Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
I can easily get a bunch together, and 5 mins from the beach so can you run to my neck of the woods?
Forum Activity for @Ilana
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
my website is www.thechocolatedoctor.ca - just send me an e-mail at kerry-at-thechocolatedoctor-dot-ca
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Where can I get the DVD's?
updated by @Dirke Botsford: 09/08/15 01:09:18
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
I realize that it's a little off topic here - but I have produced a series of educational DVD's that the Ecole Chocolate recommends - not very costly - and allow you to actually see the techniques for tempering and molding etc. I produced them after trying in vain to learn from books - then having gone and spent a week of evenings with a chocolatier and seeing how it was done - realized most people need to see it.
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Although you asked Lana, let me chime in.I've taken the Ecole online class this year; but, just like you, I am very hands-on and visual. So, before starting the online class, I took an introductory class at a culinary school in my city.That was invaluable! Once I had that first glimpse into chocolate making, I could more easily understand the concepts given out by the Ecole.Now, regardless of the actual chocolate making experience through the Ecole, the amount of useful information they give you is fantastic - the course is worth its price for the resources alone!Best of luck,Andre Costa
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
If someone wants a class we can get equipmemt where ever or no equipment. I believe the goal of classes isn't about equipment, it's just a tool like a dipping fork or a mould. Class goals should always be independent of the tools being used.b
updated by @Brian Donaghy: 01/28/15 21:13:06
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Sorry I didn't get it, my sense of humor needs a reboot. LOLDo you need an X mould, I think we have a stock item that wouldn't be too expensive. The cost goes up if it is a custom size.Lemmie know.bdonaghy@Tomric.comorbrian@thecriollogroup.comb
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Lana, you said you did the courses at Ecole. I just registered but am a little apprehensive with it only being an online course, I'm a hands on person and prefer to see the tasks done correctly to fully understand it. In your experience how did you find it? where there any pro's and cons?Any insight would be appreciated.
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Hey sounds great to me!! You'd have to schedule the class Hawaiian style...enough time for the beach. The Selmi lives 20-25 min from a beach with Manta rays and turtles.
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Bacon distilled in booze?I just got a new still - I'm getting it cleaned up now, but I'm anxious to see what all I can distill. Of course - not alcohol, that would be illegal!
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Sounds like a perfect plan!
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
And it is amazing you don't have a well established training facility in your area, considering how wonderful the foodie scene is - just check SFran!What about that culinary school in Napa Valley? I don't recall the name, but it seems like a nice, big school.
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Of course you could always get a bunch of people together and invite Brian and I out to run a course in your neck of the woods.
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Have you checked out ecole chocolat? that's right here in Vancouver. I believe they have an advanced course ( Master chocolate program ). Not sure of the details exactly but worth a checking out, If you haven't already. Cheers.
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
"What is the guard schedule at Tomric?I don't understand the question?brian
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
You East Coast people are lucky...thats 5000 miles and 6 hr time zone difference for me! Not inexpensive to fly to Buffalo.
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
thanks for the sugesstion Robert. I don't have a spray gun but I did recently buy some food lacquer to play with. I solve my problem by putting the salt inside. I do Kiawe smoked salt caramels- tastes smoky like bacon wood but no meat (yuk) . Kiawe is like mesquite. I use a variety of Hawaiian salts that we have here-red, black, green.
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Thanks Darren.
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
The plan is Buffalo - we haven't any dates organized yet - still in the development and planning stages. We would likely be in the Tomric kitchen as Brian can organize the use of it.Another question that occurs to me would be what dates people would prefer for something like this - I suspect that most would want to wait until after the holiday rush when things get a little quieter from a business perspective.
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
More on 3-D molding would be good too
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
I would like a class on airbrushing techniques. I am tired of the same old splatter or spray.
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
I have a small production that supplies 3 retail outlets and numerous hotel and wholesale accounts. I have a great tempering unit, a SELMI Plus, but can't afford to add a $3000 guitar or $1400 Thermomix or Robocoupe( everything cost double here after you add shipping) or lots of other goodies that cost a bundle. ( Actually I bought an $1800 guitar and the plastic base warped so that was a costly error and I'm back to low tech cutting)I love molding and am fast and consistent at it but also like the efficiency of slab ganaches that you can decorate.The combination of techniques makes the case more interesting.So a challenge for me is getting consistent results with low tech equipment-cutting ganaches with drywall tools or paint shields etc. I 'd like to do more complex ganaches with layers of texture but when you start adding ingredients like that all kinds of new problems occur and they are also challenging to cut into somewhat perfect consistent pieces. So understanding more about how different things react with each other and at what point to add them to maximize their crunch or flavor etc....building more complex ganaches.Also knowing what the effect of various additives is whether its glucose, trimoline, sorbitol or other shelf life extenders.I see people put salt on top of chocolate ...well in my tropical climate you can't do that, it melts almost instantly. So does sugar. I made a creme brulee ganache and caramelized sugar, then smashed it up and added it to the cooled ganache. It was heavenly for several hours.. But in the time the pieces sat overnight, even in my 65 degree cool room to dry out a little to enrobe the next day the sugar "melted" and lost its crunchy edge due to humidity most likely. You can't leave cough drops out here , they get soft in a few days.Peppermint bark would never work, the candy canes go liquid in their wrappers.I guess the "artisan" part of the chocolate is that they are not all perfect mirrors of one another but in striving for better perfection I'd just like to find solutions for having a little more consistency.
