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Chocolates with that showroom finish, 2004 - 2011


Skwerl

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Wow!Now if it is a regular lid, that you turn? Hmmm? I guess I can get jars with snap lids- those that have a metal thingie that you snap down tightly?

Thanks ever so much! You are a clever one!!

It is these mason jars and lids you will need to work with the Reynold's Handivac and the FoodSaver vacuum lid attachment.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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I feel like I ask too many questions-sorry. Here I would be called a "nudnik" -someone who is a pest! Well for those who have some extra patience: In Whbauw's book page 140-141 he has a recipe for palet d'or. I love these. Now, what exactly is plastic foil? Is it the kind of sheet transfer papers are made on? Is it the kind of material you write on for an overhead projector (of long ago)? Or is it just plastic like the piping bag plastic?

Next. he asys to place a gold flake, which I have, On after the plastic foil is removed. So how does it stay on? Doesn't it blow off? I read somewhere to put it on befor the plastic foil, but then it flattens it out.

Thanks!!

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plastic foil is just acetate sheets. sometimes called guitar sheets. it can be bought in different textures and thicknesses. remember that chocolate takes on the shine of whatever it touches, so very shiny acetate will give you very shiny chocolate...however, with the thicker acetate, when the chocolate sets up, it contracts so sometimes you get some artifact lines where the chocolate lifts away from the acetate. when you're making small chocolates like the palet d'or, you can always cut the plastic into small squares and put individual plastic on each bonbon. you can also re-use the plastic that transfer sheets were on (if they're nice and clean).

regarding the gold leaf...it should stick (static cling). PCB actually makes little gold transfers specifically for palet d'or. they aren't real gold leaf though, so they don't look as good as the real thing.

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Just want to confirm David's technique. I use the same technique, except w/foodsaver bags and packed closer (my freezer is probably smaller than his).

Using this sealing technique, I was able to transport ~700 chocolates to a wedding through carryon. I put bubblewrap on the outside, but otherwise it was bags on bags of chocolate. I also tried about ~350 with small bubblewrap in between each bag, doing successfully through checked luggage.

The only chocolates that lost some finish were those with a lesser vacuum where the chocolates were able to bang into each other within the seal. So I agree with his idea that it is the tightness of the pack that preserves the finish. I think this is also true within the suitcase (assume some bubblewrap).

. . .

For long term storage I now freeze using the new Reynolds vaccum bags.

Does this not mar the shine on the chocolates?

I pack them only after they have a chance to fully set and I didn't notice any problem. My take on it is that it actually prevents the damage you would get with the pieces banging into each other if they were packed loose in a container. Take a look at the shells in the gift box.

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  • 1 month later...
In case anyone is following this "drama"...

I finally received an email from the chocolatform. Apparently they did not get my first two inquiries. I also sent a picture. Marco is sending it to the internal pastry expert (...) And hopefully I will get advice or something.

This was one:

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If you look carefully at the middle section... When enlarged it is easy to see, here maybe not.

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Lior

I was making Valentines Day boxes & I had the same problem as you did with the marking from the mold as in the above picture (the top). This time I brushed it with a badger hair brush right after demolding. It sort of "erased" the mark, you can see light brush marks on the top. It still has a nice sheen to it, even though picture doesn't show it very well.

gallery_45240_3105_8518.jpg

Edited by mrose (log)

Mark

www.roseconfections.com

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Wow that is a nice box-it is a box?? I guess I will get the badger brush in that case as it is frustrating. The expert at chocoform said I should put the mold in the fridge right away. I haven't tried yet but I will. Now I will go back and source that brush-it was written somewhere here. Thanks so much!! By the way, the caramel with dark chocolate mixed in and coated in dark is lovely-Bittersweet Mark!!

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hi lior,

the marks on your bars are clearly cooling marks, you get those if you put your bars in the fridge. the only way to avoid them is with a professional cooling tunnel, this device cools the chocolate gradually so you dont get cracks in truffles and no cooling marks (at least less cooling marks)

cheers

t.

