Report: eG Chocolate and Confectionery Conference 2010

[pringle007]

Yes, one pepper truffle please.. well, better make it two!

[susanmc]

Where can I buy fruit purees like we were using this weekend in a smaller size? Thanks.

Susan

[lebowits]

Where can I buy fruit purees like we were using this weekend in a smaller size? Thanks.

Susan

The purees are available from a number of sources. The difference between them is how much you have to buy at one time. I've been buying from L'Epicerie. The purees are in 1 kg tubs which seems to be industry standard. They keep in the freezer for a long time. Simply cut out what you need, and put the rest back to keep frozen.

The 3 primary brands for purees in the USA are Boiron, Sicoly, and Perfect Puree. I've not found a "retail" source for Perfect Puree and haven't tried the product but it seems very common in restaurant bars.

[susanmc]

Thank you Steve! The mango chocolates were very tasty over the weekend! I need a supply of those for the house and a few friends.

Susan

[lebowits]

Thank you Steve! The mango chocolates were very tasty over the weekend! I need a supply of those for the house and a few friends.

Susan

I expect to be making them in the next few days or so.

[ejw50]

Where can I buy fruit purees like we were using this weekend in a smaller size? Thanks.

Susan

The purees are available from a number of sources. The difference between them is how much you have to buy at one time. I've been buying from L'Epicerie. The purees are in 1 kg tubs which seems to be industry standard. They keep in the freezer for a long time. Simply cut out what you need, and put the rest back to keep frozen.

The 3 primary brands for purees in the USA are Boiron, Sicoly, and Perfect Puree. I've not found a "retail" source for Perfect Puree and haven't tried the product but it seems very common in restaurant bars.

If you live near Napa, you can buy Perfect Puree at Whole Foods in Napa Valley.

That's what they told me on the phone anyway.

[lebowits]

Where can I buy fruit purees like we were using this weekend in a smaller size? Thanks.

Susan

The purees are available from a number of sources. The difference between them is how much you have to buy at one time. I've been buying from L'Epicerie. The purees are in 1 kg tubs which seems to be industry standard. They keep in the freezer for a long time. Simply cut out what you need, and put the rest back to keep frozen.

The 3 primary brands for purees in the USA are Boiron, Sicoly, and Perfect Puree. I've not found a "retail" source for Perfect Puree and haven't tried the product but it seems very common in restaurant bars.

If you live near Napa, you can buy Perfect Puree at Whole Foods in Napa Valley.

That's what they told me on the phone anyway.

In reviewing their web site today, I'm not sure how many of their flavors adhere to what I've seen as the "standard" of 10% sugar. Most of what they offer appears targeted at use in bars. I could of course be VERY wrong.

[Chris Hennes]

Steve, does that mean more, or less, sugar?

[Marmish]

I'd love to have some transfer sheets, but I certainly don't need 10-15 of the same one. I thought if several people were interested, we could pick a vendor and everyone could pick a transfer. I'd place the order and have them shipped to me, split the packs so each of us got an assortment, and send them on to each person. I could resend them in a flat rate type envelope, right?

Advice, interested swappers and dire warnings welcome.

[ejw50]

Where can I buy fruit purees like we were using this weekend in a smaller size? Thanks.

Susan

The purees are available from a number of sources.

After trying them out, I would probably not pay for them except in a few cases.

I think you can make your own raspberry from the frozen food section that's just as good.

Apple, kiwi, pear, banana, oranges, limes - these things are pretty consistent and available year round.

I would probably only pay for a few things that are not available throughout

the year, are too inconsistent, are terrible at my grocery frozen, or are exotic.

Mango would fit here, as would lychee, currants, mara des bois, stone fruits (at my grocery anyway), or cherry.

Edited April 23, 2010 by ejw50 (log)

[Kerry Beal]

I'd love to have some transfer sheets, but I certainly don't need 10-15 of the same one. I thought if several people were interested, we could pick a vendor and everyone could pick a transfer. I'd place the order and have them shipped to me, split the packs so each of us got an assortment, and send them on to each person. I could resend them in a flat rate type envelope, right?

Advice, interested swappers and dire warnings welcome.

Great idea - just don't send them in the heat of summer - the suckers melt!

[curls]

I'd love to have some transfer sheets, but I certainly don't need 10-15 of the same one. I thought if several people were interested, we could pick a vendor and everyone could pick a transfer. I'd place the order and have them shipped to me, split the packs so each of us got an assortment, and send them on to each person. I could resend them in a flat rate type envelope, right?

Advice, interested swappers and dire warnings welcome.

I would be interested in a transfer sheet swap.

[lebowits]

Steve, does that mean more, or less, sugar?

As best I can tell, the majority of the Boiron and Sicoly purees are 10% sugar. I couldn't tell from the Perfect Puree site what the difference was between their "bar" line and the "pastry" line except that most of their focus seemed to be on the bar.

[RobertM]

Steve and I are working on a short news item that we would like to submit to Manufacturing Confectioner (after appropriate approval by eGullet). If anyone would like to submit a comment to be included about the conference, please feel free to craft one (or use something you have already written here on the boards). We will also be submitting some photographs that are representative of the weekend, if anyone has any reservation about their image being submitted, would you please let me know?

