Confections! What did we make? (2014 – 2016)

[Tri2Cook]

I really like the way that looks Rob. I keep saying it and not doing it but one of these days I really am going to take a serious run at getting good (or decent anyway) at doing chocolates. Which airbrush is that you're using?

[gfron1]

The one that folks here regularly recommend - Badger 175. Works well for me.

[Gwbyls]

Beautiful Rob! Thanks for sharing.

[cyalexa]

I know the title of this thread is not "What would we like to make", but it seemed to be the best place to post without starting a new thread. I have a fig tree and am always looking for new ideas for my harvest. These sound wonderful. I would like to try to make them but have no idea where to start. Can anyone give me some pointers? As they will just be for my own consumption I don't want to let my lack of technical skill stop me from trying. 

 

https://www.tienda.com/products/dark-chocolate-fig-bonbons-rabitos-royale-ct-02.html

[Kerry Beal]

I did something similar before - will try to link to it later and see if I can find the recipe I used.

[cyalexa]

I did something similar before - will try to link to it later and see if I can find the recipe I used.

Thanks. No rush.

[Kerry Beal]

Apparently I didn't post my reply a couple of hours ago - DUH!

 

Here's what I made. The only ones I remember turning out well were the plump less dry ones. Not sure if you are going to dry your figs or not.

 

I seem to have lost the truffle filling in the great hard drive crash of 2014 - but if you use the following recipe - swap out the amaretto and bitter almond oil for your favourite booze - you should come up with something you can stuff the figs with. 

 

 

Amaretto Truffles

Ingredients

 

• 400 grams milk chocolate
• 
  
• 100 grams bittersweet chocolate
• 
  
• 165 grams whipping cream
• 
  
• 50 grams glucose or white corn syrup
• 
  
• 36 grams amaretto
• 
  
• 12 drops bitter almond oil
• 
  
• 50 grams butter room temperature
• 
  

 

Method

 

1.Melt chocolate in microwave or in a double boiler over hot water. Heat cream in saucepan or in microwave until bubbles. Stir together melted chocolate and cream until smooth. Add glucose, amaretto and bitter almond oil. Cool to room temperature and mix in butter. 

2.Let sit at least overnight for use as truffles. Scoop out 1tsp amounts, let sit several hours then roll between your hands to round out. Dip in tempered milk chocolate and decorate with tempered dark or white chocolate. 

3.To fill molded chocolates, cool just to room temperature and beat with a mixer until lightens in colour. Pipe into prepared molds (or in this case - pipe into the fig. Then dip stuffed fig into tempered chocolate.

 

 

 

[cyalexa]

 

Apparently I didn't post my reply a couple of hours ago - DUH!

 

Here's what I made. The only ones I remember turning out well were the plump less dry ones. Not sure if you are going to dry your figs or not.

 

I seem to have lost the truffle filling in the great hard drive crash of 2014 - but if you use the following recipe - swap out the amaretto and bitter almond oil for your favourite booze - you should come up with something you can stuff the figs with. 

 

 

Amaretto Truffles

Ingredients

 

•  
• 400 grams milk chocolate
•  
• 100 grams bittersweet chocolate
•  
• 165 grams whipping cream
•  
• 50 grams glucose or white corn syrup
•  
• 36 grams amaretto
•  
• 12 drops bitter almond oil
•  
• 50 grams butter room temperature
•  

 

Method

 

1.Melt chocolate in microwave or in a double boiler over hot water. Heat cream in saucepan or in microwave until bubbles. Stir together melted chocolate and cream until smooth. Add glucose, amaretto and bitter almond oil. Cool to room temperature and mix in butter. 

2.Let sit at least overnight for use as truffles. Scoop out 1tsp amounts, let sit several hours then roll between your hands to round out. Dip in tempered milk chocolate and decorate with tempered dark or white chocolate. 

3.To fill molded chocolates, cool just to room temperature and beat with a mixer until lightens in colour. Pipe into prepared molds (or in this case - pipe into the fig. Then dip stuffed fig into tempered chocolate.

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to post. I'm hoping to find something I can do with fresh figs. I have not been happy with my drying efforts. Just leaving them on a plate in the refrigerator has worked as well as anything else I've tried!

