Confections! What did we make? (2012 – 2014)

[Kerry Beal]

minas, did you do a starch mold for the captain morgan cordials?

Oh no, those aren't dipped. I made shells in a polycarbonate, boiled the syrup and deposited once cool.

Did you have any trouble backing them off?

[minas6907]

I really didn't. After about 16 hours the tops were fully crystallized and they sealed pretty easily. There were two pieces along the edges that seemed like they weren't holding up, but amazingly they didn't leak.

[Chocolot]

Today I tried Grewelings Nougat Montelimar.

I over cooked it, but it sure is tasty!

[keychris]

Caramelised macadamia, rolled in crushed caramelised hazelnuts, dipped in milk chocolate.


'Zebra' - balsamic ganache with raspberry jelly


'Tendre' praline - three layers of almond praline with dark, milk and white chocolate.


Cinnamon infusion


Salted caramel


Peanut - homemade peanut praline paste on top of caramel


Citrus, cinnamon and vanilla infused ganache, whipped with butter until soft and fluffy.

Lime

These were all made over the past few weeks for a market I attended yesterday.

[Jenjcook]

The zebra is amazing! How did you do that? They all sound delicious.

[keychris]

tyvm! The zebra is made by piping the lines of dark chocolate first, then when it's set up, filling as normal with white Not a task I'd enjoy doing for more than a couple of molds, all that piping takes aaaaggggeeeeessssss

[rajoress]

Well these aren't of the caliber of the other items posted (they're all gorgeous, btw) but here are some peppermint patties. I love the fondant recipe from Greweling's "At Home" - comes out perfect every time! Thanks for looking!

Ruth

[Kerry Beal]

Well these aren't of the caliber of the other items posted (they're all gorgeous, btw) but here are some peppermint patties. I love the fondant recipe from Greweling's "At Home" - comes out perfect every time! Thanks for looking!

Ruth

What is not gorgeous about those? Now I want peppermint patties!

[YetiChocolates]

Today I tried Grewelings Nougat Montelimar.

I over cooked it, but it sure is tasty!

IMG_2349.jpg

Ooooh Ruth, I really want to give this a try, I've been dying to play around with nougat! However my week is filled with prepping for a chocolate demo I'm doing in Portland this weekend...hopefully I'll have a bit more time next week to give it a shot

Edited November 5, 2013 by YetiChocolates (log)

[YetiChocolates]

Here's what I've been working on this week, a new chocolate I've decided to call "foster the banana", a take on bananas foster. I'm really excited with how the airbrushing turned out, and the flavor is good, but I'm not sure if I'm sold on the texture of the ganache, so I might have to tweak it to get the creaminess I'm looking for.

Edited November 6, 2013 by YetiChocolates (log)

[Tri2Cook]

"foster the banana"

[minas6907]

I just realized its been a month an a half since I've posted. I've been busy with alot. More notably, I've gotton the hang of making and using cocoa butter colors on molded bonbons, as well as found a nearby source for callebaut chocolate, and I'm loving the stuff!

Heres everything in order of posing:

Anniversary macaron.

A test using Callebaut white chocolate, first time tempering white chocolate, so just made a few bonbons.

Caramel bonbons for a friend of mine.

Espresso macaron.

Key Lime berligots

Pear berlingots

Piped ganache.

Red Velvet bonbon (special for my girlfriend!)

Sour Cherry bonbon

Starbucks French Roast bonbon

Strawberry macaron (also for the girlfriend)

Tequila cordials

And finally, wedding macarons. Lavander buttercream and chocolate ganache. 240 pieces total.

[Kerry Beal]

The speckled macaron are my favourite.

[Jim D.]

Minas,

As always, your confections are beautiful--and look so delicious. To think that you are more or less a beginner at some of these techniques (such as decorating molds with cocoa butter) shows how talented you are. If you don't mind, I would like to ask two questions:

For the 3rd item (caramel bonbons) and the 8th (red velvet), did you use an airbrush or your finger for the swirl effect? They are very nice.

For the red velvet, do you mind telling where you found the recipe for the filling, and what makes it "red velvet"? This issue came up with someone else on the forum recently, and she had a "red chocolate" (not sure what that entails) layer plus a cream cheese ganache layer. Obviously yours is different.

