Making Plaques to Decorate Chocolates

[ChristysConfections]

Hello All! I am new to the eGullet community, here to pose my first question: I really enjoy the look of handmade plaques to decorate dipped chocolates (I have posted an example picture below, but for reference Thomas Haas and Theo Chocolates use such decorations). Yes, they are time consuming and probably not worth the effort on a grand scale, but for small batch production I think they are a beautiful detail. I have been cutting the little squares by hand, which takes a dreadfully long time. I am considering a caramel cutter – one like a rolling pin with a bunch of cutting disks attached. Has anyone tried this? Do you have a certain time-saving technique that you like to use? I’d love to glean from your wisdom, if you have some to share.

My apologies if this topic has been discussed elsewhere already. I tried searching the forums, but it did not yield the results I was looking for.

[teonzo]

I don't know how they are called in English language, but here in Italy you can buy a plastic sheet (the same size of an acetate sheet) with parallel cuts. In this way you spread your chocolate on the acetate sheet, when it's starting to set you lay the plastic sheet over the chocolate, then run a knife in each cut, turn the plastic sheet 90°, repeat the cuts and done. It's pretty quick.

Teo

[Kerry Beal]

If you go to post 6 on this thread you can see how I saw it done in Belgium - of course a guitar is a bit expensive!

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/112523-chocolate-course/?p=1532682

[keychris]

I don't know how they are called in English language, but here in Italy you can buy a plastic sheet (the same size of an acetate sheet) with parallel cuts.

That's what I have, too. Pretty sure it's an italian branded on, too! I'll try to remember to check when I get home.

[ChristysConfections]

Thanks for the responses, everyone! I appreciate your input.

Teo and keychris - I think I understand what you're talking about. I've never seen such a thing here in Canada, though. I'll have to look around. If you find a website that sells them, could you post it for me?

Kerry - I never would have thought to use a guitar like that! Of course, it's a great idea. A guitar cutter will be a necessity at some point and it's on the wishlist, buy you're right - it's expensive and I'm not quite there yet.

[teonzo]

As far a I know Martellato and Pavoni produce those stencils (is this the correct name?), both of them have a US division:

http://www.martellatousa.com/

http://www.pavonitalia.com/gestore.php?var0=eng&var1=news&var2=News&var3=Pavoni_born_in_the_USA!

I couldn't find the direct link for the product, sorry.

You can contact them and ask for info. It's the same stencil used to cut the plaquettes to decorate the sides of the entremets (like the ones on the famous Setteveli). It has a cut every 15 mm as far as I remember.

Teo

[gap]

Alternatively, go to a laser cut shop and have them cut it for you from food safe plastic. I did that and got 2 sets of 4 (15mm, 22.5mm, 30mm and 37.5mm) for a pretty reasonable price

[DianaM]

Keychris, teonzo or gap, could you please post a pic of these stencils? I have no idea what they are supposed to look like, but would like to start looking for them.

TIA.

[keychris]

Here's some links! (apologies for not getting them earlier)

http://www.martellato.com/scheda.asp?content=2,83,186,719,0,00.htm

http://www.savourschool.com.au/equipment/utensils/cutting-grid-2-4cm/product-detail.aspx

http://www.martellato.com/public/file/2010martellato/2010attrezzatura.pdf (page 42 of the pdf, marked as 185 on the actual page numbers)

The product code for the Martellato cutting grid is GD2/4 & GD3/6

HTH

[DianaM]

Great stuff, thank you, keychris!