How do they do that? (the bonbon thread)

[Jim D.]

Recently Andrey Dubovik posted a video on Instagram (which is now included in the thread on the Dubovik online course) on how to get his signature "eye" effect in a decoration. Now I'm wondering how he makes the white portion of the piece below. Doing the eye effect often results in a ragged-looking top of the design (because the cocoa butter doesn't move outward in perfect circles), and something like this circle of white would mask that imperfection. So, apply the white first? But how to get that perfect circle? I don't think painting it in would work since that would require an incredibly steady hand and also painting cocoa butter into a mold doesn't come out this well. Maybe masking off the eye portion, spraying white, then removing the mask and creating the eye?

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

2 hours ago, Jim D. said:

Recently Andrey Dubovik posted a video on Instagram (which is now included in the thread on the Dubovik online course) on how to get his signature "eye" effect in a decoration. Now I'm wondering how he makes the white portion of the piece below. Doing the eye effect often results in a ragged-looking top of the design (because the cocoa butter doesn't move outward in perfect circles), and something like this circle of white would mask that imperfection. So, apply the white first? But how to get that perfect circle? I don't think painting it in would work since that would require an incredibly steady hand and also painting cocoa butter into a mold doesn't come out this well. Maybe masking off the eye portion, spraying white, then removing the mask and creating the eye?

 

 

Likely a white strip ala Melissa Coppel then a big black dot - then the eye technique?

[curls]

Very interesting technique and it would be nice to figure out how it is done. Yet, as a chocolate it is not at all appealing to me -- looks too much like an eyeball. For a chocolate, I prefer the Halloween eyeballs done by Chocolat/Ruth. 

[teonzo]

I would try this:

- pour some cheap chocolate on each cavity of an empty mold, arriving just at the height where the white part would start;

- let these piece become solid, then unmould them, these will be the "plugs" (don't know how else to call them);

- when you are preparing this bonbon, then pick an empty clean mold, put a "plug" on each cavity, spray the white cocoa butter, then pick out the plugs, this way you get the white part first then you can proceed as usual.

 

If you need some white chocolate colored totally white (for some bars, Easter eggs or whatever) then you can fill partly the molds with white chocolate, spray with white colored cocoa butter, then reuse the white chocolate. This way you recoup some costs, since you don't waste the white colored cocoa butter that will be sprayed on the solid white chocolate.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[gfron1]

10 minutes ago, teonzo said:

I would try this:

- pour some cheap chocolate on each cavity of an empty mold, arriving just at the height where the white part would start;

- let these piece become solid, then unmould them, these will be the "plugs" (don't know how else to call them);

- when you are preparing this bonbon, then pick an empty clean mold, put a "plug" on each cavity, spray the white cocoa butter, then pick out the plugs, this way you get the white part first then you can proceed as usual.

I agree - while it could be taped, it would be so challenging, versus having a partial plug set inside - spray white, then go about your business. I will note that I am moving fastidiously away from using white (titanium dioxide). in FRANCE.

[teonzo]

I stopped using titanium dioxide some years ago after reading a book about false myths about food and health related matters. It was said that titanium dioxide was on the "uncertain list" about cancer causing ingredients: there were suspicions it's carcinogenic, but no actual evidence on any side, just a lot of doubts (I checked the sources). When on doubt about such things, better keeping on the safe side.

This seems like one of the many cases where the HUGE money at play (titanium dioxide is used on a boatload of different products) paid for silence.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[EmmMax]

Hi! I'm wondering if anyone has some insight on these..?

[teonzo]

When done well (the bottom 2) this decoration is simply AWESOME. When done with mistakes it's definetely not appealing (I would not be tempted to eat the first and third from the top left), this seems to be a technique that does not forgive any small errors.

 

Since we can see the results when it's not done well, we can try to get some ideas about how it's done. I'll try to give some guesses.