Again, congratulations on your success.

Jim

[Chocolot]

Beautiful as always. You really need to come to the Vegas workshop and share your knowledge.

[YetiChocolates]

Beautiful as always. You really need to come to the Vegas workshop and share your knowledge.

Agreed!

[minas6907]

Minas,

As always, your confections are beautiful--and look so delicious.  To think that you are more or less a beginner at some of these techniques (such as decorating molds with cocoa butter) shows how talented you are.  If you don't mind, I would like to ask two questions:

 

For the 3rd item (caramel bonbons) and the 8th (red velvet), did you use an airbrush or your finger for the swirl effect?  They are very nice.

 

For the red velvet, do you mind telling where you found the recipe for the filling, and what makes it "red velvet"?  This issue came up with someone else on the forum recently, and she had a "red chocolate" (not sure what that entails) layer plus a cream cheese ganache layer.  Obviously yours is different.

 

Again, congratulations on your success.

 

Jim

Hey thank you all! The caramel and red velvet bonbon were both done with swirling the cocoa butter with a gloved finger. I believe for the caramel bonbon, I did white, yellow, and red in that order. For the red velvet I did two applications of red so it can be very bright. I don't have an airbrush, I'd like one, but become hesitant when I read about problems people have with them, I'm just glad I can temper the cocoa butter!

As far as red velvet (and please excuse me if I'm mistaken, I'm not a cake person by any means) I've always known red velvet to be a chocolate cake dyed red, and some sort of cream cheese frosting. The filling for the bonbons are the same as the caramel, its grewelings caramel cream filling. I added chocolate and cocoa powder to taste, then a red coloring. I also thinned the caramel with a little more cream to get the consistency I was looking for. So its more of a red chocolate caramel. The inspiration came from the book Elements of Dessert. I forget exactly what it was, but there's a red velvet item in there that is gushing with this gorgeous red liquid, I was trying to mimic that.

And I woukd love to come to Vegas! I'm not too far away, but circumstances haven't permitted me to do so, thank you for the invite though!

[CeeCee]

Well these aren't of the caliber of the other items posted (they're all gorgeous, btw) but here are some peppermint patties. I love the fondant recipe from Greweling's "At Home" - comes out perfect every time! Thanks for looking!

Ruth

I have no caliber to show at all here, but I just want to thank everybody for posting al this great stuff. Please keep going while I drool and dream away about hiding on a shelf watching you all do your magic things and even having a little taste here and there. *content sigh*

This is my happy place

[RWood]

So, it's probably been two years since I've done any chocolates. I decided that's what would be Christmas gifts this year. On top of baking all day at my job, I've been coming home and firing up the delta rev and working another 4-5 hours. I think I've just about done myself in over the past few days, but they are done.

From top left: Raspberry, Tiramisu, Peanut Butter, Maple Walnut, 64% with lots of vanilla bean, Peppermint, Eggnog, Caramel Apple, Pumpkin Caramel, Passion Fruit, Honey Vanilla Caramels with Fleur de Sel, Caramelized Pear, Absinthe. I had a few other ideas, but said uncle .

[Kerry Beal]

It may be 2 years - but it doesn't look like you've lost your touch! Flavours sound great.

[RWood]

It may be 2 years - but it doesn't look like you've lost your touch! Flavours sound great.

Thanks Kerry. I'd like to do them more, but my job is more wedding cakes and a busy restaurant pastry kitchen. Just can't work it in.

[minas6907]

Here my latest, Cherry Cordials, Peanut Butter Bonbons, Peanut Butter Meltaways, and Peppermint Fondants.

[lebowits]

Beautiful!

[curls]

The march of the hedgehogs (peanut butter filled, of course!).

[FrogPrincesse]

These hedgehogs are adorable, curls.

Chocolate bark. From the bottom left, counterclockwise.

Coconut, strawberry pop rocks, purple sprinkles (created by my daughter)
Coconut and cocoa nibs (my husband's pick)
Almonds and cranberries (mine)
Mini marshmallows and strawberry pop rocks (my daughter's second creation)