Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

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


minas6907

Recommended Posts

@pastryaniAiming for Nov 1.  We won't be in the house by then, but, if the guys can get that one room mudded and sanded, I will prime, paint, and tile it. For that, I am aiming for mid-September. Should take less than a week to do it all.  Then, the electrician will have to come out and work his magic.  Then, I will order all the equipment and supplies. The major appliances are all in, but I put a hold on delivery until I've got a place to store it all.  (Right now, the basement is filled with bathroom vanities, toilets, doors, lighting fixtures, and nameless other gobs of widgets. ) Once all is in place, I can call and get the certification guy out to do his thing. 

This is a very hectic time right now...gardening, picking, butchering, canning; getting two kids ready for their senior year of HS, and one ready for 4th grade; plus all the house stuff. ugh.   So, it is just an absolute joy to me- when I can hop on here and get inspired with all the beautiful work everyone posts!!! Keep up the great pics! :D

  • Like 3

-Andrea

 

A 'balanced diet' means chocolate in BOTH hands. :biggrin:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

thanks @pastryani :D It looks like I used the marbling technique, but I cheated and just did a finger application of dark chocolate on the mould after the yellow cocoa butter, then molded in milk.

 

IMG_20160828_200750720_zpsqzbqqs2d.jpg

 

I popped these bars out as well, they're a hazelnut, orange and coriander seed praline with popping candy

Edited by keychris (log)
  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doesn't sound like cheating to me, sounds like a smart way to work around that cool but somewhat pain in the arse swirling technique.

  • Like 3

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

last ones for this Father's Day (Australia, this coming weekend)

 

IMG_20160830_231031766_zpsjx0zimi9.jpg

 

a few bad ones in this batch, the cocoa butter didn't contract from the mold as well as it should. I think my compressor isn't supplying enough pressure so I need to do multiple coats to get a nice coverage, making a really thick layer.

  • Like 11
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/30/2016 at 9:37 AM, keychris said:

a few bad ones in this batch, the cocoa butter didn't contract from the mold as well as it should. I think my compressor isn't supplying enough pressure so I need to do multiple coats to get a nice coverage, making a really thick layer.

 

The last couple of batches I've made have also been sticking in the mold quite a bit.  I'm thinking its related to the temperature/humidity (summer in SW Florida) and/or the temper of the cocoa butter.  The airbrush shouldn't need that much pressure.  30PSI is more than enough.  I'm usually turning the pressure down.  I've seen some videos on Instagram from Stick With Me Sweets where she gently flips the mold over and all the bon bons happily fall out in perfect uniform lines like little chocolate soldiers.  There must be some secret....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I started working on my first production run for "fall" sales.  These are rosemary caramels.  I was very happy with the shine on these.  This is also the first time that I've used Valrhona (Ivoire) for molding.

IMG_2373.jpg

  • Like 12

Steve Lebowitz

Doer of All Things

Steven Howard Confections

Slicing a warm slab of bacon is a lot like giving a ferret a shave. No matter how careful you are, somebody's going to get hurt - Alton Brown, "Good Eats"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, lebowits said:

I started working on my first production run for "fall" sales.  These are rosemary caramels.  I was very happy with the shine on these.  This is also the first time that I've used Valrhona (Ivoire) for molding.

IMG_2373.jpg

Looks gorgeous....Can you describe the technique a little bit?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is finally cooling off a little bit and I got back into the chocolate kitchen today.

 

Caramel apple caramel


 

IMG_5007.jpg

 

Chai Spice

 

IMG_5006.jpg

 

Key Lime

 

IMG_5005.jpg

 

Next up are Halloween eyeballs:)

 

Edited by Chocolot
Capitalization (log)
  • Like 16

Ruth Kendrick

Chocolot
Artisan Chocolates and Toffees
www.chocolot.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

@Kerry Beal

 

 I have never heard of either of these confections. Can you be a bit more descriptive, please. I am rather fond of anything with coconut.

  • Like 1

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Anna N said:

@Kerry Beal

 

 I have never heard of either of these confections. Can you be a bit more descriptive, please. I am rather fond of anything with coconut.

Shall bring you some tomorrow if the hubby doesn't find them.

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 9/27/2016 at 1:02 PM, Bentley said:

Looks beautiful.  How do you get your gianduja so smooth?  Mine,which I process in a cuisinart, is always grainier.  

Bentley,

Alas, I am not the creator of that beautiful chocolate, but I can probably answer your question.  As you already know, you can get close to what you want if you run the food processor a long, long time, but it's not possible to make completely smooth hazelnut paste in a home processor.  I understand that there are stone grinders (from India, I think) that can do it.  But if you don't want to go to that length, L'Epicérie in NYC carries various sizes of Cacao Barry hazelnut paste and hazelnut praline paste, and I think they are delicious.  Recently I have discovered that I prefer gianduja made with 1/2 hazelnut paste and 1/2 dark chocolate--you don't get the added sugar of the praline paste.  If you should order either of these items, be aware that L'Epicérie also carries a paste that is not completely smooth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Jim D. said:

As you already know, you can get close to what you want if you run the food processor a long, long time, but it's not possible to make completely smooth hazelnut paste in a home processor. 

 

Or you can get it pretty smooth in a food processor then push it through a fine mesh strainer.  If you're obsessive about it, that is :/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...