Confections! (2006-2012)

[mrose]

I made these chocolate logs

The center is a hazelnut gianduia surrounded by a pistaschio marzipan. Coated in milk chocolate.

I have a question about the marzipan. The recipe wants you to bring a sugar syrup up to 252F, pour on nuts & then grind. Greweling has a recipe that works the same way. The marzipan seemed a bit chewy, not like any I had been used to. It also could have been sweeter. I have always made marzipan as in the book by Carol Bloom which is nuts ground with confectionery sugar & egg whites. This always seemed to be the correct sweetness. It tasted like also the other marzipan I have ever eaten. Why do they use cooked sugar, it tastes like ground nuts with caramel in it?

[alanamoana]

wouldn't it be safer without the egg whites? maybe with the hot syrup you get a more consistent result than waiting for the nut oils to release the Bloom way?

[tammylc]

My Valentine's Day chocolates (plus pretty new boxes):

The white/green ones are white chocolate & lime

The red/pink swirly ones are passion fruit dark chocolate butter ganache with honey

The textured ones are dark chocolate with Earl Grey tea

The bronze/yellow ones are milk chocolate curry inside a dark chocolate shell

I don't usually like white chocolate, but this is one of my absolute favorites - it's adapted from the Grewling lemon/mint recipe, and it's just fabulous. Lots of fresh lime juice keeps it from being too sweet.

[Desiderio]

Gourgeous collection , as usual

[Chris Hennes]

Tammy, those are stunning! I love your new boxes. How well do the chocolates ship in them? It looks like there is quite a bit of space around each piece, and I would be concerned about them banging around---has this been a problem? I got a box from Norman Love last week (my wife is a wonderful person! ) and while lovely, the nut fragments from the nut-coated truffles got all over everything and marred the finish of the other pieces, so I've been thinking about chocolate packaging a lot recently.

[tammylc]

Tammy, those are stunning! I love your new boxes. How well do the chocolates ship in them? It looks like there is quite a bit of space around each piece, and I would be concerned about them banging around---has this been a problem? I got a box from Norman Love last week (my wife is a wonderful person!  ) and while lovely, the nut fragments from the nut-coated truffles got all over everything and marred the finish of the other pieces, so I've been thinking about chocolate packaging a lot recently.

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Thanks, Chris and Vanessa!

Thoughts about chocolate packaging take up far too much of my brain power...

I usually put the chocolates in cups before putting them in the tray, which mostly keeps them from rattling around too much. I just left them off for picture taking purposes. I also use a spacer in the bottom of the box so that the chocolates are flush with the top of the box. My dome chocolates still sometimes manage to turn themselves over, unfortunately, even with all those efforts.

I have to thank Vanessa for the boxes - it was her posting about her new boxes that sent me looking at Nashville Wraps and buying these on the same closeout sale she took advantage of. They are gorgeous, but the big problem is that they are much deeper than i need for a single layer box. So as I said above, I use a foam block as a spacer in the bottom. If I'm still in the chocolate business when I run out of these, I think I'll have to finally bite the bullet and go custom so I can get just what I want.

[Beth Wilson]

Any ideas on where you will get your custom boxes done? I am thinking of taking that plunge as well and I am concerned I will have to order a ton of cases to get it done.

I imagine a maze of cases in my storage area!

If anyone has a suggestion I would appreciate it.

Beth

[tammylc]

No idea, Beth. I ordered 200 boxes in December, so I'm set for a while and haven't started doing any research yet. I'd also be really interested in other people's experiences/sources.

[alanamoana]

Any ideas on where you will get your custom boxes done?  I am thinking of taking that plunge as well and I am concerned I will have to order a ton of cases to get it done.

I imagine a maze of cases in my storage area!

If anyone has a suggestion I would appreciate it.

Beth

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there are several threads on custom and regular boxes in the pastry forum. it's been a while, so i can't remember the titles...a quick search might turn something up.

edited to add: if i remember correctly, you can get some pretty nice looking standard (non-custom) boxes that don't require minimum purchases. you might want to start with something like that before taking the plunge and getting dies done, etc.

Edited February 6, 2008 by alanamoana (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Fancy Pak in Montreal will do custom work. There is also a company in Toronto who Mark Rose and I were looking at for boxes for the truffle logs. I've forgotten the details, but could probably find them if I search when I'm back from belgium.

[Desiderio]

Glerup Group does custom packages and labels.I think they have few big names ( I have seen Fran's chocolates and Ghirardelli) .I order mostly from them and Nashville Wraps.I have asked for a quote on custome boxes, ( she even sent me a mock up box with the idea I have sent her ), the minimum I think is 1000 boxes and the price goes around $6000, unfortunatelly it will have to wait , but I will go that direction if the business goes well .

