Confections! What did we make? (2017 – )

[Chocoguyin Pemby]

On 7/27/2020 at 5:14 PM, Jim D. said:

 

Melissa Coppel's guide to Aw readings:

1.00 - 0.95 - 1 to 2 weeks
0.95 - 0.91 - 2 to 3 weeks
0.90 - 0.87 - 2 to 4 weeks
0.86 - 0.80 - 3 to 6 weeks
0.80 - 0.75 - 5 to 15 weeks
0.74 - 0.65 - 12 to 20 weeks
0.64 - 0.60 - 15 to 30 weeks
0.5              - 15 to 50 weeks

 

J.P. Wybauw's:

 for an Aw greater than 0.85:  maximum of 3 weeks

 for an Aw between 0.70 and 0.85:  maximum of 3 months

 for an Aw between 0.65 and 0.70:  maximum of 9 months

 for an Aw below 0.65:  "the ganache is microbially stable" (I'm assuming that basically means "forever")

 

Hi Jim - would it be ok to share this information in another group I am in on FB?  I thought I should check first as I don't want to do so if it is not appropriate.  THX

 

[Jim D.]

14 minutes ago, Chocoguyin Pemby said:

Hi Jim - would it be ok to share this information in another group I am in on FB?  I thought I should check first as I don't want to do so if it is not appropriate.  THX

 

 

Thanks for checking.  I think it would be fine.  Melissa's info is available on a Cacao Barry site, and Wybauw's in his books.  Is this FB group open to those interested in chocolate?

[Chocoguyin Pemby]

1 hour ago, Jim D. said:

 

Thanks for checking.  I think it would be fine.  Melissa's info is available on a Cacao Barry site, and Wybauw's in his books.  Is this FB group open to those interested in chocolate?

Yes it is - there are a number but the one I was referring to is called All Things Bonbons Truffles, Chocolate Confections, and more -  there are a couple of questions to answer to join the group.   Hope to see you there!!

[Rajala]

On 11/17/2020 at 2:56 PM, Jim D. said:

How fine were the cookie bits and how did you manage to pipe them while still leaving them large enough to have crunch?  That's the question!

 

Some of them tiny, some of them larger. I had probably twice the normal opening on the piping bag. I think one just need to work on the technique.

[Kerry Beal]

I think halvah counts as a confection. I got some tahini to use for Nigella' pork belly recipe - I must say it really didn't do anything for me - but now I had a bottle of really fresh tahini and decided I needed to so something other than store it in the fridge for a few years then throw it away.

 

 

 

I poured about half into a silicone loaf pan then sprinkled with some dark chocolate callets then poured the remainder on top. Gave it a little drag through with the spatula. 

 

 

[Darienne]

27 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

I think halvah counts as a confection. I got some tahini to use for Nigella' pork belly recipe - I must say it really didn't do anything for me - but now I had a bottle of really fresh tahini and decided I needed to so something other than store it in the fridge for a few years then throw it away.

 

 

 

I poured about half into a silicone loaf pan then sprinkled with some dark chocolate callets then poured the remainder on top. Gave it a little drag through with the spatula. 

 

 

I'm sorry it wasn't wonderful for you.  Halvah, when it is good, is excellent.  When it isn't good...I guess it's pretty ho-hum.  Lior has sent me some wonderful Halva from Israel and we used to be able to buy lovely stuff when we lived in Montreal decades ago.  I was raised in Montreal and so was introduced to good Halva at an early age.  

[Kerry Beal]

It was the pork belly that sucked - the halvah is great 

[Darienne]

I use tahini constantly making hummus. 

[Rajala]

This is my saffron bonbon with orange and vanilla marzipan.

 

[Celest]

On 11/21/2020 at 12:36 PM, Kerry Beal said:

I think halvah counts as a confection. I got some tahini to use for Nigella' pork belly recipe - I must say it really didn't do anything for me - but now I had a bottle of really fresh tahini and decided I needed to so something other than store it in the fridge for a few years then throw it away.

 

 

 

I poured about half into a silicone loaf pan then sprinkled with some dark chocolate callets then poured the remainder on top. Gave it a little drag through with the spatula. 

 

 

I love Halva, chocolate covered halva and chocolate covered espresso beans is what originally lead me to work with chocolate... I have yet to figure out how to make good Halva

[Kerry Beal]

9 hours ago, Celest said:

I love Halva, chocolate covered halva and chocolate covered espresso beans is what originally lead me to work with chocolate... I have yet to figure out how to make good Halva

Halvah version 2

500 grams tahini
400 grams sugar
200 grams water
125 grams honey
chocolate

Bring 500 g of tahini to 50ºC in Thermomix at about speed 2.  Boil the sugar and water to about 115ºC - meanwhile heat honey in microwave - add to syrup and bring to 121ºC.  Add to tahini, reverse at speed 3 for about 1 or 2 minutes.  When you see it start to thicken, pour into prepared loaf pan.  With chocolate, add about half, sprinkle the callets, add other half.  Swirl.    

 

Read this thread and see how it was done by @patris using her Kitchen Aid - I'd say just mix until you see it starting to thicken - don't let it get too stiff or it's hard to work with and might separate

 

Start here

 

 

[Celest]

Omg... I'm TOTALLY going to try this out!  Thanks for the recipe!

 

Celest

[jmacnaughtan]

@Kerry Beal Have you ever had a go with Russian style Halva? I'm pretty sure it's made from sunflower seeds, and is a lot drier and crumblier than Middle Eastern. It's also excellent covered in chocolate.