Edited by schneich (log)

toertchen toertchen

patissier chocolatier cafe

cologne, germany

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I’ve just started playing around with molds so I may be off base here, but in the Greweling book he talks about the latent heat of crystallization. And the dull area of these bars looks a lot like what he describes. Apparently the heat released upon crystallization can become trapped in certain molds and take the chocolate out of temper or promote unstable crystal formation during cooling.

He suggests that you refrigerate the mold for a short period of time to help release the latent heat. He cautions against too long an exposure or using too low a temperature – I believe he said it should be around 5° C with low humidity. He also said not to put it into the refrigerator right away, but rather to wait until the cocoa butter begins to crystallize. If refrigerated too soon, the chocolate won’t have enough type-V seed crystals to form a stable structure upon setting.

Mike.

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I'm not sure where to ask this question so cut me some slack if this is not the right spot.

How do you suppose these dessert cups were made? My girlfriend asked me and at first I thought Oh well that's easy bladeeblabl--ugh well I don't know.

I mean they are scalloped on top and they seem to look cupped like tulips and the chocolate is the same color all the way through--it doesn't seem layered. Y'know for a minute I thought the scalloped top edges were from pouring the melted chocolate up each side--but it's two different colors of choco and then the striping. I mean the striping is the easy part actually. How did they marry the white and dark and keep it all the way through like that??

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(I'm gonna BS and answer since I'm not 100% sure.)

I've bought and sold those so they're made in a factory. My guess is the form is on a mechanized arm that rotates in the four directions to get the scallops. For imagery, lower a bottle of wine into a bowl of water. Now, tilt it to the right. Then the left, forward, back. You have your scallops.

My guess is that the striping comes from how the chocolate is tubed into the dipping vessel - probably thin streams of tempered white.

Having watched Kerry make snobinette cups, this would be an easy project to do.

But wait - doesn't Food Network of one of those channels have a show that explains things like this?!

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I'll bet you could do those with long thin balloons or condoms. A pool of tempered dark chocolate, pipe a few lines of white into it. Dip one side of the bottom of the balloon, turn a quarter turn, dip again times 4. Now sit it up on it's foot to cool. Deflate balloon - and bob's your uncle.

Condoms should be free of flavour, lubrication and spermacide. I'd avoid the reservoir tip too.

Edited by Kerry Beal (log)
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(I'm gonna BS and answer since I'm not 100% sure.)

I've bought and sold those so they're made in a factory.  My guess is the form is on a mechanized arm that rotates in the four directions to get the scallops.  For imagery, lower a bottle of wine into a bowl of water.  Now, tilt it to the right.  Then the left, forward, back.  You have your scallops. 

My guess is that the striping comes from how the chocolate is tubed into the dipping vessel - probably thin streams of tempered white.   

Having watched Kerry make snobinette cups, this would be an easy project to do. 

But wait - doesn't Food Network of one of those channels have a show that explains things like this?!

I'll bet you could do those with long thin balloons or condoms.  A pool of tempered dark chocolate, pipe a few lines of white into it.  Dip one side of the bottom of the balloon, turn a quarter turn, dip again times 4.  Now sit it up on it's foot to cool.  Deflate balloon - and bob's your uncle.

Condoms should be free of flavour, lubrication and spermacide.  I'd avoid the reservoir tip too.

Rob, they are hand made. Besides I can bs it. C'mon think!

Kerry, that would not work because you can't keep the western stripes perpendicular and pour the north the south & east ones first y'know?

This is a great puzzle.

I mean maybe they just are so dang good at it they've got it finessed to a fair thee well.

I mean even if you get past the white w/stripes being poured individually, you gotta discern how the tops got scalloped so evenly and there's no layering it appears solid white and solid brown all the way through from what you can see in the picture.

Ok maybe they are made in four pieces that are then joined at the lowest part of the scallop. Put the stripe juju on the form, put enough white*, pipe on the rest of the brown choco for that one quarter piece. Do that three more times and join them at the dark brown choco??? Maybe??? I don't see any seams but they had to do it some way.

