Confections! (2006-2012)

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry,

Could you explain how you formed the lids? Can you make these from the cup mould itself?

They look very inviting.

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I put a transfer under a rubber chablon sheet, spread the chocolate over it, then lifted the sheet off. I don't think they could be made from the cup mold.

[Kerry Beal]

Awesome Kerry, beautiful as always.

I have a question for you, I finally had success with the aerated chocolate. Worked perfectly, full of bubbles and very creamy in texture as it melts in the mouth. This was with the method from the book, not H.B.'s version (but I do have a set of those vacuum bags on the way). I don't have a picture, it was at work and was devoured, but I just used 64% Schokinag because it was handy. What I want to figure out is how to get fruit flavors into the chocolate. Are flavoring oils my only good option for something like this? I'm worried purees (even concentrated) would alter the chocolate too much for the process but I really don't know. I know H.B. adds a little peanut oil to the chocolate for his version but oil and puree are two different beasts. I guess I could just try it, it wouldn't be the first chocolate and cream chargers I've wasted learning this one.

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Choux is right. Puree will seize the chocolate. Essential oils can be used, as well as oil based flavours for chocolate. Lor-ann makes a variety of them.

[Tri2Cook]

I'm not too concerned with seizing. Maybe I should be but I've never had difficulty with liquids in chocolate, even in small amounts, as long as it all goes in the top of a double boiler at the same time and I leave it alone until the chocolate is melted. Once the chocolate looks pretty much melted I give it a stir and so far, so good. Maybe I've just been lucky. My main concern is whether a fruit puree would alter the chocolate in some way that wouldn't allow it to support the bubble structure. But you're probably right, there's probably not much point in going to all of that trouble when a few drops of oil will solve the problem. It would have to be a pretty strong, well concentrated puree to give enough flavor without adding a large amount anyway.

Edit: On rereading this I definitely did not mean it to sound like I was disagreeing with Kerry and choux on the subject of chocolate seizing (which is exactly how it sounds). My chocolate skills aren't close to that of Kerry or choux and I will defer to their advice without hesitation. I'm just assuming I've been lucky with proportions or maybe the chocolate powers-that-be have watched over me because I've committed that sin many times. I'm going to go with the oils as advised.

Thanks.

Edited October 26, 2007 by Tri2Cook (log)

[Kerry Beal]

I'm not too concerned with seizing. Maybe I should be but I've never had difficulty with liquids in chocolate, even in small amounts, as long as it all goes in the top of a double boiler at the same time and I leave it alone until the chocolate is melted. Once the chocolate looks pretty much melted I give it a stir and so far, so good. Maybe I've just been lucky. My main concern is whether a fruit puree would alter the chocolate in some way that wouldn't allow it to support the bubble structure. But you're probably right, there's probably not much point in going to all of that trouble when a few drops of oil will solve the problem. It would have to be a pretty strong, well concentrated puree to give enough flavor without adding a large amount anyway.

Edit: On rereading this I definitely did not mean it to sound like I was disagreeing with Kerry and choux on the subject of chocolate seizing (which is exactly how it sounds). My chocolate skills aren't close to that of Kerry or choux and I will defer to their advice without hesitation. I'm just assuming I've been lucky with proportions or maybe the chocolate powers-that-be have watched over me because I've committed that sin many times. I'm going to go with the oils as advised.

Thanks.

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You can add water to chocolate without it seizing under certain circumstances.

Elaine Gonzalez (chocartist) in her wonderfully comprehensive book Chocolate Artistry explains how to add small amounts of hot liquids to chocolate to allow you to pipe the chocolate. It is a really neat technique.

I've thrown an ice cube in my chocolate, fished it out and not had it seize. It was a brain fart that caused me to chuck the ice cube in there. But the chocolate gods were smiling that day.

Here is a link to the discussion. Start at post #8.

[lapin d'or]

Kerry,

Could you explain how you formed the lids?

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I put a transfer under a rubber chablon sheet, spread the chocolate over it, then lifted the sheet off. I don't think they could be made from the cup mold.

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Kerry thank you for explaining the process for the lids.

I am really taken by how they looked but not sure I could reproduce this. How easy is it to lift a chablon sheet off the chocolate? The sheets I have seen for sale online look a little large for one person to easily lift off cleanly. I assume you have to lift before the chocolate sets and that the sheets are quite floppy to handle. I could see myself making quite a mess!

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry thank you for explaining the process for the lids.

I am really taken by how they looked but not sure I could reproduce this. How easy is it to lift a chablon sheet off the chocolate? The sheets I have seen for sale online look a little large for one person to easily lift off cleanly. I assume you have to lift before the chocolate sets and that the sheets are quite floppy to handle. I could see myself making quite a mess!

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I'm not sure how big the ones you have seen are, but the ones I have are 12 by 16 inches.

After pouring the chocolate on the chablon, spreading it out with an offset spatula, you just pick it up by the short side and peel it up. You do it while the chocolate is still wet. Wybauw did it so smoothly that he could put it down again and repeat without any mess on the underside. I'm not quite that neat myself.

