Confections! (2006-2012)

[minas6907]

Check out this book on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Chocolatier-Confections-Sensational-Showpieces/dp/0470398841/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

You can view parts of it online, click on the 'look inside' link, and look at pages 219 and 223, you see the process fully illustrated, more the doable in a home kitchen.

[YetiChocolates]

Check out this book on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Chocolatier-Confections-Sensational-Showpieces/dp/0470398841/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

You can view parts of it online, click on the 'look inside' link, and look at pages 219 and 223, you see the process fully illustrated, more the doable in a home kitchen.

I just got that book in the mail! I also have been wanting to do liquor filled chocolates, but have been hesitant because of the fear of breaking them or them not turning out, or just too many other things on my plate, but I might have to just make the time and play around with them. I agree that "Art of the Chocolatier" does do a very nice job at explaining the process.

[minas6907]

Well honestly, just follow the instructions. I was hesitant for some time (free time being an issue also) but just read as much as you can about it. It's good that the books give so many precautions, but they just make me paranoid over time, especially with agitating the mixture too much and forming crystals, but I just gently stirred, and they seemed to come out fine. A few broke, but you'll see which ones are going to give out and just eat them before they break :-). Something else that made me confident is the video below:

The gentleman in the video didnt seem too concerned about over agitating the mixture, haha, I'd say just give it a try, they'll turn out fine. I saw your blog, I have one polycarbonate mold and have used it only twice, so if I can do it so can you, haha.

Also note the interesting method in the book for making plaster composite molds from your polycarbonate, I thought that was clever. Though I didnt do the silicone thing, I just got cheap candy bonbon molds to fill with the plaster of paris.

[YetiChocolates]

Also note the interesting method in the book for making plaster composite molds from your polycarbonate, I thought that was clever. Though I didnt do the silicone thing, I just got cheap candy bonbon molds to fill with the plaster of paris.

I read that as well, I thought it was such a waste of chocolate! I also bought a cheap candy bonbon mold to make the plaster of paris molds with, funny! Not sure where the mold went though, I'll have to go searching.

Well I appreciate the blog read and though I may be fairly proficient with molds (years of practice and still get it wrong sometimes) it seems you are a natural with pulled sugar confections. I dabbled a little in culinary school, but you've definitely got a knack for it!

[minas6907]

Yeah, it does seem to be a waste of chocolate, but it makes sense in a business like his. Alternatively, you could fill only half or a quarter of the polycarbonate with chocolate, then after you make the silicon, just make two casts from the plaster. Kind of cool though that you would then have a silicon mold you could use for different things, and also that you could now make the liquor bonbons with the same nice shapes of ones chocolate molds, its kind of difficult (at least for me) to find cheap plastic molds that have a decent shape to them, some are too large and some are too small.

And thanks for the compliment about the sugar, I remember seeing the process of how to make the berlingot type candy in a cordon bleu book, but then forgot the title. I'm just surprised its possible to do the pulled sugar at home with out a heat lamp or anything like that, just a warm over to keep it malleable.

I also made some turkish delights, they came out the best I have ever had, thanks to Kerry's recipe here:

http://egullet.org/p1566983

Kerry, what is the title of that book by Leon? I cant find anything with that name. Those were by faaaar the best turkish delights I have had, seriously, very comparable to my favorite brand found in the Arabic market.

[YetiChocolates]

Oh I agree that having your own silicone molds you made would be nice, I wish I had the capabilities of making my own polycarbonate mold, there are so many designs that I wish they had for sale but don't.

And I agree finding a cheap way to make your own molds is also very nice, it's amazing how expensive this business is.

BTW, your "replacement funnel" idea was very clever, I'm definitely going to try that the next time I'm working with gooey confections I need to pour. I haven't looked into the cost of those funnels but I can only imagine how out of control expensive they are!

[YetiChocolates]

So I was just poking around online looking at confectionery funnels (yes they are uber expensive) when I found this on Kerekes site:

http://www.bakedeco.com/detail.asp?id=20977&manufacid=0&keyword=funnel

I wonder if it would work similar to the confectionery funnel, but a fraction of the price.