The one on top left seems to be brushed abruptively. So I would assume this effect is made using some kind of bristle brush: spraying the grey cocoa butter, then pressing a bristle brush on the cavities (only vertical pressure, without moving the bristle laterally). You should need a brush with large bristles that can absorb the cocoa butter, where to find it I have no idea. The other "errors" look consistent with this idea: if you look at the 4th and 5th (counting from the top left) the parts that remained grey still have a red perimeter, this looks like that a single bristle went in contact with the mold but with not as much pressure as to touch it completely (just the perimeter and not the full tip surface of the brittle).

If my supposition is right, then I would say it's almost impossible to get a perfect result for all the cavities of a mold.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[Rajala]

I kinda like the middle right ones the most. Looks like fish scales.

[EmmMax]

Just now, Rajala said:

I kinda like the middle right ones the most. Looks like fish scales.

I agree, from reading the comments I think they're supposed to. 

[teonzo]

34 minutes ago, Rajala said:

I kinda like the middle right ones the most. Looks like fish scales.

 

That's the reason why I don't find them appealing to eat...

 

 

 

Teo

 

[EmmMax]

3 hours ago, teonzo said:

 

That's the reason why I don't find them appealing to eat...

 

 

 

Teo

 

You mean you dont like trout ganache?

[teonzo]

12 hours ago, EmmMax said:

You mean you dont like trout ganache?

 

It's just the look... never liked scales, I really hate snakes.

 

Years ago I made a dual layer bonbon that had a prawn bisque ganache (dark chocolate) and a hibiscus flower ganache (white chocolate), here is the page I made when I had a blog (it's in Italian). Taste was very different than what I expected: the toasted notes of the bisque overlapped with the toasted notes of the dark chocolate, while the "fruity" notes of the prawn overlapped with the hibiscus ones. So it tasted like a weird hibiscus praline and not a fishy praline. You could tell there were prawns, but it was not frontal.

 

After making them I gave one to various people (separately), without saying what it was, this way:

me "hey, please try this new praline I made and tell me what you think"

people "ok... uhm, it's weird but it tastes fine"

me "so do you like it?"

people "yes, it's good"

me "would you buy it?"

people "yes, I think so"

me "what do you think the flavors are?"

people "I can't say... tell me"

me "it's prawn and hibiscus"

people "...PRAWN???"

me "yes, prawn, the crustacean"

I'm an idiot and didn't carry a camera to record their faces.

 

 

 

Teo

 

Edited February 28, 2019 by teonzo (log)

[John DePaula]

34 minutes ago, teonzo said:

 

It's just the look... never liked scales, I really hate snakes.

 

Years ago I made a dual layer bonbon that had a prawn bisque ganache (dark chocolate) and a hibiscus flower ganache (white chocolate), here is the page I made when I had a blog (it's in Italian). Taste was very different than what I expected: the toasted notes of the bisque overlapped with the toasted notes of the dark chocolate, while the "fruity" notes of the prawn overlapped with the hibiscus ones. So it tasted like a weird hibiscus praline and not a fishy praline. You could tell there were prawns, but it was not frontal.

 

After making them I gave one to various people (separately), without saying what it was, this way:

me "hey, please try this new praline I made and tell me what you think"

people "ok... uhm, it's weird but it tastes fine"

me "so do you like it?"

people "yes, it's good"

me "would you buy it?"

people "yes, I think so"

me "what do you think the flavors are?"

people "I can't say... tell me"

me "it's prawn and hibiscus"

people "...PRAWN???"

me "yes, prawn, the crustacean"

I'm an idiot and didn't carry a camera to record their faces.

 

 

 

Teo

 

 

I'm always very careful to make sure someone is not allergic to an ingredient. Shellfish... could be very bad.

[teonzo]

7 minutes ago, John DePaula said:

I'm always very careful to make sure someone is not allergic to an ingredient. Shellfish... could be very bad.

 

They were all personal friends, so I knew there were no risks.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[Tri2Cook]

8 hours ago, teonzo said:

I really hate snakes.

Well, we know at least one person won't be attending if I were to ever host an eGullet gathering at my house.  

 

8 hours ago, teonzo said:

You could tell there were prawns, but it was not frontal.

