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"Making Artisan Chocolates" by Andrew Shotts


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Ok I made a little error; the "foot" shoud thin like I said but I stated that you must be able to almost see the plastic. The way I make it in my shop I put the "foot" down first and the way I explain in the book is to put it on the finished ganache and then flip. So, yes it needs to be super thin. Sorry for any confusion, Drew.

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I made the raspberry wasabi recipe this weekend. I hate to say it but I'm a little disappointed. I ordered the g pectin and followed the directions. I ended up with a very very thin layer of pate. I've had chocolates from Garrison's and I'm just sure the pate layer wasn't that thin. The bigger problem is that the pate is gooey. I'm going to try it again, boiling a touch longer. Perhaps I'll dig out the refractometer.

Anyone else had better luck than I?

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My 33 lbs of E. Guittard chocolate arrived on Friday, so I made the rochers. They're called something else in the book -- but essentially are almonds, pistachios, candied orange peel, and rice crispy cereal mixed with tempered white chocolate and cocoa butter and then formed into mounds. I'm sad to say that I'm very disappointed. The end result ended up tasting worse than than the individual ingredients. I munched on the homemade peel and pistachios which both tasted great, but the resulting rochers just tasted boring. Cereal didn't seem to add much crunch and I wonder if the cocoa butter could have possibly washed out the chocolate flavor.

I really like the rochers/grignottines I've gotten at Chuao Chocolatier where they're made with caramelized almond slivers, pistachios, and orange peel. Perhaps the caramelization and dark chocolate make a difference.

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My 33 lbs of E. Guittard chocolate arrived on Friday, so I made the rochers. They're called something else in the book -- but essentially are almonds, pistachios, candied orange peel, and rice crispy cereal mixed with tempered white chocolate and cocoa butter and then formed into mounds. I'm sad to say that I'm very disappointed. The end result ended up tasting worse than than the individual ingredients. I munched on the homemade peel and pistachios which both tasted great, but the resulting rochers just tasted boring. Cereal didn't seem to add much crunch and I wonder if the cocoa butter could have possibly washed out the chocolate flavor.

I really like the rochers/grignottines I've gotten at Chuao Chocolatier where they're made with caramelized almond slivers, pistachios, and orange peel. Perhaps the caramelization and dark chocolate make a difference.

I made these 'crispy crunchies' up tonight and I thought they were excellent. I used the tiny little crispy rice that I use in molded milk chocolate. They turned out really crunchy, so I wonder if your cereal might have been a bit stale.

The one thing I always find with almonds and chocolate is that the almonds need to be roasted to almost burnt to stand up to the chocolate. If I enjoy eating them out of hand, they aren't toasted enough for chocolate. If they taste quite bitter and are really dark, they are perfect for chocolate.

I think I'll try it with different cereals too. I suspect that shreddies would add another nice nutty dimension to the mix. But again, I'd be making sure the cereal was totally fresh.

The caramelized nuts would add another interesting dimension to these treats, but I don't know if I'd enjoy them as much with dark chocolate.

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Drew says the pate layer should have been 1/4 inch thick and mine was really not. Perhaps it's user error? I'll try again soon, gotta go back into town to Trader Joes for the cheap berries. I know lots of us bought the book. Anyone else wanna try?

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Drew says the pate layer should have been 1/4 inch thick and mine was really not.  Perhaps it's user error?  I'll try again soon, gotta go back into town to Trader Joes for the cheap berries.  I know lots of us bought the book.  Anyone else wanna try?

The whole layer thickness thing I find challenging. Never quite know what size to set my rulers.

What is the overall thickness we are aiming for with both layers? So far we know the pate should be 1/4 inch, is the ganache almost doulble that or a bit less? Given my geometry skills it still doesn't mean I'd be able to calculate the size to set the rulers.

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For the strawberry balsamic ones I made, my pate layer was about 1/4 inch thick and it turned out I was using a 7 inch square pan, not an 8 inch as I thought I was using.

I aimed for a ganache layer that was equal in thickness, and used 6 ounces of chocolate and 4 ounces of cream plus 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar.

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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For the strawberry balsamic ones I made, my pate layer was about 1/4 inch thick and it turned out I was using a 7 inch square pan, not an 8 inch as I thought I was using. 

I aimed for a ganache layer that was equal in thickness, and used 6 ounces of chocolate and 4 ounces of cream plus 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar.

tammy nailed it ..1/4" each ....you want equal layers...drew

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Drew says the pate layer should have been 1/4 inch thick and mine was really not.  Perhaps it's user error?  I'll try again soon, gotta go back into town to Trader Joes for the cheap berries.  I know lots of us bought the book.  Anyone else wanna try?

Just got my chocosphere order and waiting on G pectin. I'll be in it soon. Probably start with some truffles or the salted caramel this weekend.