Another web site that does custom packaging for very popular chocolatiers is this , I havent contact them ,I cant event think how much those luxury boxes are

I might drop them an email as soon as I am redy just to feel bad about myself

http://www.jvi.com/Products/LuxuryPackagin...93/Default.aspx

enjoy!

[mrose]

This is my Valentines Day offering in a solid chocolate box (edible). I will also have them in a smaller square chocolate box, a traditional red heart box, & my usual gold box.

greenish chocolates have a lime pastisse filling

red hearts have a passion fruit filling

roses with redish accent have a red rose filling

others roses have a soft caramel filling

white stripe have a marzapan filling

[Tri2Cook]

This thread just amazes me. I wish I had the skill to do chocolates half as nice as those that show up here.

Mark, I love the edible box. I did a plated dessert for an anniversary dinner for some very good friends of mine that involved an edible chocolate box with my cherry popper version 2 inside as part of it. There was an explanation that went with it but I'm not sure if posting it violates the EG code of appropriateness.

[Shelby]

This is my Valentines Day offering in a solid chocolate box (edible). I will also have them in a smaller square chocolate box, a traditional red heart box, & my usual gold box.

greenish chocolates have a lime pastisse filling

red hearts have a passion fruit filling

roses with redish accent have a red rose filling

others roses have a soft caramel filling

white stripe have a marzapan filling

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Oh my, that's beautiful!!! I wish I could buy it!!!! It's too pretty to eat!

[tammylc]

That's lovely, Mark! I see great minds think alike - I think it's funny that we both decided to do passion fruit and white chocolate lime pieces...

[mrose]

That's lovely, Mark!  I see great minds think alike - I think it's funny that we both decided to do passion fruit and white chocolate lime pieces...

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Tammy

I always make passion fruit hearts & caramel filled roses. It seem fitting for the day.

[tammylc]

That was my thinking on the passion fruit too - passion for Valentine's Day.

[Truffle Guy]

That was my thinking on the passion fruit too - passion for Valentine's Day.

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I do have a passion fruit heart also...(the orange one with purple). Not sure if this image is going to be very clear. We did a 18 and 19 piece heart box as well as some other boxes.

[tammylc]

That was my thinking on the passion fruit too - passion for Valentine's Day.

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I do have a passion fruit heart also...(the orange one with purple). Not sure if this image is going to be very clear. We did a 18 and 19 piece heart box as well as some other boxes.

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Those are glorious, Truffle Guy. I'm looking at those going "oooh, how did he get *that* effect?" You're totally inspiring me to pull out my colored cocoa butter, airbrush and brushes and get back to work...

[mrose]

That was my thinking on the passion fruit too - passion for Valentine's Day.

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I do have a passion fruit heart also...(the orange one with purple). Not sure if this image is going to be very clear. We did a 18 and 19 piece heart box as well as some other boxes.

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I agree with Tammy, they are wonderful & inspiring. Makes me want to play too.

[Desiderio]

Passion fruit is kinda of a must on Valentine's day

Beautifull chocolates Truffle guy ,I was wondering when you were going to show us some more of your creations.I still have saved one of your pic , with stunning colored chocolates form while back .I was hoping you were going to tell us more about your business

[Kerry Beal]

After spending an outrageous amount of money on the Magyfleur brass molds while at Chocolate World, Anna N suggested that door knobs might work just as well and cost a fair bit less.

So they were having a clearance sale at Lee Valley the other day and I decided to check out their collection of drawer pulls and filials to see what I could find.

I paid a dollar each for some of these, and a bit more for the ones that weren't in the bargain bin. I gave them a good wash, threw them in the freezer and when I had some chocolate tempered this morning, dipped each one to see what effect I could get.

I'm very pleased with the result. I particularly like the sunflower and hope I can find a larger version of it somewhere.

[gfron1]

What a cool idea! But I don't quite understand how you'll use these since you'll want the reverse...right? Although I see great potential for dessert decorations.

[Kerry Beal]

What a cool idea!  But I don't quite understand how you'll use these since you'll want the reverse...right?  Although I see great potential for dessert decorations.

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Those items on the plate are all chocolate. I took the frozen knobs, dipped them in chocolate and when it had hardened, used a knife edge to pry them off. You get the reverse of the knob when you dip, but I think they are still going to work out nicely but just putting a smaller one inside a larger one and gluing them together with some chocolate to make bigger flowers.

Picture a bunch of petals made from the hatched piece.

[gfron1]

Now I get it! What we are seeing there is just a thin layer of chocolate that has taken the shape of the knob. I thought we were looking at the side of the chocolate that had contact with the knob - but we're actually seeing the side that did NOT contact the knob...right? I can definitely see the flower.