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

[Emily_R]

Just chiming in to say that I made Smittenkitchen's apple cider caramels this weekend and they are truly exceptional. Sweet and tart, buttery, and absolutely the perfect consistency. A huge huge winner!

[Nathalie]

I might try agar jelly sometime then... Is it hard to work with?

[minas6907]

Its easy to work with, much mess picky then pectin, you'll be able to make them easily if you've made pate de fruit before. I'd pretty much only reccomend using a fruit puree to flavor them, when I did it with juice it was kind of difficult to really tell what the flavor was, I might have another go at it though.

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[YetiChocolates]

I'm finally back in the kitchen after a long hiatus all summer! I've been keeping up on the threads on what everyone's been doing with envy so it's nice to get back at it! Here's my holiday selection this year: Clockwise from top left - hazelnut, dark chocolate cherry, egg nog, fleur de sel caramel, strawberry balsamic, kahlua/espresso (in the middle).

Hoping to find a kitchen to share after the holidays are over so I can start working towards getting my business license in the hopes I can do this full time, at least seasonally to begin with. And if things go right, full time all year round

Edited December 19, 2012 by YetiChocolates (log)

[minas6907]

Here some gummies I just made. They are pomegranate flavor. I mixed in a touch of red color for a very light gummie, deposited into one tray, then I mixed in more red color while in the funnel to get another color without boiling another batch. Most of my supplies have come in, was stoked to use my confectionery funnel for the first time!

[YetiChocolates]

Here some gummies I just made. They are pomegranate flavor. I mixed in a touch of red color for a very light gummie, deposited into one tray, then I mixed in more red color while in the funnel to get another color without boiling another batch. Most of my supplies have come in, was stoked to use my confectionery funnel for the first time!

Did you use Ewald Notter's way of making the mold form for your hearts? If not what medium did you use? I want to start making experimenting with starch molding this winter and those molds you have look amazing!

[minas6907]

Did you use Ewald Notter's way of making the mold form for your hearts? If not what medium did you use? I want to start making experimenting with starch molding this winter and those molds you have look amazing!

Thanks! I didnt use Notters way exactly, but did something easier. I used plaster of paris, but just piped the plaster into a cheap flexible plastic candy mold that I sprayed with pan release. It works great. The only problem is that some of the shapes used for those cheaper candy molds sometimes look sort of silly, but I was able to find simple hearts at an art store. Notter calls for using silicone to make copies of shapes from a polycarbonate mold. I'm going to be ordering some silicone soon, I want to get some plaster shapes made that are larger for liquor cordials.

[Quesmoy]

Here some gummies I just made. They are pomegranate flavor. I mixed in a touch of red color for a very light gummie, deposited into one tray, then I mixed in more red color while in the funnel to get another color without boiling another batch. Most of my supplies have come in, was stoked to use my confectionery funnel for the first time!

How hard is it working with starch molds? I have been really wanting to play with this, but it was a little intimidating to me

[Quesmoy]

Here are some Fleur de Sel caramels that I just cut and am getting ready to wrap. I have been having a really rough time making my caramels lately, they have been coming out to grainy or to sticky, but luckily this batch came out perfect.

[minas6907]

How hard is it working with starch molds? I have been really wanting to play with this, but it was a little intimidating to me

Its not too difficult, you just need lots of starch and shapes to imprint them. For the long sticks to glue the plaster shapes to, I just used painter stir sticks, but big ones, the kind used to store large batches of paint. Other then that, theres not too much prep, the starch should be sifted, and unless your making liquor cordials (in which case the starch would need to be dried in an oven for a few hours) you can just level starch into a pan, imprint with the shapes, and deposit your gummie, fruit jellies, or fondant into the cavity.

[DianaM]

Holiday chocolates also: Bailey's ganache (dome), Coffee Pecan Crunch, Vanilla Bean Caramel (textured transfer), and Orange Grand Marnier (copper luster dust).

