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Need help with fillings for chocolates


R Washburn

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I have just ordered some chocolate molds from beryl's (Beryl's ) and I am looking for recipes and advice for fillings. I am paricularly interested in recipes for fruit based and liquer based fillings. Does anybody know how Jaques Torres makes the Alize filling for his Alize hearts?

Thanks,

Robert

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Look at the paris gormet website, they have some bon bon recipes.

I think if you email Jacques, he would be more than willing to give you a hint.

"Chocolate has no calories....

Chocolate is food for the soul, The soul has no weight, therefore no calories" so said a customer, a lovely southern woman, after consuming chocolate indulgence

SWEET KARMA DESSERTS

www.sweetkarmadesserts.com

550 East Meadow Ave. East meadow, NY 11554

516-794-4478

Brian Fishman

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So, the Alize is the milk chocolate truffle with passionfruit-flavored ganache using Alize passionfruit liqueur in addition to passionfruit puree or syrup in the ganache.

Assuming that you can hold your own on tempering chocolate to mold the candies, I expect that the effect at least can be achieved several ways. You could try this recipe.

300g passionfruit puree

600g milk chocolate

80g invert sugar

100g butter

30g Alize passionfruit liquer

Edited by chefette (log)
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Of course if you really like his Alize hearts, it is probably cheaper and easier to just go buy them instead of attempting to make your own. But I assume that you are seeking the adventure of it all.

Thanks for the recipe. Whether or not it is cheaper to buy them, depends upon how much you value your time.

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The recipee should produce about 1K of ganache. Assuming the average chocolate contains 11g filling, you should be able to make about 100 chocolates.

Is your question how many pounds of chocolate should I expect to use to mold (coat and close) 100 chocolate candies?

If this is your question, I would work with about 3 pounds of chocolate for coating. This is not to say that there will be 3 pounds of chocolate actually coating your ganache, but that to do the filling you will need approximately that much.

Have you ever tempered chocolate or made molded chocolates? You might find that you are getting yourself in deeper than you anticipated here. You might also find that you value your time 'slightly' more than you think since this will probably take longer than you might anticipate if you have not done it before.

I am DYING to know all about this. Just wish we could have it on video tape.

Edited by chefette (log)
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I'm also interested in learning a more diverse range of molded chocolate fillings. I've done ganache and buttercreams. I'd like to learn nougats and nut fillings. Are there any good resource books?

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Or are you thinking of fondant creams and pralines when you say nougats and nut fillings? Or do you mean 'nougat' as in Three Muskateers Bars? or 'nougat' as in the italian confection made with egg white, honey, and nuts (ala Charleston chew)?

Edited by chefette (log)
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Have you ever tempered chocolate or made molded chocolates? You might find that you are getting yourself in deeper than you anticipated here. You might also find that you value your time 'slightly' more than you think since this will probably take longer than you might anticipate if you have not done it before.

I am DYING to know all about this. Just wish we could have it on video tape.

I have tempered chocolate before, but I have never tried molding it. What potentially amusing problems problems are you anticipating? It seems pretty straight forward, although I see a lot of potential for mess. I am tempted to try out molding a few impressions in cocoa tonight, just to get a feel for it. I do have experience molding gold and silver. While chocolate looks to be more delicate, you are able to work at much lower temperatures, which I expect to make things easier.

I will definitely post my results back on this thread.

Robert

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I haven't done molded chocolates myself (yet), but a chef instructor I met once gave me a tip that seems to help give the finished chocolates a good shine and makes them easier to unmold: never wash the molds with soap and water. Just rinse them with hot water to wash away the visible chocolate left behind. I think this is sort of like seasoning a pan for non-stick-ness.

Can anyone else confirm or deny that this is a good strategy?

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I haven't done molded chocolates myself (yet), but a chef instructor I met once gave me a tip that seems to help give the finished chocolates a good shine and makes them easier to unmold: never wash the molds with soap and water. Just rinse them with hot water to wash away the visible chocolate left behind. I think this is sort of like seasoning a pan for non-stick-ness.