[Kerry Beal]

Stuffed Figs

 

Ingredients

 

• 4 ripe figs
• 3 ounces grated semisweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons ground almonds
• ½ teaspoon rum
• Sauce
• 3 ounces white chocolate
• dash heavy cream

 

Method

 

cut top off figs and poke holes in centre. Fill with the semisweet chocolate. Sprinkle over the almonds and rum. Bake 225 for 10 minutes. Don't let the chocolate melt. Mix the white chocolate with the cream, spread on plate.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Kerry Beal (log)

[cyalexa]

 

Stuffed Figs

 

Ingredients

 

• 4 ripe figs
• 3 ounces grated semisweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons ground almonds
• ½ teaspoon rum
• Sauce
• 3 ounces white chocolate
• dash heavy cream

 

Method

 

cut top off figs and poke holes in centre. Fill with the semisweet chocolate. Sprinkle over the almonds and rum. Bake 225 for 10 minutes. Don't let the chocolate melt. Mix the white chocolate with the cream, spread on plate.

 

Thank you! I can definitely manage that one!

[excv_]

This week's production! Hand dipped ginger caramels garnished with candied ginger(yes, the chocolate wasn't exactly in the best state on those; I was in sort of a hurry, and I'm not sure what exactly happened. My guess is that oil got mixed into the chocolate from the surface of the centers.), coffee ganache truffles and molded dark chocolates filled with vanilla-flavored white chocolate ganache, in that order. Top right on the last image is a runny caramel bar I made mainly to test out a new mold; not sure why I don't have a separate pic of that one..

 

I used Peter Greweling's recipe from Chocolates & Confections at home for the caramels, following the directions for spice caramels listed in the book; it couldn't have been more satisfactory. The rest are my own creations- nothing really to call a recipe there, anyway.

 

Edited October 27, 2015 by excv_ (log)

[rajoress]

excv_ Those chocolates look and sound great! Could I ask what type of ginger you used for the ginger caramel? Did you infuse cream or cook ginger in with the sugar? I have a ton of fresh ginger root from our farm share this fall and I was wondering if it could be useful for chocolates and I like the idea of a caramel.

Thanks for any info!

Ruth

[minas6907]

I just have two items from the last month or so. The first is a chipotle butter ganache, and the second, a peanut gianduja.

[Darienne]

Exquisite as always, Minas6907.

 

Today I added one more item to my long list of apple products, thanks to our crazy overproducing Macintosh tree:  Apple Cider Salted Caramels, a recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  I thought I'd died and gone to caramel heaven.  They are delicious!

[excv_]

excv_ Those chocolates look and sound great! Could I ask what type of ginger you used for the ginger caramel? Did you infuse cream or cook ginger in with the sugar? I have a ton of fresh ginger root from our farm share this fall and I was wondering if it could be useful for chocolates and I like the idea of a caramel.

Thanks for any info!

Ruth

Thank you!

The recipe I used simply calls for a teaspoon of finely ground ginger to be added at the beginning(it makes about a 7x9 inch slab, btw), but infusing the cream as you mentioned also seems like a good idea for a stronger flavor. Experiment with the amount of ginger and find what you like; for the record, I would have liked a more intense flavor simply caramel-wise but the subtleness kind of made it blend in better with the chocolate so. For the type of ginger, I just use whatever I can get at the local market for making ginger-flavored goods; I imagine common yellow/white ginger will work best. The candied ginger on top is what really gives most of the flavor and spice to those, as the caramel isn't all that intense on its own; it's simply sliced ginger roots, boiled for about 45 minutes in syrup and dried for a few hours. Feel free to ask if you need anything else!

Edited October 28, 2015 by excv_ (log)

[tikidoc]

Pure Passion... white chocolate ganache & passion fruit, moulded white chocolate

 

https://www.facebook.com/KrisSchoofsChocolates

https://instagram.com/KrisSchoofsChocolates

 

Still waiting to hear how this was done!!!!

[kriz6912]

Still waiting to hear how this was done!!!!

