Has anybody used the Chocolate Artist software and printer by Deco ? I have some custom applications for which this would be perfect, but I would love to know your opinions on it. Any help is much appreciated.
Thank you!
Carol:
It's easier if you do everything metric and my recommendation is to weigh everything: get away from volumetric recipes. This relies on the fact that in the metric system, for these purposes, 1cc = 1ml = 1gr (close enough; it's really only precisely accurate for distilled water at 20C/68F (?) at sea level).
If the total weight of the ganache (chocolate, dairy, alcohol, other ingredients) is 1000 grams and you've added 10gr of alcohol, then the alcohol is 1% ABV. Simple. 5gr of alcohol in 350gr of ganache? ~1.4%
However, as I think about this, that's not entirely correct, because you need to consider proof. An 86 proof alcoholic beverage is only 43% alcohol. So if you add 10gr of - say - 86 proof rum to a recipe you're only adding 4.3gr of alcohol. The rest is water and flavorings. The math is still easy. In the case of 10gr of rum in a 1000gr recipe, the alcohol content is ~.43% ABV.
Now as I said, this is not 100% accurate past the first digit. But for hobby work, it should be more than close enough. If you plan to sell commercially interstate, then the labeling laws may require more precise measurement.
:: Clay
PS. Take your existing volume measures across making the recipe 5 or 10 times and weigh them. You'd be shocked to find out how inconsistent volume measuring is. Average the weights and use the average as the weight in your recipe.
Thanks Clay. I am sorry I didn't make myself very clear. I do add my liquors to the ganache and mix really well to incorporate before filling the shells. I use a nice chocolate for the ganache.
My measurements were just an example for me to understand how to figure out the percentage of alcohol in a truffle by volume, not the fact that the truffle itself would be overpowering by taste. I do add small amounts and taste until I am satisfied by the taste of the ganache. My question is how to determine the percentage of alcohol i.e. > 1% or < 1% by volume?
I use several different liquors such as tequilla, spiced rum, coconut rum, frangelico, sambuca, kahlua, blue raspberry vodka, blackberry liquor, amaretto just to name a few. I have fun making truffles and experimenting with different flavors. I live in a 55+ community and my people here love taste testing.
Thanks, Carol
Carol:
The usual method of production is to add the alcohol to the ganache and then pipe the flavored ganache into the shells, wait for the ganache to crystallize, and then enrobe.
The right amount to add isto taste and would depend on a number a number of factors including the kind of chocolate in the ganache and the strength (flavor and proof) of the spirit you're using. You'd use a lot less of a huge peaty Scotch like Peat Monster (for example) than other alcohols because it's so strong.
Keep in mind that you subtract the amount of alcohol you're using from the amount of other liquid (milk, cream) you're using for the ganache.
:: Clay
Can someone tell me how to figure out what percent of alcohol by volume is figured out when making a batch of truffles?
Say I am making about 10 truffles using pre-made shells. About 1/2 cup ganache with about 2 - 4 TBLS liquor poured into the shell, then dipped in chocolate.
Thanks,
Carol
davy try pineapple and coconut, they go great together
Thanks guys, I have now used awhite chocolateganache compound of which the result is actualy realy good. I also added a red fruit liqueur. Currently one of my favorite pralines. I actually wanted to try it with fresh or frozen strawberries, but currently didn't do that... Any ideas on pineapple and passion fruit fillings would be great!
Thanks,
Davy
Hi Omar
I think the taste is great. I use nutifruit which I ordered it on amazon. it really is a great product i have used it bars, ganaches an this weekend I'm going to use it in some caramels. There is also another company calledAmerican Spice that carries citrus powders that you night like .
hi Anderson,
I'm curious to try those dried powder.i just googled some info.It looks like a great product to use for long shelf life chocolates.Do you get a nice natural fruit taste? What brand do you use? (i'm looking at "nutifruit")
DAvy,
would u like help with marzipan as a filling or making marzipan from scratch?
Ok the exams were realy good, next part in the course is marzipan (which I realy don't like). Think I'm gonna practise further on new praline fillings. Any tips would be apreciated!
Thank,
Davy
Hello I am looking for a good recipe for red fruit filling for my white pralines.
It's for my exams, we need to create 3 pralines, white, milk and black. The black will be with egg liqueur, the milk with butter coconut, and I want the white pralines with a red fruit filling but could find realy good, not tooooo difficult recipes.
If would realy appreciate any help. Thanks!
Davy
I'm inspired to have an airbrush in my chocolate design tool kit. My concern is oil or moisture, from the compressor, will compromise food safety. High quality traps will remove the majority ofbacteria breeding environments but a system that generates 'pure air' pushes way past my budget.
Does anyone have more information on the standard systems used for airbrushing chocolates or the health risks involved in using compressors?
In response to a question from ChocolateLife member Dee:
As the creator of TheChocolateLife one of the options I have to is to "Feature" members. I do this as a way to recognize ChocolateLife members who post photos of themselves in their profiles.
Practically, what being Featured means is that the member's profile photo is displayed on the home page as well as on the Members page. Only the five most recently featured members are shown on the Members page; 27 members are featured on the Home page.
As new members are featured, older ones are no longer displayed even though they are still tagged as featured. I never "unfeature" members.
How does a member get featured?
I only feature members who post pictures of themselves in their profiles. If you use the default avatar image, post a company logo, a photo of your work, a photo of a smoking chimp, a cartoon image - anything other than a photo of a recognizable person - then you aren't featured. If you post a photo of someone who is obviously not you (e.g., a celebrity) you won't get featured.