[K8memphis]

Allll chocolate. The chess pieces are not filled or anything. It's a 14 inch chocolate sugar cookie iced in

chocolate then covered with candy clay/chocolate plastique. This was my first one. It was for a fall festival

giveaway so it's not super perfetcto. But I think it's pretty cool nonetheless. I also made a Louis Vuitton purse

cake sculpture and I wanted everything to be as fresh as possible so that's my disclaimer.

These are bloodshot eyeball cake truffles. Actually it's overbaked fruity banana bread that I had

tossed in the freezer to keep the carmelization from pulling the moistness into the crust. Then they were grated

and combined with white chocolate buttercream icing just enough icing added till they would hold into

a ball & then dipped. The ganache was made with the melted remains of a skinned sugar free eskimo pie

(chocolate covered ice cream square) because I had no milk on hand.

[gfron1]

That is very cool! How did you make the chess pieces? They look perfect - did you use a mold?

[K8memphis]

That is very cool!  How did you make the chess pieces?  They look perfect - did you use a mold?

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Oh yes of course. And believe me the degree of difficulty is still there. Look at the last white little pawn on the right, it's a two part mold and see where that one's off. I made beaucoups of pieces and picked out the best ones. That's also why the brown chocolate ones are in the distance in the photo. They are worse to keep pretty than the white ones. Maybe I should use darker chocolate? I just used inexpensive choco 'cause this was a freebie. These were like the little clear molds that have a certain amount of flex to them. If I had the real nice real hard plastic molds it would be easier I think. Just scrape it off clean with a bench scraper.

I'd really like to do one with filled pieces But boy I'd hafta practice. A lot.

Edited to say, Thank you! And boy I wish they were perfect.

Edited October 29, 2007 by K8memphis (log)

[tammylc]

Lots of Halloween fun over at Tammy's Tastings.

Here's a shot of my Halloween Candy for Grownups assortment.

The ones with the ghost transfer sheets are PB&J, the orange-ish ones are pumpkin pie, the red are apple cider caramel, the purple are blackberry, and the mayan design ones are chipotle. I also had coconut in the assortment, but after I took the picture I realized this box doesn't have any. But I assume you know what truffles rolled in coconut look like.

Amidst making about 375 pieces of the chocolates, i also made...

Marshmallows! I included a little bag with 1 of each flavor in my Halloween orders, as a sneak preview for future offerings. These are blackberry bats (with some blackberry powder in the dusting powder), vanilla ghosts, and pumpkin pie pumpkins.

[lapin d'or]

Tammy, those Halloween candies look really gorgeous.

I love the sound of the apple cider caramel and the blackberry marshmallow.

lucky customers

[Kerry Beal]

I put together a couple of baskets today for the preschool fundraising auction that is coming up next week. Dipped licorice, dipped oreo and fudgeo cookies, several types of bark and in the bigger basket some molded chocolates, bittersweet dipped candied ginger and some of the dipped aussie licorice.

Excuse the picture, it's hard to get a good shot through cello.

[gfron1]

Today I had the chance to teach a youth confections class - lots of fun! We started with a sea foam (I called it a sandstone so they had a closer reference to our desert environment). Then we made Kerry's nougat from RecipeGullet, and finally the Pumpkin Pie Marshmallows that are in RecipeGullet. All three were huge hits!

And of course, lot's of sticky fingers and bowl licking! I encourage messes in my youth classes.

[Kerry Beal]

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They look like they are having a great time!

[gfron1]

Its funny because they came in all quiet and respectful, and after a few handfuls of sugary treats, they loosened up, had fun, and then I sent them all hyperactivized back home with their parents...a good day!

[mrose]

Its funny because they came in all quiet and respectful, and after a few handfuls of sugary treats, they loosened up, had fun, and then I sent them all hyperactivized back home with their parents...a good day!

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Sounds how I feel when my grandkids come to visit! Paybacks are hell!!!

[tammylc]

I've been playing around with flavors in preparation for Christmas. I made a batch of the Butter Nut caramels from the Carole Bloom "Truffles, Candies and Confections" book, and then experimented with different kinds of chocolate to dip them in. The flavor of the Michel Cluizel 38% milk just blended right into the caramel, and you couldn't tell it was even there. The 72% dark completely overwhelmed the caramel. So then I tried some Maralumi milk (47% milk from Papau-New Guinea) and some 60% dark. I didn't think the varietal characteristics of the Maralumi were harmonious with the caramel, although I like the chocolate on its own. The 60% seemed like the best fit of what I tried today - nice contrast, but not overwhelming.

One thing that would help the balance would be if the caramel were a little darker. Like all the recipes in the Bloom book, she calls for just putting all the ingredients in the pan at once and cooking to a finish temperature. It has sugar, corn syrup, milk, cream, sweetened condensed milk, butter and vanilla. I like the flavor and consistency of the caramel - if i just want to make it a little darker in flavor, any suggestions on how to do it? Should i just cook the sugars separately before adding the liquid and butter? Will that change my finish temperature (240)?