*I mean it appears that the stripes and white are indeed poured because the stripelettes seem to grow from the bottom if you look closely it's not all equal from top to bottom like if you just striped it in one stroke it looks to have been a moving lava flow at one time.

I think it could be done on a form where you make four petals and join them but I don't think they did it on a form. But I can't figure any other way to do it.

Oh oh oh how about upside down OF COURSE OF COURSE --do each white section with the accompanying choco stripes (which probably at birth the choco stripes are choco dots that grow when the white is applied and allowed to run down that is in an upside down petal shaped form. Allow each section to set, place enough brown choco to fill in the gaps one section at a time. And Viola. Or maybe they do the brown choco sections first then the white and I can just imagine as you sit and do that three or four hundred thousand times you get a grip on just how much stuff to pipe in to make it look like that.

Think maybe?

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...This is a great puzzle...

Oh oh oh how about upside down OF COURSE OF COURSE --do each white section with the accompanying choco stripes (which probably at birth the choco stripes are choco dots that grow when the white is applied and allowed to run down that is in an upside down petal shaped form. Allow each section to set, place enough brown choco to fill in the gaps one section at a time. And Viola. Or maybe they do the brown choco sections first then the white and I can just imagine as you sit and do that three or four hundred thousand times you get a grip on just how much stuff to pipe in to make it look like that.

Think maybe?

Hmm, but how the heck do they get it out of the form?

Hmmm...

A paper mold? That they can tear away?

Well it could be poured over a mold. No?

A silicone mold?

A jointed mold?? :raz:

This is a real spin the straw into hay-ish cool puzzle.

Egg carton something or other???

Edited by K8memphis (log)
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But still I think the choco stripes are somewhat drawn on because of the beautiful lineage where they are so dramatic and not completley gravitational like a real lava flow would be y'know? A real lava flow would be all straight and those lines are twisty and pretty, have character.

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I've got no balloons or condoms around, I'll pick some up later today and show you how it's done.

Oh oh oh I gotcha now! Dip the outside of the blown up balloon or condom which is now your mold into the properly striped choco that's sitting on the counter or in a bowl. Ok I got it, but I would love the demo. So you gonna put the dark skinny racing stripe type chocolate stripes directly onto the mold first? Then dip? How do you keep everything from spreading too much as you dip? Practice practice practice?

But then still how do you keep it solid white and solid brown through out.

There does not appear to be any layering. It seems solid white and solid brown.

This is making my brain hurt. I can't wait for a demo.

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I think that Mette started a topic about this. Here it is: Demo: Molding bowls and containers with chocolate.

The method that Kerry is describing is shown, more or less, about 3/4 of the way down from Mette's 1st post. (though I do look forward to Kerry's post...)

Edited by John DePaula (log)

John DePaula
formerly of DePaula Confections
Hand-crafted artisanal chocolates & gourmet confections - …Because Pleasure Matters…
--------------------
When asked “What are the secrets of good cooking? Escoffier replied, “There are three: butter, butter and butter.”

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Ok, not one of my better demos. I haven't done this before with the little balloons. First, those little suckers are impossible to blow up, I had to find a pump after nearly blowing my brains out. And of course they are about 3 1/2 feet long so even after learning to make balloon animals I wasn't able to stand them up straight.

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I drizzled tempered white chocolate lines on top of tempered dark chocolate.

Then I just dipped the balloons on one side, turned and dipped again. The lines had to be reapplied every couple of dips.

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You can see in the back ground the large balloon with it's dipped 'petals' and the smaller white balloon. Strawberries were on sale for $3.99 so I took the opportunity to dip them the same way.

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Valuable lesson - wait until the form is completely cooled and hardened before letting the air out of the balloon.

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A bit crooked, but you can see the effect you can get simply by dipping the balloon in stripes of chocolate.

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You are so cool to do that pictorial! Lot of painful brain work all the way around. I couldn't be more grateful but I'm still laughing my head off about the balloon blowing.

Yay!!! That's so cool. Thank you, Kerry

My (hurting) brain thanks your (nearly blown out) brain too.

:biggrin:

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