Any thoughts???

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry, what is the title of that book by Leon? I cant find anything with that name. Those were by faaaar the best turkish delights I have had, seriously, very comparable to my favorite brand found in the Arabic market.

I think it's this one.

[YetiChocolates]

I think it's this one.

Hey Kerry does that book go into much chocolate detail do you know, or is it just mainly focused on other types of candy confections?

I guess what I'm asking is that for a chocolatier would it be a worth-while book to have in their collection?

[Kerry Beal]

I think it's this one.

Hey Kerry does that book go into much chocolate detail do you know, or is it just mainly focused on other types of candy confections?

I guess what I'm asking is that for a chocolatier would it be a worth-while book to have in their collection?

Lots of ice cream, lots of candy (on an industrial level as I recall) - not much chocolate - I'd probably skip it and get something more modern.

[YetiChocolates]

Lots of ice cream, lots of candy (on an industrial level as I recall) - not much chocolate - I'd probably skip it and get something more modern.

Good to know, thanks Kerry! I just recently pick up Fine Chocolate Great Experiences 3: Extending Shelf Life from Wybauw and The Art of the Chocolatier from Notter.

I've really been enjoying The Art of the Chocolatier, a lot of very useful information, but I feel I should have purchased Wybauw's first editions of Fine Chocolates Great Experiences instead of getting the 3rd edition. Although the information regarding tips for extending shelf life are pretty useful, I don't really want to use a lot of the ingredients he suggests for extending shelf life. I want to stay with the most natural preservatives (mainly glucose and butter) as I can, but that's just my prerogative.

[minas6907]

Thats a good idea, I considered a pancake batter dispenser, but never got one. If it really doesn't leak, that would be a great alternative. I'd like to know how it does with dispensing fondants and gummies.

[minas6907]

Heres some Turkish Delights I made using the recipe references from above, in the book by Leon. I used this recipe once before, learned that I can get away with a little higher temperature in the beginning of the cooking, but as it thickens I reduced the temp and kept a careful eye on them. They came out soooo nice! I'm not one to brag, I'm usually very critical of what I make, but these rival the ones I get from the Arabic markets, soft, yet it has some resistance to it, and well as not overly sweet. I put some roasted cashews in these ones, along with a little ground cardamom, these add some great flavors. If you like Turkish Delights, give the recipe above a try, after all the ones I've made, this one is a winner.

[Mette]

Turkish delights look......delightful!

I fiiiiinally managed to get the chocolate gear out. I wanted to make some kind of bar but I didn't have time for elaborate, so I went with rustic: a shortbread base with dark gianduja and chopped nuts, dipped and eaten

After this, the dipping chocolate was so full of bits that more messiness was called for. I whipped up some simple marzipan with freeze dried raspberries and dipped

The dipping chocolate now contains all food groups ;-)

Edited September 5, 2011 by Mette (log)

[judiu]

Turkish delights look......delightful!

I fiiiiinally managed to get the chocolate gear out. I wanted to make some kind of bar but I didn't have time for elaborate, so I went with rustic: a shortbread base with dark gianduja and chopped nuts, dipped and eaten

After this, the dipping chocolate was so full of bits that more messiness was called for. I whipped up some simple marzipan with freeze dried raspberries and dipped

The dipping chocolate now contains all food groups ;-)

And can be diluted with cream and derved as a sauce over vanilla ice cream...

[Darienne]

We have this wonderful dentist who has been babysitting my broken molar now for a few months as piece after piece breaks off and he smooths the jagged edges and will not accept any money at all. (Yes, it's slated to be pulled at the end of September now, but this is small town Canada.)

The receptionist tells me his favorite of all time is anything with peanut butter and chocolate together, so today I made him (and his staff) Anita Chu's (aka eG's Pastry Girl) Peanut-Butter Balls from Field Guide to Candy.

Easy to make. Delicious. I did make them smaller than the recipe called for and I feel that was a good decision. Means a bit more chocolate per portion of peanut butter filling.

Could add that we are doing some serious house renovations (over my dead body...my body lost) and the permit issuers, the ones who were good to us ( as opposed to the others) and the drafts-person, will get Enstrom Copycat Chocolate Coated Toffee next.

