Confections! What did we make? (2017 – )

Jamal12 · July 22, 2018

Jamal12 · July 22, 2018

**curls** · July 22, 2018

@Jamal12 are these solid pieces or do they have fillings? What chocolate do you use?

Jamal12 · July 22, 2018

6 hours ago, curls said:

@Jamal12 are these solid pieces or do they have fillings? What chocolate do you use?

They all have fillings. I don't find many of the callebaut or cacaobarry chocolates here where I am. some are available. I tend to use either what I learnt of making my own courveture from cocoa butter and cocoa powder and so on. Or I picked up readymade herseys baking chocolate from the confectioners or hypermarket. The fact that I am not yet a pastry chef or chocolatier and still learning so made do with what is available to me at a most cost effective way I can. Once I get certified and qualified then I can source these top of the range couverture.

Jamal12 · July 22, 2018

A perfume bottle I made in a mold from home made white choclate

Jamal12 · July 22, 2018

**curls** · July 23, 2018

16 hours ago, Jamal12 said:

They all have fillings. I don't find many of the callebaut or cacaobarry chocolates here where I am. some are available. I tend to use either what I learnt of making my own courveture from cocoa butter and cocoa powder and so on. Or I picked up readymade herseys baking chocolate from the confectioners or hypermarket. The fact that I am not yet a pastry chef or chocolatier and still learning so made do with what is available to me at a most cost effective way I can. Once I get certified and qualified then I can source these top of the range couverture.

Ok. What are the fillings? Do you have questions for us (what is your reason for posting these photos)?

Have you started chocolatier training? What source recommended that Hershey's baking chocolate and/or cocoa powder + cocoa butter can be used instead of couverture?

Jamal12 · July 23, 2018

4 hours ago, curls said:

Ok. What are the fillings? Do you have questions for us (what is your reason for posting these photos)?

Have you started chocolatier training? What source recommended that Hershey's bakingDo you have questions for us (what is your reason for posting these photos)? chocolate and/or cocoa powder + cocoa butter can be used instead of couverture?

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Do you have questions for us (what is your reason for posting these photos)?

Hey I am sorry think I have posted my pics in the wrong location. If I have offended anyone by posting my chocolate bonbons here. I wanted to share information and knowledge but I think I came to the wrong place.

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Have you started chocolatier training? What source recommended that Hershey's baking chocolate and/or cocoa powder + cocoa butter can be used instead of couverture?

I took a diploma course on chocolate making recently and there it taught us how to make chocolate from scratch using cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Adding milk for milk chocolate and so on. The only available cocoa powder that is available to a trainee that is most cost effective and readily available for me is herseys cocoa powder. You might have others. They recently brought other cooking chocolate aswell. And in order to train before I can go and splash out on the expensive callebaut and others. I think it is wise to use what is available. As I mentioned I am not a pastry chef or a chocolatier although I have cookery diplomas from different establishments. I am old school and I feel it is better to make my own chocolate couverture from scratch. It is like from bean to bar except that now I am starting from the powder and not the bean and I make my own bars temper them and keep. Then just melt and use. Like I do with the jerseys bars.

Having studied Cooking I feel more comfortable making my own spices rather than use boil in a bag already made. And I feel for now as a trainee all these ready made callebaut chocolate and others are like boil in a bag. When I am fully skilled and qualified and have may be started a small business then may be I will switch

I recently started an online course (after my first one) with savourschool and this is where I have been introduced more and more to the ready made chocolate. Callebaut and so on.

If I should not be posting here I apologise. I did not know this was a private chocolate club.

Kerry Beal · July 23, 2018

57 minutes ago, Jamal12 said:

Hey I am sorry think I have posted my pics in the wrong location. If I have offended anyone by posting my chocolate bonbons here. I wanted to share information and knowledge but I think I came to the wrong place.