Can anyone else confirm or deny that this is a good strategy?

So I have been told. The cocoa butter seasons them. also you want to avoid scratching them or leaving any lint behind from the cloth.

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Well, I am glad to hear that you have at least tempered chocolate before, so that will not be such a hurdle. Will you mold with dark chocolate? What brand? what percentage?

What tempering method are you planning to utilize?

I am sorry that I was envisioning a potential debacle. I applaud your willingness to make your own chocolates and hope that it goes well and you are rewarded with lots of beautiful and yummy chocolates and that you will continue. I am sure we all wish you the best of luck and cannot wait to hear about your (hopeful) success. Of course, disasterous failure would make for a very amusing story.

NSM, different people have different concerns regarding mold care. I had not heard anyone before rejecting soap though. The residual film of cocoa butter can build up and may affect the shine of your chocolates. A build up of cocoa butter in the mold cavities can result in a cloudy surface. The chocolate takes its shine from the surface against which it hardens so the more brilliantly smooth and shiny your surface, the more brilliantly shiny your chocolates. It also helps not to hurry too much in unmolding.

To address this you will probably want to use hot water with a bit of soap, but rinse very well and allow to air dry. Then gently swipe each cavity with a cotton ball to get rid of any water spots. You don't want to get too vigorous because static electricity can build up and can be problematic.

Generally, you do not want your mold to be too cold when you introduce the chocolate. It is a good idea to let the molds warm just a bit in the oven (with the pilot light) before pouring in the chocolate.

A non-pastry acquaintance wanted assistance in making 200-300 chocolates to give to co-workers last Valentine's Day. By the end of a long hard day of work I think she had a much greater appreciation of hand made chocolates and their relative value. This is especially evident when you do not have a chocolate warmer to hold your chocolate at the proper temperature and must continually keep track of it, warm it up, and re-temper as required.

I would recommend always using test strips to make sure your chocolate is in temper prior to pouring it in the molds. This helps prevent huge waste of chocolate and wasted time cleaning the molds.

Edited by chefette (log)
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Or are you thinking of fondant creams and pralines when you say nougats and nut fillings?  Or do you mean 'nougat' as in Three Muskateers Bars?  or 'nougat' as in the italian confection made with egg white, honey, and nuts (ala Charleston chew)?

I was looking for recipes along the lines of what See's Candies calls "Nuts and Chews". Their Chews feature centers of caramel and nougat. The Nuts have centers of "crunchy, chocolate coated nuts".

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I did a trial run last night using a Gastroflex mini-madeleine mold as a stand in for the heart and seafruit molds I am waiting on. I melted and tempered ~5oz of Valrhona milk chocolate (30% cocoa?) in a double boiler ( I used an ice bath to cool the chocolate). I then spooned in a little chocolate into each mold, and pushed it around with a spoon to coat the inside of each mold. Next, I removed the excess chocolate with a bench scraper and placed the molds in the refridgerator to harden. Because the mold is so flexible, I didn't try to invert it to remove excess chocolate. For filling I piped in a little hazelnut praline spread (from "le Pain Quotidien"). I then covered the chocolates with a second layer of chocolate and wiped the excess off with a scraper. The chocolates were then allowed to set in the fridge, and finally unmolded. I won't claim they are as good as Jaques Torres', but they were a lot better than anything available in your local supermarket, or most Malls. It seems pretty hard to go wrong if you use good ingredients.

Speaking of ingredients, does anyone know of a good source for cocoa butter, invert sugar and passionfruit puree in New York City? The only supplier I am familiar with is in Philadelphia (Assouline and Ting). I really want to try Cheffete's filling recipe as soon as my molds show up.

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try paris gourmet or the Chefs warehouse (Dairyland) , they both have websites and I think both sell to the general public. I have found the passionfruit puree in some supermarkets (its packaged and kept in the freezer usually with the Latin ingredients)

"Chocolate has no calories....

