoy!

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Thanks for the last of your pictures Steve. I have a question

In the photo showing Kyle making his own transfer sheet - it looks as though he's painting on a texture sheet. Is he? That would make a neat effect. Has anyone tried that?

I also like the clever idea to keep the coloured cocoa butter melted. I don't have a microwave so was going to lay them in my yogurt maker.

We're quite an ingenious group aren't we?!

←

Kyle was painting the colored cocoa butter on the "transfer sheet". In this case, the sheet looked to be an acetate sheet sold in office supply stores for making "slides" for overhead projection. The acetate sheets I've bought so far can also be found in art supply stores and are larger format.

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If we are referring to Kyle painting broad lines of colour then indeed it was a texture sheet. He also did the painting on the acetate. I don't believe the texture sheet was ever used to produce anything as we had pretty much finished pouring chocolate at that point.

[mostlylana]

Thanks!

I think I'll try painting on texture sheets before using them. Imagine white snow flakes!

[Kerry Beal]

Last of the pictures.

Brian Donaghy with Chef's Peter and Benny.

David J explains his handmade guitar cutter.

Mike, Anthony and Betsy making their ganache.

Tori and Kristina using Benny's splatter technique.

Mary - finding out how difficult it is to fill a magnetic mold - as it has no spot to put your fingers.

Melissa flattening the top of her slab of ganache with Mike, Benny and Anthony looking on.

Anna helping Kyle with his packaging.

Mixing up some coloured cocoa butter, apparently quite amusing to Matt.

Art dipping - note the ceremonial Chris Hennes dipping wire draped across the bowl.

The group shot.

[pagosselin]

Wanted to let everyone know I have uploaded additional pictures from the conference on a public album (by pagosselin), in the ImageGullet. Unable to figure out how to add to the original thread!

Pat G