[Kerry Beal]

5 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:

@Kerry Beal Have you ever had a go with Russian style Halva? I'm pretty sure it's made from sunflower seeds, and is a lot drier and crumblier than Middle Eastern. It's also excellent covered in chocolate.

Hmmm - unaware of it's existence. Wonder where I might find it to try?

[jmacnaughtan]

24 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Hmmm - unaware of it's existence. Wonder where I might find it to try?

 

If you've got a Russian or Eastern European shop around, that's the best bet. They seem to pop up everywhere, in Europe at least.

[Kerry Beal]

9 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:

 

If you've got a Russian or Eastern European shop around, that's the best bet. They seem to pop up everywhere, in Europe at least.

I'll have to check the Punjab Market - strangely the source of just about everything European in my local area. 

[Celest]

ooooh intreaguing.... I'm going to have to find some of this too when I can get out to a bigger city again!

[jimb0]

bought a maybe polycarbonate maybe not mould on a lark from amazon for $14 cad. mixed reviews, in part because a number of people complained about chocolates sticking. i snobbishly assumed that it was because they didn’t temper correctly. pretty sure this was probably the case. 

 

anyway long story short certainly good enough to try out flavours at a minimum. 

 

 

[MokaPot]

Really beautiful, @jimb0, your chocolates and the photo as well. What was on the insides?

[jimb0]

1 hour ago, MokaPot said:

Really beautiful, @jimb0, your chocolates and the photo as well. What was on the insides?

 

thank you; you’re very kind. this was actually my first go at moulded chocolates. i hadn’t wanted to shell out for moulds...but i am tired of hand dipping things, haha. i’m just happy they all popped out easily. 

 

inside was a milk chocolate butter ganache with blueberry powder. nice, though the blueberry was subtle enough that it mostly came across as a fruit-forward chocolate more than anything else. 

 

Edited January 23, 2021 by jimb0 (log)

[jmacnaughtan]

Not entirely sure if this is the right place to post it, but my candied bergamot is finally ready.

 

 

While I bow to @andiesenji's wealth of expertise in the matter and various priceless tutorials and tips, I wanted a less "cooked" product so took the peels at no more than 65°C (a circulator was handy for the blanching step).

 

They're much stronger in flavour than traditional candied peel (although not bitter) and they stayed firmer than I expected, so probably better as an ingredient than for straight eating or dipping. I'm tempted to move on to whole clementines or mandarins next.

[minas6907]

Those are beautiful. Everytime I candy fruit Im amazed at the transparency of the item. How long did those take? I have done whole clementines, I recall them taking about a month, but that was in my early days when I was less patient, I'd probably give them a little more time now. Those long term projects are pretty satisfying.

[jmacnaughtan]

Thanks @minas6907

 

I spread this one out over two weeks. The peels are pretty thin, so I didn't think they'd need too long and just gave them a day or two between each 3° increase.

 

I've seen that whole clementines normally take around a month, but that may just be for the very small ones. How do you approach the blanching step? The recipes I've read call for them to be brought to the boil, but all of the professionals I've seen (only via YouTube, sadly) have their fruit in water that isn't even simmering. I've browsed the various topics here, and collapse seems to be an issue - maybe the fruit loses too much of its structural integrity, either when blanching or overheating in the syrup?

[minas6907]

11 hours ago, jmacnaughtan said:

I've seen that whole clementines normally take around a month, but that may just be for the very small ones. How do you approach the blanching step? The recipes I've read call for them to be brought to the boil, but all of the professionals I've seen (only via YouTube, sadly) have their fruit in water that isn't even simmering. I've browsed the various topics here, and collapse seems to be an issue - maybe the fruit loses too much of its structural integrity, either when blanching or overheating in the syrup

For the blanching, I would start in cold water and bring to a boil. Collapse is an issue, and you'll probably get at least some fruits that collapse on themselves regardless of how careful you are. I've seen that the whole citrus has a tendency to collapse if you try to increase the density too fast. Just take it nice and slow, which I doubt you'll have any issue doing. Also, I've found that it helps to make an incision with a thin pairing knife. When I do kumquats, I insert the tip of the pairing knife on the four sides of each fruit. It's time consuming, but I feel it aids with the penetration of the syrup, and the incisions aren't too obvious when the fruit is finished. For whole clementines I'd make incisions at regular intervals around the fruit. Also keep in mind that the clementines have alot of water, so for some time it'll look like nothing is really happening, but you'll get there 🙂

[Jim D.]

My Valentine's Day assortment for 2021:

 

 

Top row:  (1) "pecan pie" (dark caramel, pecan praline gianduja, pecan shortbread), (2) coffee ganache with Kahlúa & hazelnut praline gianduja, (3) "crème brûlée" (vanilla buttercream with crunchy caramel), (4) milk chocolate & caramelized sesame crunch, (5) dark chocolate ganache with absinthe, (6) "raspberry rose" (dark chocolate ganache with raspberries and a dash of rosewater). Bottom row: (1) Speculoos cookie butter & milk chocolate, (2) passion fruit ganache, (3) dark caramel with Maldon sea salt, (4) banana & passion fruit caramel, (5) almond praline gianduja with caramelized almonds & dried cherries, (6) squares of Arriba 72% with peppermint oil.  All pieces were enrobed in one of two Felchlin chocolates: Maracaibo Clasificado 65% or Arriba 72%.