How to make and keep friends...

Edited September 10, 2011 by Darienne (log)

[minas6907]

So I was just poking around online looking at confectionery funnels (yes they are uber expensive) when I found this on Kerekes site:

http://www.bakedeco.com/detail.asp?id=20977&manufacid=0&keyword=funnel

I wonder if it would work similar to the confectionery funnel, but a fraction of the price.

Any thoughts???

Hey, I was in a kitchen that had that exact same pancake dispenser. I filled it with water and it leaked all over the place, so that wouldn't work for the liquor filled centers. I'm not sure how thick fondant is when dispensing, so it may work for that, and would most definitely work for gummies, but not for dispensing the syrup.

[YetiChocolates]

Hey, I was in a kitchen that had that exact same pancake dispenser. I filled it with water and it leaked all over the place, so that wouldn't work for the liquor filled centers. I'm not sure how thick fondant is when dispensing, so it may work for that, and would most definitely work for gummies, but not for dispensing the syrup.

Thanks for letting me know. That's a bummer that it wouldn't work for the liquid centers. It's sometimes very frustrating how much companies charge for pastry equipment, though I guess it just makes the "little man" get creative to overcome having to pay such high prices until the time comes when they are able to afford such luxury items.

[minas6907]

Heres some apricot pate de fruit I made. Im very happy with the result, mostly because my first two attempts resulted in gooey messes. I used the recipe from Chocolates and Confections At Home, the one that calls for liquid pectin, it seemed a little bit more fool proof them the one in the professional book. I also used canned apricots, which I pureed (along with some white nectarine, I was a little short on the apricot. Next time I will put any fruit puree through the chinois, I was a little impatient today.) But yeah, very happy for my first successful pate de fruit. I have finally seen what pectin is like when it sets up.

[Darienne]

Lovely Minas6907. Good going.

[RobertM]

These are some Port Wine Truffles I made this weekend - just playing with different decorations

[RWood]

One of three sheet pans of peanut butter truffles, 525 total, for Savor the Central Coast this weekend at Hearst Castle. I'm really tired of smelling peanut butter

[Darienne]

Lovely, RWood. What peanut butter ganache do you use? Or is it your own recipe?

My dentist loves peanut-butter/chocolate anything and I might try truffles for Christmas. I gave him last Pastry Girl's recipe for Peanut-Butter Balls dipped in chocolate. Big kudos for DH and me.

[RWood]

Lovely, RWood. What peanut butter ganache do you use? Or is it your own recipe?

My dentist loves peanut-butter/chocolate anything and I might try truffles for Christmas. I gave him last Pastry Girl's recipe for Peanut-Butter Balls dipped in chocolate. Big kudos for DH and me.

I just kinda winged it. I used a 2:1 dark ganache, added vanilla bean and glucose. I did 3000g dark chocolate to 1500 g cream and 6.75 cups peanut butter. Plus a little butter. I worried about the ganache because I was using Safeway's new Open Nature line of peanut butter (since it was for them) and it being natural, it was more liquid. The truffles were soft, but I with two coats of chocolate, they were fine. The chef loved them, so that's all that mattered.

[Darienne]

I just kinda winged it. I used a 2:1 dark ganache, added vanilla bean and glucose. I did 3000g dark chocolate to 1500 g cream and 6.75 cups peanut butter. Plus a little butter. I worried about the ganache because I was using Safeway's new Open Nature line of peanut butter (since it was for them) and it being natural, it was more liquid. The truffles were soft, but I with two coats of chocolate, they were fine. The chef loved them, so that's all that mattered.

Sounds good. My question would be was the peanut butter really, really smooth, slightly crunchy or quite crunchy? (We don't have Safeway here where I live.)

I had the hardest time finding a smooth peanut butter for the PB balls. All the 'natural' smooth butters have little crunchy bits in them. Not that that is reprehensible, it's just that I was looking for SMOOOOTH and had to fall back on one of "THOSE" peanut butters that we don't eat to get a smooth enough texture.

Just curious.