 

You stack different layers of coloured white chocolate as shown in the photo (then I continued with adding yet again a white, yellow, red & white layer). Give it a very brief twist with the spatula to create marbled layers in the bowl. Then just mould as you normally would.

[Jim D.]

Kris,

Thanks for that information.  How do you keep the various chocolates in temper as do the layering?  It would seem the process takes quite a bit of time during which the temperature is dropping.  After stirring with the spatula, do you then pour the contents into a mold?

[Tri2Cook]

You stack different layers of coloured white chocolate as shown in the photo (then I continued with adding yet again a white, yellow, red & white layer). Give it a very brief twist with the spatula to create marbled layers in the bowl. Then just mould as you normally would.

Genius and so simple at the same time. Definitely a "Why didn't I think of that?" moment for me. I've been on and off experimenting with different ways to do a similar finish on molded dessert pieces for a few years with nothing that I was happy with ever developing. To say I was overthinking it is an understatement.

[keychris]

Kris,

Thanks for that information.  How do you keep the various chocolates in temper as do the layering?  It would seem the process takes quite a bit of time during which the temperature is dropping.  After stirring with the spatula, do you then pour the contents into a mold?

 

have all the chocolate coloured and in temper before you add them to the bowl. then mould as normal.

[Darienne]

Well, my confections can never hope to equal the eG masters, like Minas6907, my personal hero...but I do try...

The apple processing on the farm still carries on with my latest:  Apple Cider Salted Caramel, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen.  I thought they were absolutely delicious. 

DH said...well, yes, they're OK. 

What do you mean...just OK?

Well, they'd be better with toasted pecans in them and dipped in dark chocolate.

The things I do...

 

Thought:  I mixed the pecan pieces into the caramel mixture before pouring it out, but the pecans all rose to the top.  I would assume this is normal?

[excv_]

Coconut and Peanut butter bunnies.

[kriz6912]

Kris,

Thanks for that information.  How do you keep the various chocolates in temper as do the layering?  It would seem the process takes quite a bit of time during which the temperature is dropping.  After stirring with the spatula, do you then pour the contents into a mold?

 

You do have to work quick. I tempered the white chocolate in a chocolate melter. Then moved some of the chocolate to two other non-heated bowls and coloured them (which you can do very quickly). Then, after stirring (make sure you don't stir much), you just pour it into a mould like you normally would. Ideally you could use 3 separate chocolate melters to keep everything in temper.

 

Even though this technique results in very nice looking coloured chocolates, you end up with a lost of 'wasted' chocolate. Normally, when moulding, you simply re-use the chocolate the next time. However, with this technique the leftover chocolate gets a funny colour once you re-melt it because all the colours will have mixed.

[ChocoMom]

You do have to work quick. I tempered the white chocolate in a chocolate melter. Then moved some of the chocolate to two other non-heated bowls and coloured them (which you can do very quickly). Then, after stirring (make sure you don't stir much), you just pour it into a mould like you normally would. Ideally you could use 3 separate chocolate melters to keep everything in temper.

 

Even though this technique results in very nice looking coloured chocolates, you end up with a lost of 'wasted' chocolate. Normally, when moulding, you simply re-use the chocolate the next time. However, with this technique the leftover chocolate gets a funny colour once you re-melt it because all the colours will have mixed.

Kris,

Even considering the waste, those have got to be some of the coolest looking beauties I've ever seen!  If the mixed colors aren't too muddled after casting the molds, they could be used to make some swirled chocolate lollipops for kids. ..just a thought.

Thanks so much for sharing your "mojo", and inspiring me so much!

[hummingbirdkiss]

EXTRA sour grape gumdrops 

for a birthday party tomorrow 

very rustic sorry.. I have no patience to make sure they are perfect visually but they do taste good! puckery good! extra citric acid  mixed in with the sugar coating and the grape juice was raw extracted and super sour but very strong solid  supper concentrated concord grape flavored juice ..so these are a success and the inside is a very nice jelly candy texture I think you can see through them,  almost ..I really like the extra sour as well .The kids who planted the grapes … will get to eat these tomorrow it wold have been more fun if they could have made the candy today.. but the party is tomorrow and they had school ..darn the more important things in life 

Edited November 6, 2015 by hummingbirdkiss (log)