Mycryo

[Patrice]

Recently, Cacao Barry introduced Mycryo, a powdered cocoa butter wich is suppose to be used as gelatine. I would like to know if somebody has experimented with this product.

[twodogs]

i have seen it used in numerous spanish cookbooks, but know not were to get it or how to use it. curious as well.

cheers

[nightscotsman]

I think the chefs at school have just started testing some recipes with Mycryo. I saw one cake that had a raspberry mousse and a hazelnut mousse both made with the stuff instead of gelatine. The raspberry seemed to work well, but the hazelnut was way too soft when it defrosted. The flavor of both was the same as the gelatine recipes. Nothing conclusing though.

[butterchik]

Just finished a chocolate course at LeNotre Paris where we got to have a play with the Cocoa Barry Beurre MyCryos product. Ingredients are listed as pure cocoa butter, cryogenically frozen in powder form. Didn't try it in any mousse applications but did use it to temper chocolate - take white, dark or milk up to 35C, add 1 percent of the chocolates weight in MyCryos and to all our shock and amazement (esp. that of MOF prof Thierry Atlan) there it was - perfectly crystallised chocolate.

Is it available yet in the States or just to the lucky ones with friends overseas?

Edited November 30, 2003 by butterchik (log)

[nightscotsman]

I've been told that there will be a book available in the US within a few weeks filled with recipes using Mycryo. Sorry I don't know the publisher or title, but I assume Cocoa Barry is backing it.

I've also been told that the reason it can be used to temper chocolate quickly is that the process Cocoa Barry uses actually isolates and concentrates the very stable "beta" cocoa butter crystals.

[Kareen]

I just got a container of it. Pretty unexpensive too for the amount you should use, 1%... 25$CAN for 3.3 lbs. Can't wait to try the tempering techniques. I'm a little skeptical, we'll see. I'll report tommorow.

Kareen

[butterchik]

I just got a container of it.  Pretty unexpensive too for the amount you should use, 1%... 25$CAN for 3.3 lbs.  Can't wait to try the tempering techniques. I'm a little skeptical, we'll see.  I'll report tommorow.

Kareen

In France it was priced the same as regular cocoa butter as well - nice to know it is out at home already but kills the thrill I had at the thought of bringing back something new:blush:...shouldn't neglect egullet even on holiday, I'm out of the loop.

Not only does it temper - there was a bowl of milk/mycryos that had been left in the etuve overnight at 43C and the next day in class I tabled it and it was fine. Still not as glossy as the traditional way but a perfect snap and handy for when you're in a rush (or to get nice decos etc out of less chocolate savvy staff).

Edited December 2, 2003 by butterchik (log)

[Kareen]

Well, I just tried it to "temper chocolate"... I'm not overly impressed with the result. I'll give it a couple more chances before abandonning the idea. The chocolate didn't have the same crack and shine that I usualy get, but the problem could be me and the way I did it. It's still worth trying and experimenting. I think I'll end up using it as the main purpose, gelatine substitute. Can't wait to ear about someone else first try!

Kareen

[McDuff]

I got a sample of mycryo to play around with and made the Vanilla Bavarian which recipe came with it, folding Valronha's perles au chocolat into it and making a mousse torte kind of thing. I should have infused the milk with Valronha's cocoa nibs, now that would have been tasty.

I tried to figure out how much to use per unit of mousse or whatever and landed on 1 oz per lb. So I made some lemon curd, dropped the mycryo in while it was still hot, then cooled it, folded in some whipped cream, spread it on a round of frangipane, pressed fresh raspberries into it, then piped whipped cream over it. Not too shabby tasting.

If anybody else has used it, is an oz per lb enough? Does it need heat and/or acid to work? Most of the recipes that came with it need to go to 158 degrees, then the cream is folded in at 64 degrees. I just love that kind of precision. What happens if you bump the amount used up a little? Does it set any firmer? I don't have a lot of it left and I don't think my boss will buy it if I can't answer some questions about it. It apparently costs about 110 bucks for 9 kilos. But the big brass are a little excited by it as it is natural and vegetarian. We can only use beef gelatin from Giusto's and people don't like the smell when it's hot.

[tan319]

can you buy a single unit?

Like a box, assuming it comes in a box like pistole chocolate?

Just play around with it, seems to me?

[nicolekaplan]

i haven't used ny sample yet but my understanding is the following

1. it is cocoa butter that is basically airbrushed and crumbled

2. i think harry wils is carrying it

3. you can use it to temper chocolate, i think it was at a ration of 1g to 100g chocolate

but if you call the number listed in the ad they are helpful

[Moopheus]

According the adverts, it's powdered cocoa butter.

[Michael Laiskonis]

I bought a case a while back and finally just started using it this week. What I've found most helpful is a book/CD that Cacao Barry released through Kirra Edition, L'Eveil des Sens, written by Philippe Bertrand and Philippe Marand, which I received as a promo item. In the book they utilize Mycryo in virtually every capacity, from entremets and plated desserts to petits fours and chocolate work. Their examples will definitely offer a better sense of formula and substitution ratios, more so than the package or the two page promo thing I've seen. They even use it as a fat to saute items! Like I said, I got the book as a promo, and I don't know how else it might be distributed, but it is worth seeking out.

When I initially asked for it, my distributor haven't even heard of it, but the product is getting out there, and I would hope most purveyors are sampling it out. A case is six 1.5K/3.3# cans, and I paid something like $128 for the case. Whether it will be successful or well received, I think remains to be seen. My initial mousses were nice, much more delicate but also more fragile than if they had been gelatin based- an acceptable trade off, I guess. At the very least, I'll likely end up using it to replace the cocoa butter tablets I normally keep in inventory- the Mycryo is actually cheaper!

