Chocolates with that Showroom Finish, 2012 –

[lironp]

Thanks Kerry- I have the book, I'll see if he gives an explanation somewhere.

Diana- those are beautiful- I really like the copper on this shape. That, or the picture above (I think this was made by Mette?) are exactly what I'm trying to achieve.

Do you polish the cavities before applying the dust? On the one hand I find that gives a better shine, but on the other when I do that the dust doesn't stick as much...

It might be the brand- I have one dust by CK that barely adheres even when I apply the cocoa butter, I'll just try the others. Where do you get the SOSA brand from?

[DianaM]

Funny you should post Mette's pic, it's what inspired me to try luster dust on my chocs. :-)

I buy the Sosa luster dust from Lentia, together with pretty much all my confectionery ingredients. If you cannot find it at your regular ingredient distributor, try the PCB dusts. I think CK is more for cakes, fondant etc, and in my experience, it does not adhere well to chocolate. However, since PCB specializes in chocolate decorations, I would assume their dusts would work really well.

Polishing molds - I will polish a cavity if it has release marks. Otherwise a quick wipe with a soft non-static-y cloth, just to make sure nothing's in there. The harder I rub, the less dust will adhere, you noticed this as well.

What kind of mold are you using, domes?

[Kerry Beal]

Thanks Kerry- I have the book, I'll see if he gives an explanation somewhere.

Diana- those are beautiful- I really like the copper on this shape. That, or the picture above (I think this was made by Mette?) are exactly what I'm trying to achieve.

Do you polish the cavities before applying the dust? On the one hand I find that gives a better shine, but on the other when I do that the dust doesn't stick as much...

It might be the brand- I have one dust by CK that barely adheres even when I apply the cocoa butter, I'll just try the others. Where do you get the SOSA brand from?

I don't think these ones are done with luster dust - they look like the Jewel series of coloured cocoa butters by chef rubber.

[pastrygirl]

Instead of doing a cocoa butter layer and a luster dust layer, why not just mix the luster dust with the liquid cocoa butter? I feel like I have done that before with fine result, though I don't think I have a photo. Isn't that essentially what the chef rubber jewel colors are, cocoa butter plus color plust luster dust? Why not do clear plus luster dust?

Like others, i just brush it in and it sticks to the mold and is (not amazingly, impossibly shiny but) shiny enough.

[tikidoc]

Hey Mette, those are gorgeous, how did you make them???

Jess

[DianaM]

Jess, Mette explained here technique here:

[YetiChocolates]

I've used the CK lustre dusts with perfect results. My avatar pic is using the CK rouge flambe and holly green lustre dusts. I've also used others and have had no problem with them sticking to the molds. I just use a paint brush and brush them into the mold, they adhere much better than on hand dipped chocolates I've found. I also don't have any problems with them sticking to the mold, I just brush in a thin layer and it adheres perfectly to the mold. It's less finicky than using colored cocoa butters for me.

However I recently purchased a new batch of lustre dusts by CK from a company and they had these glaring stickers that said "Not approved for edible consumption by the FDA". I know a lot of you guys are from other countries, but those who are from the States, what's your take on using lustre dusts on your chocolates?

I've started swapping over to using colored cocoa butters sadly because I'm afraid of getting sued in the long run for using lustre dusts on my chocolates, even though I prefer to use the lustre dusts for certain chocolates. Thoughts???

[lironp]

Funny you should post Mette's pic, it's what inspired me to try luster dust on my chocs. :-)

I buy the Sosa luster dust from Lentia, together with pretty much all my confectionery ingredients. If you cannot find it at your regular ingredient distributor, try the PCB dusts. I think CK is more for cakes, fondant etc, and in my experience, it does not adhere well to chocolate. However, since PCB specializes in chocolate decorations, I would assume their dusts would work really well.

Polishing molds - I will polish a cavity if it has release marks. Otherwise a quick wipe with a soft non-static-y cloth, just to make sure nothing's in there. The harder I rub, the less dust will adhere, you noticed this as well.

What kind of mold are you using, domes?

I'm using both the dome molds like in Mette's picture, and diamond ones like yours. I tried some of these molds again, this time with a diferent luster dust that did adhere, however without applying a layer of cocoa butter before- they turned out shiny, but definitely not as shiny as before, I guess I need to decide if it's worth the extra effort...

[lebowits]

It's been a while since I've shared photos of my own work so here are a few...

This picture shows the 15 different pieces I'm currently making for my "Spring 2012 Menu".