Edited December 21, 2012 by DianaM (log)

[Shelby]

Holiday chocolates also: Bailey's ganache (dome), Coffee Pecan Crunch, Vanilla Bean Caramel (textured transfer), and Orange Grand Marnier (copper luster dust).

Stunning!

[Mjx]

First attempt at moulded chocolates:

Here, the more adherent pieces are being loosened via the traditional Smacking of the Mould:

[Kerry Beal]

First attempt at moulded chocolates:

Here, the more adherent pieces are being loosened via the traditional Smacking of the Mould:

That is a damn fine first attempt!

[curls]

Mjx, they look amazing! What are your fillings?

[minas6907]

I suppose I can join the pate de fruit club now. I just got my apple pectin from Chef Rubber, and am surprised how easy it is to make these jellies. Formerly I had made them a few times using liquid pectin and the formula from Grewelings at home book, but that was always a huge pain, its almost impossible not to scorch the fruit and cook it to 238f. Then in an order with some other things from Chef Rubber, I got a small packet of G-pectin, which worked nicely, but it seemed that you use a much larger amount of this stuff in relation to fruit puree when you compare formulas that use apple pectin. I made some pate de fruit with the 15g of g-pectin, and that yielded about a 4 inch frame of fruit jellies, where as (in using Grewelings formula from his professional book) 10g of apple pectin yielded an 8.5 inch frame. It was appearent pretty quickly the gelling power of the apple pectin, glad I finally got some. Heres what I did today, strawberry pate de fruit.

[Mjx]

That is a damn fine first attempt!

Mjx, they look amazing! What are your fillings?

My boyfriend is beaming, and says Thanks!

The fillings are Danish marzipan (i.e. no bitter almond scent, and fairly coarsely ground), and a sort of solidified Nutella. My boyfriend candidly admits that these aren't particularly nice to eat (and asked me to mentionthis); most of them are still sitting in their chaste little glass dish, something almost unheard of when we're about.

While I sat with about with five tabs open to various detailed discussions of chocolate in these forums, paged through Elements of Dessert for worthy filling ideas, and compared prices at online chocolate sources, my boyfriend sailed in, bought some cheap 'vekao' coating chocolate coins and supermarket 'gianduja' and marzipan, and actually did something, namely, these (he was also the one who grabbed at the chance to purchase three polycarbonate moulds on sale, and bore them triumphantly home).

He did a second batch with these same moulds and a slightly better, actual chocolate product, but these only came out of the moulds after an hour in the refrigerator, so I'm guess the chocolate was not quite in temper..?

I'm still looking at chocolate filling recipes.

[minas6907]

I know it looks a little bit amateur, but heres my first trial run of French Macaroons. I used the formula from Gisslen's Professional Baking.

[Darienne]

Well, they look wonderful to me. Good for you.

[minas6907]

Yay! Finally got a chance to use my copper sugar pot! And boy does that handle get hot! Made a small batch of caramels just to try it out.

[jrshaul]

Do you use pectin in your caramels? Mine flow like liquid over a period of days.

It's actually quite surreal - like water in slow motion.

[Darienne]

Is there something that can be wrapped around the handle to lessen its heat?

[minas6907]

Do you use pectin in your caramels? Mine flow like liquid over a period of days.

It's actually quite surreal - like water in slow motion.

No, no pectin. I think I just cook them slightly longer then most people, I like them to have nice sharp edges when cut, but they aren't hard or difficult to chew or anything. Just cook your caramel longer.

Is there something that can be wrapped around the handle to lessen its heat?

I'm sure there is, but I just use a towel. All my sauted pans are the carbon steel, so I'm used to using a towel to pick up a pan.

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[YWalker]

Is there something that can be wrapped around the handle to lessen its heat?

Google "silicone pan handle." A number of manufacturers make silicone sleeves that you can slip over the handles of cast iron pans; it shouldn't be too difficult to find one that would work reasonably well for any pan.

[Kerry Beal]

The shape of the handle on those copper pots doesn't lend itself to silicone pan handle covers sadly.