[McDuff]

My initial mousses were nice, much more delicate but also more fragile than if they had been gelatin based- an acceptable trade off, I guess.

That's pretty much what I've found so far. They set up, can be sliced carefully, and remain very tender. They also seem to weep a bit the following day, and the bowl of vanilla bavarian which I ignored for several days to see what would happen to it completely collapsed when I poked it with a spatula. I don't read French so the book/cd might be of limited value. The woman at Cocoa Barry in Montreal was very helpful when I ordered the sample and I suppose Whole Foods has enough clout to make her sit up and take notice if I tell her we need to know how to use it.

[artisanbaker]

http://www.chipsbooks.com/allpleas.htm

[Michael Laiskonis]

...They also seem to weep a bit the following day, and the bowl of vanilla bavarian which I ignored for several days to see what would happen to it completely collapsed when I poked it with a spatula. I don't read French so the book/cd might be of limited value...

I also forgot to mention that some care needs to be taken when incorporating it into a hot substance. Even though the quantities are small, it seems you have to approach it like an emulsion, as it is fat- one of my guys was putting some into a warmed fruit puree and it immediately appeared like an oil slick on the surface...

And as you would see from the above link, the book is tri-lingual. A word of caution, however, I've already found one glaring typo- a sort of olive oil sablee recipe calling for 475 grams of butter, when in fact it should be only 75 grams!

[McDuff]

You can sometimes see that fat floating on the top of a bowl of chocolate you're trying to temper. I had an instructor, one of the guys on winning US baking team last year, Ciril Hitz, who called it "purple haze." I used to have a different definition for that substance, but I stirred the lemon curd for several minutes and didn't have any separation. That book is verrrryyyy pricey, and probably has more info in it than I need. We don't do anywhere near the variety of in-house production one could pull from that source.

[nightscotsman]

A word of caution, however, I've already found one glaring typo- a sort of olive oil sablee recipe calling for 475 grams of butter, when in fact it should be only 75 grams!

Yikes- that's a hell of a typo!

[gibfalc]

Just wanted to post a few things that I know about mycryo. Mycryo is cocoa butter that is frozen while it is being sprayed.The freezing process sets certain crystals first and leaves you with the desirable Beta crystals. By adding the beta crystals at the correct temperature they form the proper chains and leave the chocolate in temper. To use mycryo you should

1. melt the chocolate to 104 - 113

2. Let the chocolate cool to 94.

3. Add mycryo at 1% of the weight of the chocolate.

4. Stir in well

5. Hold at the proper temperature 89-90 for dark 85-86 for milk etc...

A few more uses for mycryo . It can be brushed on warm tart shells to create a protective barrier. Unlike gelatin it is not affected by enzymes therefore making it another choice when working with certain fruits. As mentioned in another post it can be used as a vegetarian substitute for gelatin. I have also seen it added to chocolate and cocoa butter to make the mixture more stable when spraying showpieces.

[pjm333]

Has anyone ever used this product ? Mycryo "Meecreeyo" I saw a add in food arts and then did a search. The add said that it was a replacement for gelatin but I also saw a web site that said when added to tempered chocolate that it will hold the temper of chocolate ? Its made buy cacao barry and I did call up and get a sample + some info. I know that it is basically freeze dried cocoa butter but was curious if anyone has actually used it before? thanks

pat..

cacao barry / free sample 1-800-774-9131 ext-2375 / 2361

technical info and recipes - 1-800-774-9131 ext-2203

I called the first phone # and got all "sample,info,recipes"

[McDuff]

I've used it several times now, but I am having trouble getting Cacao Barry to verify that it is what we at America's biggest earthy crunchy groceria would call "Clean." So I can't really use it in any products to sell until they can verify that.

I used it to temper chocolate the other day and it worked great. I spread some on a sheet pan to try making ruffles, forgot about it, and it's still sitting there on the rack, not a trace of fat bloom.

I've used it in Bavarian creams, made a lemon mousse with lemon curd and whipped cream and next time I make chocolate mousse, it's going into that. My boss said he would spring for the book, but I haven't seen that happen yet.

[pjm333]

Steve Klc & McDuff

thanks for your replies, im looking forward to using it..

pat...

[jodicalhoun]

I tried mycryo, intrigued by the ad and the lure of a sample. I work as a private chef and my chief client is severly diabetic with an insatiable sweet tooth and an amazing ability to work off fats and cholestrol. Well, I've been working on ice creams sweetened with the not so vile artificial sweetener but the texture has never been right. I've jiggled milk-to-cream ratios, less egg yolks, more egg yolks and was seriously considering laying blame at the sweetener or the machine. So I did a batch of ice cream with a half cup of mycryo stirred into the custard and came out with a much smoother (though still open for improvement) texture and that it also lasted longer in the freezer repack than before. Now I can't find it to purchase though I suppose I may end up calling the original contact number.

[tan319]

I just got a can of this today and am looking forward to using it.

I'm going to begin my search for gel/Mycryos substitutions but wanted to run it by you guys too.

I do a dulce de leche mascarpone thing, a kind of tiramisu that i do in small ring molds and normally use 8 sheets of gel in my recipe( makes about 24 desserts).

So, that would be 16 grams of gel sheets.

Anybody have any ideas on a weight to go with?

I was wondering if I should use their outline for a bavarian cream but my dish really isn't that kind of thing

Thanks in advance for any input.

Edited June 23, 2004 by tan319 (log)

[tan319]

Not having much luck on googling it.

Nothing.

And can't find that damn ad that was everywhere in the mags, the one with the cross section cut of a raspberry mousse like cake.

Does anyone remember where that was?

Food Arts?

PA&D?( )

Food& Wine?