I took a diploma course on chocolate making recently and there it taught us how to make chocolate from scratch using cocoa butter and cocoa powder. Adding milk for milk chocolate and so on. The only available cocoa powder that is available to a trainee that is most cost effective and readily available for me is herseys cocoa powder. You might have others. They recently brought other cooking chocolate aswell. And in order to train before I can go and splash out on the expensive callebaut and others. I think it is wise to use what is available. As I mentioned I am not a pastry chef or a chocolatier although I have cookery diplomas from different establishments. I am old school and I feel it is better to make my own chocolate couverture from scratch. It is like from bean to bar except that now I am starting from the powder and not the bean and I make my own bars temper them and keep. Then just melt and use. Like I do with the jerseys bars.

Having studied Cooking I feel more comfortable making my own spices rather than use boil in a bag already made. And I feel for now as a trainee all these ready made callebaut chocolate and others are like boil in a bag. When I am fully skilled and qualified and have may be started a small business then may be I will switch

I recently started an online course (after my first one) with savourschool and this is where I have been introduced more and more to the ready made chocolate. Callebaut and so on.

If I should not be posting here I apologise. I did not know this was a private chocolate club.

I'm not sure why the shot about a 'private chocolate club'? We like to help each other out here in the learning process and I think what @curls is asking is whether you are posting all these pictures because you might have issues that you want us to help you with or if you are just showing off what you have made?

Are you having any problems that we might be able to help you with?

**curls** · July 23, 2018

18 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

I'm not sure why the shot about a 'private chocolate club'? We like to help each other out here in the learning process and I think what @curls is asking is whether you are posting all these pictures because you might have issues that you want us to help you with or if you are just showing off what you have made?

Are you having any problems that we might be able to help you with?

Thank you @Kerry Beal, yes, that is what I was asking.

This is a forum and traditionally people post some details and/or questions when they post. I was attempting to find out why@Jamal12‘s was posting all these photos without descriptions or questions. I am not offended by your posts — I want to know more about them and the person posting them.

Jamal12 · July 23, 2018

50 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

I'm not sure why the shot about a 'private chocolate club'? We like to help each other out here in the learning process and I think what @curls is asking is whether you are posting all these pictures because you might have issues that you want us to help you with or if you are just showing off what you have made?

Are you having any problems that we might be able to help you with?

Looking it seemed a little harsh. I mean it made me feel I was not supposed to post those pics. Is every body posting their pics having problems or are people posting their achievements that they are pleased to have created. Anyway no hard feelings.

Tri2Cook · July 23, 2018

1 hour ago, Jamal12 said:

are people posting their achievements that they are pleased to have created

Yes, we do that and nobody is suggesting you shouldn't. There's just generally some bit of information to go along with the pictures. No information being given leads to questions. Frequently, even when information is given, there are still questions. Discussion is kinda the whole point of an interactive online community. eGullet is particularly skewed towards discussion and sharing of information. You might be amazed at what can be learned here when you're willing to accept questions and critique. I learn something or have my curiosity aroused to want to learn about something almost every day here. I'd be willing to put the combined food (including chocolate) and drink knowledge of eGullet members up against any course available all for the low, low price of being willing to discuss, ask questions and listen with a receptive mind.

keychris · July 24, 2018

18 hours ago, Jamal12 said:

I recently started an online course (after my first one) with savourschool and this is where I have been introduced more and more to the ready made chocolate. Callebaut and so on.

There's a few of us floating around on here that are also subscribed to Savour

Perhaps when you post your pics, just give us a description of what they are and what flavours you're playing with. I quite like the look (even blurry!) of the blue and pink ones, and the gold pattern you've applied to the domes.

Jamal12 · July 24, 2018

6 hours ago, keychris said:

There's a few of us floating around on here that are also subscribed to Savour

Perhaps when you post your pics, just give us a description of what they are and what flavours you're playing with. I quite like the look (even blurry!) of the blue and pink ones, and the gold pattern you've applied to the domes.