From Left to Right: Hot Chocolate, Orange Blossom Special, Creme Brulee, Mocha, Tropical Paradise

From Left to Right: Cherry Bomb, Milk Chocolate Truffle, Caramel Apple, Heart of Darkness, Fleur de Sel Caramel

From Left to Right: Passionate Heart, Toasted Hazelnut Cup, Mint Meltaway, Champagne Truffle, Peanut Butter Cup

[Darienne]

Oh my. How lovely, Steve.

[lironp]

Steve- everything looks amazing!!! My favorite is the passion fruit heart, I'm a sucker for pink

[tikidoc]

Beautiful, Steve!

[Kerry Beal]

Very nice!

[DianaM]

They all look great, Steve! I'm most intrigued by the Creme Brulee - what is inside?

[tikidoc]

And, of course, I am interested in the caramel apple. How did you make that?

[curls]

Steve, that's quite a selection of chocolates! They all look great.

Which are your top sellers? Do your clients ever make requests for other chocolates?

[lebowits]

Steve- everything looks amazing!!! My favorite is the passion fruit heart, I'm a sucker for pink

I have to admit that I stole the pink design from Ruth. It was just too good to leave alone.

[lebowits]

They all look great, Steve! I'm most intrigued by the Creme Brulee - what is inside?

The Creme Brulee is a white chocolate ganache flavored with several vanilla beans and a bit of cognac. There are a number of options for adding even more flavor to this one. You could add a bit of ground hard crack caramel to each piece which would further enhance the "brulee" flavor. You could also add a bit of jam. It's a wonderful piece and has proven very popular over time. It remains one of my strong sellers.

[lebowits]

Steve, that's quite a selection of chocolates! They all look great.

Which are your top sellers? Do your clients ever make requests for other chocolates?

Thanks! I'm very happy with this selection. I tend to keep certain pieces season after season; For example the Fleur de Sel Caramel, Milk Chocolate Truffle, Creme Brulee, Peanut Butter Cup, and Heart of Darkness. These consistently sell. The other pieces I tend to replace with other pieces I've done over the years, or with new pieces. The Caramel Apple is a variation of the apple caramel that someone brought to the eG workshop a few months ago. Where the piece we had at the workshop was a firm caramel, I chose to do a softer, more liquid caramel and put it in a milk chocolate shell. I do on occasion have people ask me about specific flavors. Last year I did the "Habano" from Greweling. It didn't sell terribly well, but it did have a small, dedicated following. My first week back at the market this year, someone asked me about it. Fortunately, I had modified the Hot Chocolate to incorporate a bit of cayenne pepper in the ganache and that made the customer happy. I also have requests for coconut pieces on occasion. I did a few of those over the years (Greweling's "Cocomel" being one). I figure though that I keep interest higher by changing things up from time to time. I've updated my signs on the display table so it's easier to change things out.

[lebowits]

And, of course, I am interested in the caramel apple. How did you make that?

Tikidoc - I made this piece because I liked yours so much at the eG workshop. I bought some of the boiled cider jam from Woods Cider Mill after you posted the link on the workshop thread. Here is the formula I came up with.

200g sugar

20g glucose

200g boiled cider jelly (this could also be just about any fruit puree)

160g white chocolate

30g cocoa butter

60g butter

1/4 tsp cinnamon

40g apple liquer (I used Apfelkorn)

Place the white chocolate and cocoa butter in a bowl and set aside

Cook the sugar and glucose together until they caramelize to a medium golden color

Add the apple cider jelly and stir to melt and incorporate into the caramel

Let the caramel cool to about 150F and pour over the chocolate/cocoa butter in the bowl. Stir to incorporate and melt the chocolate completely.

Add the cinnamon and stir to incorporate completely.

Let the mixture cool to 90F and add the butter. Stir to incorporate completely.

Add the apple liquer and incorporate.

Let the mixture cool to room temperature before piping into prepared milk chocolate shells. The caramel should be pipable without being runny.

Seal the shells and unmold when ready.

[tikidoc]

Cool, that looks really good! I need to try that, I have everything on hand except the apple liqueur.

[Lior]

I have been away for much too long! I was shocked to see changes in format! Much has been going on, including becoming a grandma! I found a nice method and made these for the Brit (circumcision) family event.

[Kerry Beal]

Those look fabulous! Would you share your method?

Glad to hear your MIA was for good things grandma.

[Lior]

Hehe! Yes, well, been busy - end of school year as a high school teach, grandmothering almost daily in between etc! Will share with pleasure. On my way out now, but I will get back as soon as I have time. No need for anything more than manual dipping!

[DianaM]

Wow, Lior, that striped effect on the chocolates looks amazing!