Chocolate is food for the soul, The soul has no weight, therefore no calories" so said a customer, a lovely southern woman, after consuming chocolate indulgence

SWEET KARMA DESSERTS

www.sweetkarmadesserts.com

550 East Meadow Ave. East meadow, NY 11554

516-794-4478

Brian Fishman

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I have found the passionfruit puree in some supermarkets (its packaged and kept in the freezer usually with the Latin ingredients)

My local supermarket ( I live in Washington Heights) has puree, but it lacks any intensity of flavor. I was hoping to try to source a really high quality puree. If the stuff has to be shipped I may as well pick it up in Philadelphia, next time I go down there. Here is Assouline and Ting's wholsale catalog:Assouline & Ting

Their fruit purees sound promising, and they do have cocoa butter and invert sugar.

Thanks again for your help.

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i just checked out that site. Their prices are pretty good. I havent looked at the shipping costs yet.

It will take you a long time to go through 5 gals of inverted sugar.

You can order Trimoline through

http://www.chefswarehouse.com/

18lbs for $33.00, I guess the 5 gals from Assouline is a better deal.

"Chocolate has no calories....

Chocolate is food for the soul, The soul has no weight, therefore no calories" so said a customer, a lovely southern woman, after consuming chocolate indulgence

SWEET KARMA DESSERTS

www.sweetkarmadesserts.com

550 East Meadow Ave. East meadow, NY 11554

516-794-4478

Brian Fishman

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R Washburn,

It's good that you have tempering down (though I feel it is a good idea to wean yourself of off the bain-marie and ice water bath. One slip and you've got unusable chocolate. Utilize that microwave!), and it seems you are willing to give the ganache the respect and attention it deserves.

While you wait for your molds to arrive, you can still practice the technique and skills you need for properly casting them. Using the flexipan was an interesting idea, but you found that it doesn't behave in the ways a polycarbonate mold does. Look around your kitchen, your house. Even an ice cube tray, or any small plastic form could provide some practice. Don't even worry about filling and eating them; simply practice casting your chocolate. Obviously, make sure it's clean, and buff it with a cotton ball. Remember to fill the mold or form completely, tap it to remove air bubbles. Get a feel for inverting it, and knowing when the chocolate is in that 'set-but-not-quite' state. Work on getting your chocolate to the right fluidity and temperature within the tempered range that will give you a superthin shell. Practice unmolding the shells- a stage of the process you don't want to rush. Definitely work on your efficiency and cleanliness. Pay attention to your environment- the ambiant temperature will have an effect on the behavior of your chocolate, and that may determine the speed at which you have to work. Any mistakes you make at this point can simply be melted down for the next try. After a while you can try marbeling dark, milk and white chocolates, or get into colored cocoa butters. It's not a difficult skill to learn, it just takes practice to master. Once you do feel confident, then you're on to enrobing, but that's a different animal altogher.

As for hard to find ingredients, seek out local pastry shops and restaurants for small quantities. I use trimoline everyday, and it takes me a month or more to go through a 7kg bucket, let alone five gallons!

Michael Laiskonis

Pastry Chef

New York

www.michael-laiskonis.com

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R W, I have tried a Passionfruit concentrate that seems to be available in the 'Latin' international section of some grocery stores. This is a very strong passionfruit juice that is not sweetened. You might look for that. Also, check out Perfect Puree http://www.perfectpuree.com/

They might sell single liters of purees.

As for the Invert sugar - try Light Corn Syrup that should get you by just fine. I was curious that you hadn't addressed this earlier but thought - hey, you must have your sources...

When Lesley C says scrape she means scrapoe the external flat surfaces of the mold, never ever scrape the molding cavities.

Glad to hear that your experiment went well too.

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As for the Invert sugar - try Light Corn Syrup that should get you by just fine. I was curious that you hadn't addressed this earlier but thought - hey, you must have your sources...

I am using corn syrup, since my source sells invert sugar in 5 Gal containers. What about acid hydrolyzing surose into invert sugar? Do you know of an invert sugar recipe?

I tried your Alize ganache recipe, but it definitely doesn't have the intensity I am looking for. A more intense puree would help, though. Do you think I could cook down and intensify a larger volume of Alize to provide more flavor?

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