Need Ideas for an Advanced Chocolate Course - what would people want to learn?
Posted in: Chocolate Education
Brian Donaghy - pastry chef at Tomric - and I have been discussing running an advanced chocolate course aimed at artisan chocolate makers who need to improve their talents and their product.I would assume that most people would love to look at some equipment with an eye to increasing production - but beyond that what would you think that people would want to learn if they knew the basics but wanted to improve?I guess it begs the question - what are basic chocolate techniques and what are advanced techniques? What do most people who are producing feel they are weak at and want to improve?
updated by @Kerry: 04/12/15 15:42:56
Eating the Cacao Shell on Raw Dried, Fermented Cacao Beans...Benefits?
Posted in: Uncategorized
So how about munching 10-20 raw, dried, & fermented cacao beans every day WITH THE HUSK ON?What up, anyone?
updated by @Joel Alexander: 05/03/15 17:03:03
Temper, temper!
Posted in: News & New Products Press
I love my infrared laser thermometers too. Never have a dirty thermometer again - unless you accidently drop it in the chocolate! It happens!
Temper, temper!
Posted in: News & New Products Press
A laser thermometer you say? I am always interested in cool gadgets and toys, a laser ooh that sounds like a must have. I will search one out, thanks.
Temper, temper!
Posted in: News & New Products Press
I had some bar moulds in the oven, just warming slightly. After I'd poured the new batch of chocolate into the moulds and cycled them all twice I popped the bars out of the moulds and went up to check the e-mails etc. Later I decided it was time to cook tea and put the oven on to heat up. The good news is that polycarb moulds release fairly easily from stainless oven racks the bad news is I had to buy another mould. Still kicking myself but at least no chocolate was wasted!
Temper, temper!
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Dirke,Invest in a laser thermometer. Its the best tool you can own. You can get one at a pastry chef supply or a hardware store, electricians use them. After you zap your chocolate in the mico you will be in the 40-45C range, don't go above 50C. The temp will drop as you seed but the agitation (stiriing) only becomes critical at 34C. Above that you can stir in some chocolate and walk away. Come back and check it, stirring occasionally. At 34 you want to seed very lightly so it will melt and you won;t have lumps and then keep pretty regular stirring. Dark chocolate will come into temper around 30-31degrees. Milk and WHitewill be lower- 28-29 as a rule but again depends on the chocolate brand.test on a sppon or piece of acetate, it should set up in less than 3 min-pretty simple and reliable really once you understand what you're shooting for. If the set up is streaky it needs more agitation, if grainy you didn't seed enough(but don't go overboard on seed either)Rich Valhrona is EZ to get here in Hawaii if you need to know where just email me.
Temper, temper!
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Great information thanks. After reviewing the clearly marked information on the package that I missed (thank you Melanie), I was way off on the tempering temperature by about 15 degrees, that's what I get for reading a book instead of a package. So from what you are saying is that you heat up, and don't mix all the much until it gets to the tempered state? which is the enrobing temperature on the package? Starting to feel I need a degree in chemistry to understand how tempering works. Any idea how a Crystallization curve works? I see that on the package but don't really understand it? or do I really need to?I'm curious, why does a certain temperature range for enrobing give you a the desired effect and not higher or lower?I'm sure once I've done some training through ecole chocolat I'll understand it better but I sure seem to have a lot of questions. I'll just have to play some more...I will try the microwave approach as well. Thanks again
Temper, temper!