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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Adding one more positive vote for the crispy critters (sorry crispy crunchies). The rug rats nanny is eating her third one today right now. She is my pickiest chocolate critic. If she doesn't like it, she just spits it out.

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Just in case anyone else is trying to track down the mojito liqueur, here's some info on it.

http://www.beveragewarehouse.com/search/mo...hp?item_id=5333

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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Adding one more positive vote for the crispy critters (sorry crispy crunchies).  The rug rats nanny is eating her third one today right now.  She is my pickiest chocolate critic.  If she doesn't like it, she just spits it out.

And Kerry brought me a few samples - they are gone! Gone! Gone! I can't wait to make these.

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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Does anyone know if Sambuca (white) would be a good substitute for Pastis to make the Lime-Pastis on page 111? I have never tasted Pastis.

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 am glad you like the "critters"...do not know about sambuca but i do know that tequilla would work well...and aged anejo

Thank you, Andrew. I was hoping to explore the licorice/lime combo so I just might give it a shot with both tequila and sambuca. Obviously I need to do more research on liqueurs/liquors as I have never heard of anejo but then I do live in Ontario the Good!

Edited to clarify - not both sambuca and tequila in the same batch! I mean separate batches!

Edited by Anna N (log)

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'm experimenting with the raspberry wasabi and I have a question.

When I reconstitute wasabi for sushi I add vinegar and let it sit for a while to develop. I added the required pinch of wasabi to the recipe, tasted and didn't really get much heat. So by the time I was done I'd probably added about 1/2 a tsp. The question then is this - does dry wasabi powder lose it's punch as it ages? Perhaps a better question would be, once the powder has had a chance to be rehydrated by the ganache ingredients am I going to have a hell of a hot ganache tomorrow?

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I'm experimenting with the raspberry wasabi and I have a question. 

When I reconstitute wasabi for sushi I add vinegar and let it sit for a while to develop.  I added the required pinch of wasabi to the recipe, tasted and didn't really get much heat.  So by the time I was done I'd probably added about 1/2 a tsp.  The question then is this - does dry wasabi powder lose it's punch as it ages?  Perhaps a better question would be, once the powder has had a chance to be rehydrated by the ganache ingredients am I going to have a hell of a hot ganache tomorrow?

I make a chipotle chili pepper ganache and I have to tell you, I put a LOT of chili pepper in it. I’ve always heard that eating something sweet can help to cut the burning sensation of chili pepper. Perhaps the sugars in the ganache mask the heat of the capsaicin. In other words, you may have to add more than you think you’ll need.

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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Well the raspberry wasabi were a big hit, but they needed more heat. I'm sure it was due to the old wasabi. I'm going to try again with fresh wasabi and keep adding until I get that burn in the back of my nose. The raspberry layer was nice and firm (cooked for 3 minutes rather than 2). The ganache layer was soft, but I was able to dip them fairly easily even though I didn't freeze them.

The raspberry flavour was wonderfully fresh.

This recipe is a keeper - with or without the wasabi.

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I'm working on the carribean cocktail now and my only gripe is that it smells so good as you're making it, that you want to taste it. Don't do it my friends. Once you do, you'll just want to pour it over ice, top it with a small umbrella and find a lounge chair. :laugh: Yummy!

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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I'm working on the carribean cocktail now and my only gripe is that it smells so good as you're making it, that you want to taste it. Don't do it my friends. Once you do, you'll just want to pour it over ice, top it with a small umbrella and find a lounge chair.  :laugh: Yummy!

:laugh::laugh::laugh:

Vanessa

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My ganache came out a little bit soft but I think I have an issue with my scale. Looking into a new one. It's nice and creamy when you bite into them. I'll definately make this one again. I think for myself, I might lower the Meyer's rum a bit. It's not overpowering, but I'd like the coconut rum to be a little more forward. Nice pineapple flavor. I'll feed them to my coworkers and get their feedback. They'll polish them off in a heartbeat. I was glad to see that it is a smaller batch so there's no reason for me not to make them.

Edited by duckduck (log)

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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They were very happy! :biggrin: I snagged the last one. The rum mellows a lot after a day. Very nice. They disappeared very quickly.

Pamela Wilkinson

www.portlandfood.org

Life is a rush into the unknown. You can duck down and hope nothing hits you, or you can stand tall, show it your teeth and say "Dish it up, Baby, and don't skimp on the jalapeños."

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Quite a few of the ganache recipes call for small amounts of cocoa butter (about 1/4 oz.). Since cocoa butter is not easy to source in Australia, can I simply sub a bit of heavy cream for the cocoa butter, or just leave it out altogether? I realise that either way, there will be a change in the texture of the final product. Would it be worth my while trying to track down some cocoa butter? Cheers.

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