Cool so I am not alone with savour here, but since I am overseas on the online I am getting only crumbs of what you full timers are getting. That was just a first time post since I am a bit overwhelmed being new in this and amazed with the results. So I just posted. Next time I will.

shame I used my old phone to photo these that is why it is blurry and I wanted to photo them before my family who love my bonbons finish them off.

Blue and red one is from a diamond polycabonate mold. I use what is available here and as far as chocolate is concerned in this country not very much is available. For cakes and everything else there are loads of colours available. But since the blockade on Qatar there has been some stuff not available and before if there was any thing needed Dubai was a hub next door for anything. Nowadays I have to order online and shipping is a killer. The powders we get here are from sugarflair the blue and the red that I mixed in cocoa butter. The red became a bit pink because while still learning a friend who is a pastry chef mentioned that because cocoa butter had a little colour to it. A bit yellow to get a good red add a little white to it which I did. And got a pink instead. That was before I enrolled with savour school. It was there that I learnt the ratio of cocoa butter and powder colour. Kirsten Tibballs explains it well. So it is a blue and red the is some faint yellow and some white there aswell finger painted on a diamond mold with dark couverture.

As for the gold that is rainbow dust metallic gold. the local baking and crafts shop had only gold and silver although I wanted the whole metallic collection. I get my block of cocoa butter from Ghana from a Ghanaian expat who lives here and brings them for me. That too not too cheap.

That too was finger painted with dark couverture.

The fact that whole chocolate is not actually chocolate per second I am not too keen on using it. I find many chefs use white chocolate a lot. I find the taste different since it has no chocolate solids.

I ordered chefmaster colours and recently spires kitchen chocolates cocoa butter colours. There are 2 sets of the cocoa colours I have not started using them yet. I wanted to finish the ones I made. Many companies don't ship to Qatar so I have mailing addresses in 6 major countries with courier. But they charge a lot too so bothered post and courier there are charges. Even when the company offers free shipping on that end I still have to pay the courier charge this end. Or some molds I got from China free shipping takes a month to get here.

Well thats my lot. Cya

Edited July 24, 2018 by Jamal12 (log)

Jamal12 · July 24, 2018

As for the filling I usually fill the molds with a quarter of each filling. If it is an 18 cavity I often do 6 coffee my wife's favourite and my colleagues at work. 6 mango 6 strawberry.

I just recently done peppermint as well and also pumpkin. This weekend my good mate who is the pastry chef for the royal family here has invite me to his house to teach me to do some chocolate so I might do pistachio.

pastrygirl · July 24, 2018

24 minutes ago, Jamal12 said:

I use what is available here and as far as chocolate is concerned in this country not very much is available. For cakes and everything else there are loads of colours available. But since the blockade on Qatar there has been some stuff not available and before if there was any thing needed Dubai was a hub next door for anything.

Just wanted to say I can sympathize with the sourcing difficulties, so I applaud what you've done with such limitations! 10 years ago I worked for a hotel in Bhutan and getting good ingredients was a constant struggle. Some things came by truck from India and would be cut off if there was a mudslide on the road, or eggs wouldn't be imported because of bird flu concerns, and heavy whipping cream and unsalted butter were both precious commodities. Sometimes I would be able to import "good" chocolate from suppliers in Bangkok or Singapore, but just as often the local staff would buy cheap compound coating stuff because they didn't understand. Or it arrived out of temper due to hot conditions in shipping, which must be even worse in Qatar. I hope you'll get the chance to work with ready-made couverture soon!

Jamal12 · July 24, 2018

23 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

Just wanted to say I can sympathize with the sourcing difficulties, so I applaud what you've done with such limitations! 10 years ago I worked for a hotel in Bhutan and getting good ingredients was a constant struggle. Some things came by truck from India and would be cut off if there was a mudslide on the road, or eggs wouldn't be imported because of bird flu concerns, and heavy whipping cream and unsalted butter were both precious commodities. Sometimes I would be able to import "good" chocolate from suppliers in Bangkok or Singapore, but just as often the local staff would buy cheap compound coating stuff because they didn't understand. Or it arrived out of temper due to hot conditions in shipping, which must be even worse in Qatar. I hope you'll get the chance to work with ready-made couverture soon!

