Fine Chocolates - Great Experience 3 (Wybauw's newest)

[justDeb]

Has anyone else perused this new book on extending shelf life? I had pre-ordered it on Amazon and was looking forward to getting the benefit of his thoughts on the subject (plus recipes for longer lasting centers). I just finished reading the first 80 pages of science/information/theory and took a look at the recipes that follow and wondered why anyone would want to go that route.

His theory is that you increase shelf life by using several ingredients (not just, for instance, glucose or invert sugar), each of which has different properties and sweetness levels. In the end, you get a balanced ganache that will last several months and a recipe that has more "unnatural" ingredients than I'd ever want to put on a label or admit to using. Interesting reading, but I think the freezer is probably still the best way to maintain chocolates that won't be consumed while still fresh.

[Sebastian]

If he said the same thing as he did in hist last book, it'd make it awfully hard to sell the next book, wouldn't it 8)

[gap]

Check this thread

[pastrygirl]

Well not everyone wants to be an artist. There is a larger confectionery market than just us small producers using everything fresh and pure. If you want to get your product onto supermarket shelves, you're going to want it to have a good long shelf life - maybe why the artisan chocolates I see at my store are more often flavored solid bars than softer ganache pieces - Vosges and BT McElrath for example have retail bars but not bonbons for mass market, with more perishable stuff available online.

[lebowits]

I took a class with Chef Wybauw earlier this year and on the last day, he had an impromptu conversation with me and a couple of others on ganache formulation and shelf life. The crux of the conversation was that there are a number of things you can do to extend shelf life, and the longer you want something to last, the more "exotic" you need to get with the components that will reduce the water activity or otherwise inhibit microbial growth. In the end, it is the decision of each "artisan" to balance flavor, shelf life, and the value proposition you wish to bring to your market.

I personally, have decided that for most of my pieces, I won't go beyond the use of glucose, invert sugar, and/or alcohol (if it also brings flavor to the piece). I currently use sorbitol in one piece because that is what is called for in the original formula. My value proposition to my customers is that I make flavorful, fresh chocolate candies. They don't expect long shelf life, and I explicitly warn them about how long they should expect to keep them.

This all being said, it is nice to have something of a guide which allows us to choose how and when to use different additives to give us a targeted shelf life in line with our own values.

[Lior]

I also believe that one should have as much knowledge as one can. When you know and understand something then you can choose what to do and what is best for you. How aqnd why certain things extend shelf life,etc is important to know even if you choose not to use something. It is choice by knowledge and not due to the lack of it. I constantly find I am thirsty to know more and more and then the more I know the more I feel how much more I do not know... So I buy the new book, this book, that book, read, think etc.

You may all want to visit me in the asylum for insane AMATEUR chocolatiers. We can discuss sugars...

Edited November 30, 2010 by Lior (log)

[RobertM]

I agree with Lior - I try and suck up as much as I possibly can - the problem is that I think I'm so old my brain is reaching it's capacity - I find I have to write down the simplest chores these days and my wife keeps telling me if my head wasn't attached I would forget it - obviously I need to find the delete button for brain issues somewhere -

Lior - you are NO Amateur - not with the stuff you post pictures of - you put me to shame, that's for sure -

I just got Wybauw's new book and have glanced through it - I am finding I really enjoy the technical discussions - knowing what's going on "in" the confection certainly gives me as a AMATEUR confectioner the ability to design and create some unique pieces

[lebowits]

I also believe that one should have as much knowledge as one can. When you know and understand something then you can choose what to do and what is best for you. How aqnd why certain things extend shelf life,etc is important to know even if you choose not to use something. It is choice by knowledge and not due to the lack of it. I constantly find I am thirsty to know more and more and then the more I know the more I feel how much more I do not know... So I buy the new book, this book, that book, read, think etc.

You may all want to visit me in the asylum for insane AMATEUR chocolatiers. We can discuss sugars...

What she said...

[justDeb]

I don't disagree with Lior at all; I have a voracious appetite for reading about chocolate, confections and the science behind them. I was simply commenting that as much as I may have learned from the book, I don't think I would put much of it to use in what I create. Just old fashioned, I guess.

[Lior]

I think that we all could talk chocolate day and night and never bore each other! And Robert,Your pictures are also gorgeous. When I compare myself to others I do not truly feel I am expert. Some people studied years all day and are well trained. I think it is like a second grader's handwriting compared to an adult's. Practice.

But the learning is fun.

[mostlylana]

I have Wybauw's 2 other books - I'm wondering if this book gives enough additional info to merit purchasing it? Does he have recipes in this book too?

[justDeb]

Yes, it has recipes: the first third or so of the book is technical/scientific information related primarily to shelf life and increasing it. I only have the second book, but it certainly had a lot of information that was not in that book. The remaining 125 pages or so are recipes and photos. As I indicated in my initial post, most of the recipes have a number of ingredients that you may not be accustomed to using, or at least not all together (e.g. glucose and maltodextrin and sorbitol, or sucrose and maltodextrin and glycerol and invert sugar).

[Jenny Lioni]

Hi everyone, I'm new to posting (this is my first!) though not new to referencing the forum. I am so grateful for your insight over the years -- I've tweaked dozens of recipes based on your discussions. Thank you!!

So, to the post -- has anyone tried the first recipe for marzipan in this book? I've been playing around with the recipes to expand my understanding of the chemistry behind chocolates. I felt like this one was pretty straightforward, but the finished product tastes like oatmeal, not marzipan. It's much too runny too (not separated). Any ideas on what happened?

Thanks again!