[chocoera]

I'd love to have some transfer sheets, but I certainly don't need 10-15 of the same one. I thought if several people were interested, we could pick a vendor and everyone could pick a transfer. I'd place the order and have them shipped to me, split the packs so each of us got an assortment, and send them on to each person. I could resend them in a flat rate type envelope, right?

Advice, interested swappers and dire warnings welcome.

i'd be in

[beacheschef]

Beth:

I would love to get some chocolate transfer sheets with you. I think the only ones I currently have are decorated with small gold stars. My only concern is that shipping them might melt or smear the cocoa butter.

Let me know if you decide to buy them and what their policy is about shipping in warm weather.

Glad to hear that Milo was doing better - keep us posted!

[Marmish]

Beth:

I would love to get some chocolate transfer sheets with you. I think the only ones I currently have are decorated with small gold stars. My only concern is that shipping them might melt or smear the cocoa butter.

Let me know if you decide to buy them and what their policy is about shipping in warm weather.

Glad to hear that Milo was doing better - keep us posted!

Thanks, Mary. Milo is hanging in there. I'll try to get something together soon for the transfers before it gets too warm and see what the vendor recommends. It's still cool here in the Windy City.

[beacheschef]

Steve:

Many thanks for the hours of effort it took to host our "Weekend of Chocolate". I had a fabulous time, and learned a lot of tips and techniques.

I was interested in playing with the flavored extracts and oils - learning how much (or how little) to add to ganache. In many instances, it was "flavor by taste", where we kept sampling the ganache until we thought it was "right".

The talk on ganache ratios and sugar substitution was an "a-ha" moment - especially when you had to explain it to me a second time... I can now adapt current formulas to make them more shelf stable.

I'm surprised that after all these years, you taught me to scrape my chocolate mold in a perpendicular manner. So simple and easy, a far better technique than I was using.

I'll post the Mojito ganache soon - I made it last week using lime zest, fresh lime juice and spearamint extract. I like it even better - it has more flavor.

Thanks everyone for a great weekend, lots of laughs, and knowing I'm not alone in this business. (just alone in my hometown!)

[cmflick]

I'm surprised that after all these years, you taught me to scrape my chocolate mold in a perpendicular manner. So simple and easy, a far better technique than I was using.

Can you explain scraping your chocolate mold in a perpendicular manner? I'm not sure what you're doing.

[lebowits]

I'm surprised that after all these years, you taught me to scrape my chocolate mold in a perpendicular manner. So simple and easy, a far better technique than I was using.

Can you explain scraping your chocolate mold in a perpendicular manner? I'm not sure what you're doing.

What beacheschef refers to is the angle of the blade being drawn across the mold. I initially used a "sharp" angle of attack across the top of the mold when scraping the excess chocolate. I was subsequently taught during a class with JP Wybauw to hold the blade at a 90 degree angle to the mold itself. This results in a very clean draw with minimal to no "pull" of the chocolate on either side of the cavity openings.

I'm sure there is some explanation relating to the surface tension of the chocolate vs the angle of the blade but I couldn't tell you what that might be.

[Chris Hennes]

Putting on my "Manager" hat for a moment: let's wrap up the reporting on the Conference itself by Friday, April 30, then take the discussions to more specific topics (so that a search will find them later). If you have more photos to post, now's the time to do it. Thanks!

[Kerry Beal]

Eric played around with a disposable hemisphere mold that had a cocoa butter transfer already on it. It turned out to be too flexible to use normal techniques on:

Beth Wilson and I were in Hershey on Monday at the PMCA and look what we found!!! The solution to the flexible mold problem - made by Cabrellon this little gem holds those floppy molds and makes them easy to work with. It's magnetic and has holes appropriate for the round flexible molds. Apparently it is also made for heart shaped and some of the other flexible molds.

[ejw50]

wow nice find Kerry!

For those macaron fans, I compared the macaron recipe we got to the

recipe in Herme's 'Macaron' just now (not the recipe in 'Patisserie').

Pretty similar recipe - both use the same technique of Italian Meringue added to a nut powder+powdered sugar + egg white mixture. Ratios of ingredients are pretty similar as well.

Also just got myself an IR temperature sensor.

As Steve pointed out to me, you really have to get close with this thing. My boiling water test showed 102-104C until I got within 1 inch of the water, when it started showing in the 100C range.

Fun new toy though, and it was great to pick up that tip from everybody there!

Edited April 29, 2010 by ejw50 (log)

[lebowits]

Also just got myself an IR temperature sensor.

As Steve pointed out to me, you really have to get close with this thing. My boiling water test showed 102-104C until I got within 1 inch of the water, when it started showing in the 100C range.

You can't really measure boiling water with an IR. If you read any directions which may have come with it, they should say that you it won't get a proper reading off of boiling water or reflective surfaces. With boiling water, you will pick up the temp of the steam coming off the top of the pot.

but yes, they are fun to have around.

[ejw50]

You can't really measure boiling water with an IR. If you read any directions which may have come with it, they should say that you it won't get a proper reading off of boiling water or reflective surfaces. With boiling water, you will pick up the temp of the steam coming off the top of the pot.

but yes, they are fun to have around.

Directions? What are those?

Good point. I'll try it on the oven next. Or maybe a piece of ice.

Unless somebody has a better idea about a standard in the 90-180F range.