You see we had a habit here before in Qatar we always took Dubai as big brother so we did not make things here much. People just went to Dubai. Bought the lot there had their brand logo put on there and just drive a few hours across the border with their goods. So everything was made in Dubai. We were not making things. I felt the pain when I was making my cosmetics, soap and perfumes. I am a qualified perfumer by the way used to make my own hand made natural cosmetics and soaps and perfumes. And since I was among the few who actually manufactured here it was difficult to find things locally and bring in. Like I explained it was easier for people go-to Dubai and have their stuff bottled and labelled And the market was full of these products. I had a very hard time as a small timer to bring like Shea butter and all my other products the was not known here.

the same goes for chocolates. they import all these Belgian ready-made chocolates by the loads and have very few local manufacturers. So even if we do have anything it's either expensive or scarce. So now the way is being open since the blockade on Qatar to manufacture more. But still it would have been easier if my materials came through Dubai. Less shipping costs and I would receive them faster.

I have always been very creative even as a soap maker and cosmeitician ( if that's the right word). And I suppose that's what pushed me to chocolates. Especially these bonbons in all these shapes and colours.

I love studying and doing courses. I have diploma in perfumery, cosmetics, cookery, I also have diploma in Mobile App dev. So I love learning so once I get theproper knowledge and certification then if I can open a little place and do my chocolates then obviously I will have a customer base. Then would switch to the real deal. Now my colleagues and friends and family love my chocolates.

But I like to play in the big league a small fish swimming with the big boys. Like I was doing as a perfumer soap maker.

Hoping to be a big fish someday.

Edited July 24, 2018 by Jamal12 (log)

Jamal12 · July 24, 2018

These ones were marble chocolate all hand painted. I have a spray gun but have not been able to get used to spraying cocoa butter. It gets blocked so I am waiting for the end of the month to get a bigger needle and nozzle.

The second pic is all hand painted swell. Not too much shine in some of them the blue, red and white etc. But the rest was OK.

Jamal12 · July 25, 2018

On 1/8/2017 at 11:21 PM, Kerry Beal said:

Here's what I found to mold

A little in the bottom allowed to set

Stuff him in - bang for bubbles

Take him back out

I'm in here!

Too soon! Good insulator.

I'm still in here!

Now I'm out!

would you spray these molds or spray the object (chcolate or other), after it comes out, have you tried both. I have molds that i have made aswell from gelatin and glycerin and i jut wanted to know before i try spraying or painting either way.

thanks

Edited July 25, 2018 by Jamal12 (log)

Kerry Beal · July 25, 2018

6 hours ago, Jamal12 said:

would you spray these molds or spray the object (chcolate or other), after it comes out, have you tried both. I have molds that i have made aswell from gelatin and glycerin and i jut wanted to know before i try spraying or painting either way.

thanks

I might only if I was going for the velvet effect. But spraying a room temperature piece with color has never given me satisfactory results.

Jamal12 · July 25, 2018

6 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

I might only if I was going for the velvet effect. But spraying a room temperature piece with color has never given me satisfactory results.

So it does not work like the polycarbonate molds or some silicone molds where you can paint it or spray it then pour the chocolate?

Edited July 25, 2018 by Jamal12 (log)

Kerry Beal · July 25, 2018

I wouldn’t think it would because the surface is generally matte rather than shiny. You’ll notice how matte the cat was in spite of the fact that it was a shiny glass cat that I used as a plug.

Jamal12 · July 26, 2018

13 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

I wouldn’t think it would because the surface is generally matte rather than shiny. You’ll notice how matte the cat was in spite of the fact that it was a shiny glass cat that I used as a plug.

you could turn your cat into a leopard by painting it with gold lustre and adding the dots LOL