Posted in: News & New Products Press
As someone who enjoys chocolate, but is not an expert, and decided to start making my own with very mixed results I feel your pain. I can share what I have 'learned' in my attempts to temper dark chocolate. I have been eating Valrhona Quanaja every day for years. I recently lost my inexpensive source for finished product here in Hawaii and started buying the Le Feves by the 3 kg bag to make my own. I am also using Des Alphes 72% because Vahrhona is sometimes difficult to buy here.As Ms. Boudar says, each manufacturer gives their recommended temperatures for tempering and working their product. I have found this info on the package or online. I read a couple books and was very careful in what I thought was the correct technique for tempering. Living in Hawaii, even in air conditioned comfort, may contribute to my past issues of sugar and/or fat blooming. I had very limited success going with the books. I'm sure it was my shortcomings and not the books.Here's what I do now that works for me. I put the chocolate I'm heating in a glass bowl. I put another quantity of chocolate which weighs approximately 1/4 of the quantity in the bowl on the side....chopped. I put the bowl in the micro.....this was actually recommended by someone on this site and I poopooed it until I tried it......and begin heating it somewhat slowly. I zap it for 30 seconds, stir a little, zap it again stir it and measure the temperature, zap it again, etc. It usually takes 4 or 5 zaps to get it at the right temperature as recommended by the manufacturer. Working with a micro you have to be a little careful as the temperature will keep rising if you're not careful because the bowl gets too hot. I find Pyrex works best for the bowl. I keep a sheet of ice pack close if I want to stop the temperature peak in an emergency. When the temperature is correct .......I find that it's ok to go over the temperature 2 or 3 degrees.....I throw in the chopped chocolate and stir a little. I let it sit as the chopped chocolate melts into the heated chocolate.....it takes quite awhile for the chocolate to cool to working temperature. I stir a little more. Don't over stir. I used to stir constantly, but I think over stirring disturbs the little crystals that are trying to form. Keep measuring the temperature until it comes down to the working temperature as listed by the manufacturer.... I find working with the chocolate at a temperature a couple degrees higher than recommended is ok. Do whatever you want to do with the chocolate. Then, I put it in the refrigerator on a cookie sheet. Yeah, I know.....the refrigerator??.....but here in Hawaii even in air conditioning I get sugar bloom if I leave it out to cool. I think it's a combination of humidity and temperature.I make chocolate covered mac nuts and plain chocolate pieces this way and it works every time. Go figure yeah? I hope this helps, at least until you can find a better way.Aloha
Temper, temper!
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Funny you should mention Ecole Chocolat, I just registered for that yesterday, in the hopes of learning all the trick and tips. I appreciate your comments greatly. I much prefer working with Dark chocolate, in some way it is sexier? is that a good description for it? the milk chocolate I find dull, does it lose a little color when tempered? I found the finished milk chocolate was a little lighter than it was before. Is that normal?I definitely won't give up as I'm just starting and would like to leave the high tec industy to do this instead one day. thanks for the inspiration!
Temper, temper!
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Dirk,The answer to your question is more than just giving one specific temp. Most chocolate manufactures list a recommended tempering curve on the box which can vary by several degrees. Also, your room temp and speed of cooling can affect the temper of the chocolate....it could have been in temper when you enrobed your piece and a warm room and too slow a cooling took it out of temper. Milk chocolate with its various solids can be more difficult than dark. Sounds like you would benefit greatly from some hands- on type of class or an environment like ecolechocolat.com where the therory is mixed with practical work and observation of the results. Many peoples first tempering results are like yours- not sure what went right or wrong. Maybe practice with dark at first to gain more confidence and most of all don't give up!
Temper, temper!
Posted in: News & New Products Press
I just tried tempering for the first time, I followed a book but it doesn't explain to what degree chocolate comes out of temper nor how to get it back into temper. I assume trying to keep Milk chocolate at around 30 degrees? would that be safe? I did three different flavored ganache all with the same coating and got all different results. One was perfect ( pure fluke ) and the other two...well not bad I guess.I did milk chocolate, am I right to have tempered it from 27 degree up to 30 several times? what temperature does it come out of temper? Any help would be appreciated.
updated by @Dirke Botsford: 03/11/26 06:20:34
The Holidays Are Upon Us - What Are YOU Making Special This Year?
Posted in: News & New Products Press
The Holidays Are Upon Us - What Are YOU Making Special This Year?
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Actually, it is gooey caramel colored an icky gray so that it looks like eyeball goo:-)
The Holidays Are Upon Us - What Are YOU Making Special This Year?
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Now I really do hope that these are white chocolate shells that are filled with a gooey runny caramel center (colored red) so that when you bite into them ... well, you get the idea.
The Holidays Are Upon Us - What Are YOU Making Special This Year?
Posted in: News & New Products Press
OK the gore is coming out now...bring it on.
The Holidays Are Upon Us - What Are YOU Making Special This Year?
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Wow, Robert...never mind dessert, whats for dinner at your place?
The Holidays Are Upon Us - What Are YOU Making Special This Year?
Posted in: News & New Products Press
The Holidays Are Upon Us - What Are YOU Making Special This Year?
Posted in: News & New Products Press
Get your camera out - sounds great fun
The Holidays Are Upon Us - What Are YOU Making Special This Year?
Posted in: News & New Products Press
I was hoping Jeff and his crew would post some gory stuff...this is your time to shine! with the gore!I made bloody finger pops with purple , black and green fingernails. Also dipped dried bananas and we call them skeleton fingers, packaged in a little cauldron or pumpkin. Sorry no pics yet.