In addition to that, i made another batch of nut caramels using the Epicurious Fleur de Sel recipe, but both the sugar and the nuts got a bit dark, so they're best for those who are fans of burnt sugar caramels... I also made mini-batches of peppermint and coffee marshmallows and dipped some of them in chocolate.

[tammylc]

Oh - cool thing - I tempered some chocolate the old fashioned way! I was direct tempering my chocolate in the microwave for dipping the test caramels, and on the Maralumi i left it in too long and went right up to the top of the tempering curve. I usually temper using the seed method, but I had used all of the Maralumi that I had left. So I dumped a third of the chocolate onto my granite countertop, worked it with my bench scraper until it was thick, and then put it back into the bowl with the rest of the chocolate. I was working with a really small amount and fully expected it not to work. So I was amazed and pleased that the chocolate set up perfectly with no bloom and a good shine!

I think I need to get a marble sink cut out to have at my work kitchen (I was playing at home today) so that I have a back up method always at hand!

[Kerry Beal]

One thing that would help the balance would be if the caramel were a little darker. Like all the recipes in the Bloom book, she calls for just putting all the ingredients in the pan at once and cooking to a finish temperature.  It has sugar, corn syrup, milk, cream, sweetened condensed milk, butter and vanilla.  I like the flavor and consistency of the caramel - if i just want to make it a little darker in flavor, any suggestions on how to do it? Should i just cook the sugars separately before adding the liquid and butter? Will that change my finish temperature (240)?

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The recipe I have for darker chewy caramel has you take half the sugar and brown it with a bit of water, then add the remaining sugar and glucose and cook as normal. So the finish temperature wouldn't change, but I'd probably check it in cold water when it reaches temperature to make sure it's as chewy as you expect.

[mrose]

One thing that would help the balance would be if the caramel were a little darker. Like all the recipes in the Bloom book, she calls for just putting all the ingredients in the pan at once and cooking to a finish temperature.  It has sugar, corn syrup, milk, cream, sweetened condensed milk, butter and vanilla.  I like the flavor and consistency of the caramel - if i just want to make it a little darker in flavor, any suggestions on how to do it? Should i just cook the sugars separately before adding the liquid and butter? Will that change my finish temperature (240)?

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The recipe I have for darker chewy caramel has you take half the sugar and brown it with a bit of water, then add the remaining sugar and glucose and cook as normal. So the finish temperature wouldn't change, but I'd probably check it in cold water when it reaches temperature to make sure it's as chewy as you expect.

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I make a caramel sauce about the same way Kerry suggested. In it I caramelize the sugar & glucose to a desired color & then add the rest of the ingrediants (fairly warm). Then bring to usual temp. The finished product is a bit darker than the caramelized sugar.

[David J.]

One thing that would help the balance would be if the caramel were a little darker. Like all the recipes in the Bloom book, she calls for just putting all the ingredients in the pan at once and cooking to a finish temperature.  It has sugar, corn syrup, milk, cream, sweetened condensed milk, butter and vanilla.  I like the flavor and consistency of the caramel - if i just want to make it a little darker in flavor, any suggestions on how to do it? Should i just cook the sugars separately before adding the liquid and butter? Will that change my finish temperature (240)?

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Tammy,

I'd suggest cooking your sugar seperately before adding anything else. I've had the best luck lately using the dry method. Yesterday I ruined a batch of sugar using the wet method as it goes from dark to burnt so quickly hidden under all the bubbles. Norman Love made a wonderfull carmel using the dry method in my class so I decided to try it out and it worked great. You just start off with a small portion of your sugar. When it melts you add more and wait for it to melt. This prevents having chunks of unmelted sugar while the rest of it burns. It turned a wonderfull dark shade without that burned taste. You just stop when you've melted all the sugar, then continue on with your recipie as normal.

[tammylc]

I made a third batch of caramel last night, this time cooking the sugar, corn syrup and a little bit of water until it was a light golden caramel, and then adding the other ingredients. The final color is definitely darker. The flavor is still a lot like the first one - I think a lot of the distinctive flavor in this caramel comes from the sweetened condensed milk. I was too sweet-ed out last night to do the side by side comparison test, though.

[Simonne]

Here are what i did:

This one is green tea , but i think gotto add more matcha - can't taste the green tea

with Nutella

Edited November 11, 2007 by Simonne (log)

[Emily_R]

Oh my god Simonne -- right now I would do just about anything for those Nutella filled chocolates. All of you chocolates look just gorgeous!

Emily

[CKatCook]

Today for the first time I tried fudge and caramel...

The caramel turned out great! It is still sitting up, the fudge, I am a little worried, It was a little too glossy for me to pour into the pan to sit. (I was doing the Confectionary 101 class here on Egullet) such fun!!!