Chocolates with that Showroom Finish, 2012 –

[Kerry Beal]

Lovely chocolates Kriz.  Especially like the mold in your avatar.

 

Do you have Belgian Chocolates by Geerts?  I see a few 'classic' belgian fillings in your collection.

Edited October 19, 2014 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Jim D.]

Thanks Jim.

 

Actually, I did use Rice Krispies :-) Perhaps I shouldn't have called it 'puffed rice' but instead called it 'crisped rice', I wasn't 100% sure how to call it in English.

 

Either way, you cannot use crisped rice or feuilletine in water based fillings (e.g. ganaches) because the water will make it soggy. However, they retain their crispiness when you use an oil-based filling (e.g. gianduja, hazelnut praliné, ...). The one I made was oil-based so the crisped rice worked fine. 

 

If you do want to use a ganache and also get crispyness, you could try a double layer approach: first a bottom layer with e.g. hazelnut praliné & milk chocolade & something cripsy, followed by a 2nd layer with a ganache. The moisture from the ganache won't migrate into the oil-based filling.

 

The same applies for popping candy; works great in oil-based fillings, doesn't work at all in water based fillings.

Thanks for the further information about how to maintain crispness; I hadn't thought of a praliné or gianduja layer but will definitely give that a try.

[kriz6912]

Lovely chocolates Kriz.  Especially like the mold in your avatar.

 

Do you have Belgian Chocolates by Geerts?  I see a few 'classic' belgian fillings in your collection.

 

Thanks Kerry. 

 

Yes, I too find it a very nice mould, one of my favourites (it's CW1625 from chocolate world). I have about every book I can find on this topic (Wybauw, Greweling, Geerts, Notter, Curley, Savour, ...). Trying to also use Wybauw's books as an inspiration for my photography.

 

Kris

[Alleguede]

Playing around last night. Trying to help Kerry to get ready for her show on Sunday. She wanted some sprayed (took me forever...) molds. We did something simple casted in alunga.

I have to say that there are many things I have discovered in one evening especially to bring my own compressor to Kerry's lab

[Kerry Beal]

They are going to be gorgeous - thanks Rodney!

 

Recycled the cones into a center today - don't think they will make the cut for the show.  

[kriz6912]

So I made 2 more chocolates:

- Advocaat liqueur based filling, moulded dark chocolate

- hazelnut praliné & dark chocolate, dulche de leche, roasted hazelnut, moulded dark chocolate

 

More photos at https://www.facebook.com/KrisSchoofsChocolates

 

 

[Alleguede]

Kerry: no fries in the cone

[DancingLion Chocolates]

There's some really beautiful work on this thread these days! I guess I should add my .02! 

 

The fedora was a commission. Three kinds of chocolate with a matcha-infused band.

Intermezzo is about beauty in simplicity. A spiced sugar pumpkin ganache with toasted pepita.

 

Take care, all. And keep making fantastic chocolate!

 

~Rich

[kriz6912]

So I recently made these two:

- white chocolate ganache & coffee, mocha flavoured dark chocolate coffee bean, moulded dark chocolate

- shortbread, dulche de leche, moulded milk chocolate

 

More photos at https://www.facebook.com/KrisSchoofsChocolates

[RobertM]

Kris - those look beautiful! I'm curious, how are you preventing moisture migration between your shortbread and your dulce-de-Leche? Do you find your shortbread to crumble?

[kriz6912]

Kris - those look beautiful! I'm curious, how are you preventing moisture migration between your shortbread and your dulce-de-Leche? Do you find your shortbread to crumble?

 

Thanks, Robert. To avoid moisture migration I coat the shortbread with a thin layer of cacao butter.

[tikidoc]

A friend of mine came over to learn some chocolate-making today. This is what we came up with. Some are white chocolate pomegranate raspberry, and some are dark chocolate bourbon and bacon.

 

 

[RuthWells]

Beautiful. What colors are your cocoa butters? I'm looking to expand my stash.

[ChocoMom]

Gorgeous work, Tikidoc!  Looks too good to eat!   I'd love to learn what cocoa butter colors you're using as well.....if you don't mind sharing. 

-Andrea

[tikidoc]

I'll check and list the exact colors. The luster dust is from Chef Rubber.

[mostlylana]

There's some really beautiful work on this thread these days! I guess I should add my .02! 

 

The fedora was a commission. Three kinds of chocolate with a matcha-infused band.

Intermezzo is about beauty in simplicity. A spiced sugar pumpkin ganache with toasted pepita.

 

Take care, all. And keep making fantastic chocolate!

 

~Rich

[tikidoc]

Andrea,

 

Purple is Chef Rubber's purple amethyst. Green is Chef Rubber's green crystal. Silver is Chef Rubber's silver. All 3 are from their Jewel collection.

 

Gold is Mercury's Gold from the Cosmic collection from chocotransfersheets.com.

 

Jess

[Jim D.]

I'll check and list the exact colors. The luster dust is from Chef Rubber.

[ChocoMom]

Thank you, Jess!   I have some of the Chef Rubber colors, but not from the Jewel collection. After seeing your excellent creations, I am compelled to put some of the jewel collection next on my wish-list!    

I love using the Lustre dust, too. Its so fun and easy to work with.   Thank you again for sharing that info!  Your work is beautiful! - Andrea

[keychris]

A kahlua caramel for someone who's favourite colour is green

[ChocoMom]

The green one is AWESOME!  Love it!   

[tikidoc]

At what point in the process did you apply the luster dust?

 

I used a soft paintbrush to apply the dust to the clean molds. Then I sprayed in a light layer of a pearl white behind it, then shelled with dark chocolate. I honestly wasn't sure how much of the dust stuck when I sprayed on the white (it's barely visible) but obviously enough did.

 

 

Thank you, Jess!   I have some of the Chef Rubber colors, but not from the Jewel collection. After seeing your excellent creations, I am compelled to put some of the jewel collection next on my wish-list!    

I love using the Lustre dust, too. Its so fun and easy to work with.   Thank you again for sharing that info!  Your work is beautiful! - Andrea

 

Thanks! And I have been quite pleased with the colors from chocotransfersheets.com. They seem to be just as good as the Chef Rubber ones, but I think they are a little cheaper.

[Jim D.]

I used a soft paintbrush to apply the dust to the clean molds. Then I sprayed in a light layer of a pearl white behind it, then shelled with dark chocolate. I honestly wasn't sure how much of the dust stuck when I sprayed on the white (it's barely visible) but obviously enough did.

[keychris]

lustre => coloured cocoa butter => white cocoa butter => couverture

 

well, that's how I would do it, naturally omit the white step if you're using white couverture

[Jim D.]

Chris,

Do you always spray white behind colored cocoa butter when you are using dark chocolate?  I tried it once, and it seems necessary to spray a full covering of the color or the white makes it look washed out.  Of course some colors cover the dark chocolate by themselves, and it's not always possible to tell how it's going to turn out until one tries it.  Sometimes, of course, one wants the effect of a color blending into the couverture's natural color.  I notice that Chocotransfersheets labels some of their colors "opaque," which is helpful.

 

Jim