You were apparently more successful with your experiment than I was with mine. Several years ago, I made a Thai red curry sweet potato ice cream thinking I could balance things out so that the shrimp paste in the curry base would just appear as a savory note without being overtly fishy in the final result... I was wrong.

[Jim D.]

I always like The Chocolate Lab's work, but I think this egg is spectacular. Any ideas on what sort of brush they might have used for the strokes?

 

 

[teonzo]

I would say a silicone brush, especially if you care about your molds.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[akonsu]

Hello everyone,

there is a store in Ghent, Belgium, called Yuzu chocolates. The owner makes chocolates with every possible and impossible flavor, even tobacco. He uses the same shape for all his pralines, the shape looks like it is moulded but at the same time there are various textures and colors, the colors are often broken, sometimes the tops are crumbled, etc. Some photos show that there is a filling in, at least, some of them. But I cannot imagine how he manages to mould them and add these textures at the same time... Here are some photos: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/2120420/yuzu-chocolates/?hl=en I also see there are some cavities from air bubbles on the surface, but I think this is not intentional, I think these are because the chocolate was too thick or too cold. I am sure that experienced people can easily tell how these textures are added to moulded pieces...

thanks!

konstantin

 

[pastrygirl]

Some of the textures look like crumbs were sprinkled into the molds before filling. 

 

 

[teonzo]

20 minutes ago, pastrygirl said:

Some of the textures look like crumbs were sprinkled into the molds before filling. 

 

I suppose some care must be taken to prevent troubles. If you sprinkle stuff like cocoa nibs on the bottom of the mold, then fill the cavities with tempered chocolate (as usual to create the shell) then a good amount of the crumbs/nibs/whatever would fall with the chocolate in excess. My guess is that he pours a small amount of tempered chocolate on the bottom of each cavity, then sprinkle the crumbs/nibs/whatever, wait for the chocolate to start setting (before it crystallizes, to avoid it detaching from the mold), then proceed as usual to create the shell. Can't think of other ways to keep the crumbs/nibs/whatever in place while creating the shell.

 

I'm really liking what this chocolatier is doing, so thanks for pointing him @akonsu. He is clearly using rectangular molds. Which is a neat idea for a lot of reasons. Handling and packaging is much easier and effective. Some decorations (paint brushstokes and similars) seem to be made afterwards the pralines were unmolded. Being rectangular you just need to place them attached one to each other, so you get a big rectangular surface that's quick and easy to decorate, minimizing time and wastage. Lots of interesting flavors as well, at least from the few reviews I read. Kudos to him for his personality!

 

 

 

Teo

 

[Kerry Beal]

More about Nicolas Vanaise the chocolatier. 

[dhardy123]

9 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

Some of the textures look like crumbs were sprinkled into the molds before filling. 

 

 

I'm thinking that he has a chablon the same size as his mold. He makes a thin layer and adorns it with nuts/etc on top. Once firm, he inverts it into his mold.

 

You can kind of see this extra layer in this picture:

 

[pastrygirl]

8 hours ago, dhardy123 said:

I'm thinking that he has a chablon the same size as his mold. He makes a thin layer and adorns it with nuts/etc on top. Once firm, he inverts it into his mold.

 

You can kind of see this extra layer in this picture:

 

 

Good eye!  

[teonzo]

9 hours ago, dhardy123 said:

I'm thinking that he has a chablon the same size as his mold. He makes a thin layer and adorns it with nuts/etc on top. Once firm, he inverts it into his mold.

 

For the praline in that photo (didn't see anything like this in the photos I watched yesterday, so thanks for linking it!), I think that he spreads a thin layer of the compound on an acetate sheet then cuts the rectangles. It's almost impossible to get those precise corners using a chablon, especially if the compound you are spreading has a high insertion ratio (like that one).

 

In this photo you can see clearly that the cocoa nibs were sprinkled in the mold after some chocolate was poured in each cavity.

 

Lots of different techniques and ideas, we can only bow and compliment.

 

 

 

Teo