It's not a perfect system as I never feature more than a few members at a time. So - you may have added a photo to your profile but it escaped my attention in the Latest Activity listing.
Iwant members to post photos of themselves, when they feel comfortable doing so, as a way to grow the feeling that TheChocolateLife is a real community composed of real people - not a group of strangers.
I went to the Ritz the other night to watch a movie in Philadelphia. Afterwards, my friends and I were trying to find a place to hang out. We popped in this Belgian pub, and when we discovered it was seriously overcrowded, they told us about their sister bar called Beneluxx. It was off the beaten path (therefore less crowded), but well worth the venture.
When I first walked in, there was a distinct cheese scent. I was a little concerned, because I didn't expect a bar to smell like that. Turns out that this place doesn't just specialize in fine beer, but wine, cheese, and best of all, chocolate!
I was suspicious, because I've been tricked before by places like MB's, so I started paying close attention. They offered fondue (which I also was unsure about). But when I asked for the "chocolate menu", I discovered this was for real! There were blends of chocolates from all over the world, with descriptions like wine tasters would write.
I ordered a spicy hot chocolate (which had too much spice for me, but that doesn't mean it had a lot). When it was delayed coming out, the waitress brought me a plate of their chocolates. Since I don't drink alcohol, I was thrilled!
I started to taste the chocolates, and I was very impressed. They had beautiful shine, crisp break, smooth texture and three dimensional flavor.
What a great place! Usually I only go to a bar because that's where my friends want to hang out. This is a place I really want to return to! If you're in the Philly area, I think you'll like it.
Hi, everyone,
My name is Emay, Iam here to learn and to share.
I am getting into a gourmet chocolate business, and want to open a store in Beijing China.Why not! We are so lucky to live in the United States and enjoy all kind of finechocolates. But gourmet chocolates arevery new to China, and I want to bring them to China.
There are lots of chocolatiers who making fine chocolates. They all have their best sellers. What I want is to sell premium chocolates from a few brands. For example, I like Recchiuti's dark chocolate covered marshmallow, truffle champagne from Leonidas, Tea flavored chocolate from Charles chocolate...etc. But the problems are gourmet chocolates have a very short shelf life, and the inspection and quarantine, custom clearance, permit are complex. You might say why not learn to make chocolate yourself? Well, the business model in my mind is to collect fine chocolates from different makers, yes, you guessed right, something similar to Fog City News.
So here I am for help. Is my idea realistic? what is the best way to work with chocolatiers to get their chocolate to China?Any suggestions & comments?
Very appreciate your time, and thank you in advance.
Check out a pos last year from Jim Lucas who discussed what controls his beans have to go through to get from Brazil to the USA - and about the precautions you have to take when using the very nasty chemicals involved.
Thanks! You're the first person to provide any kind of answer to this question.
Jeff and Nancy,
A couple points:
Generally, if your paperwork is done correctly stating organic status, most origins will not be fumigated. That being said, these are the biggest exceptions:
Indonesia as an origin is automatically fumigated upon arrival to the US
Venezuela has mandatory fumigating before export but not upon US arrival
As Jeff notes, semi-finished products are not subject to fumigation.
Hope this helps!
Have passed this question around the world without an answer. As I understand, most if not all sea shipments of agricultural products such as rice, corn, and cacao must be fumigated (usally with methyl bromide) before shipping. I would like to know, under what circumstances (type of container used, or via air transport, etc.) are beans shipped and guaranteed not fumigated?-since any fumigated beans would no longer be "organic". It seems that fumigation is a very standard operating procedure performed not once, but sometimes 2x, on cocoa beans. So how do "organic" beans arrive stateside or to other cocoa processing countries?
I have also heard that some companies buy organic liquor in the country of origin, and have it shipped, since liquor does not require fumigation.
Why not just use natural peppermint oil to flavor your milk chocolate? That way you don't have to buy a specialty chocolate for just one product. You could probably find it locally in PR at stores that supply the candymaking industry or hobby.
Edit: woops missed jo's post stating exactly the same! great minds and all...
Thanks. I will look into this and see what I can find. As you can tell, I don't know anything about chocolate and knew that I could find help here.
Hi everyone,
I am looking for a source (preferably Florida or in the Southeast for shipping purposes} for mint milk chocolate. I am located in Puerto Rico and want to make mint chocolate rum balls. I was experimenting with various recipes to come up with what I felt was a great product and I did. I used Hershey's mint sticks in the experimental recipe and then the project stopped when the world blew up in 08.
Can someone help me find a source or offer any suggestions?
Thanks in advance for your reply,
Tim
You should ask Hans...
Depends on what you want to test:
Guillotine - at the level you're at, you'd only really be able to use it to get a feel for degree of fermentation. It will be useless to determine insect damage or mold at this stage. It's more of a qualitative test for fermentation, and not a terribly accurate one at that.
Moisture meter - get a dickey john portable, or an aquaboy with a small sample adapter. Good for rapid, nondestructive testing for moistures < 20% (good to quickly determine if drying is sufficient or not). Be prepared to spend a few hundred bucks.
pH meter. Lots of small hand held devices available. Question would be why do you want it? What is it you're measuring - pulp pH? Whole bean? And what would you do with the results - how would you use them? <$200. Get calibration fluids for 1, 5, 7 pH. You won't need alkaline.
Refractometer - similar to the handheld pH meter. What would you do with it, how would you use the results? < $200.
I'd start with identifying what parameters you want to control / track, then determine what equipment you need to do so.
I will soon be heading to some cacao growing areas in SE Asia, and would like to get some recommendations for good quality/price cacao testing equipment such as a guillotine cross-section cutter, moisture meter, ph meter, refractometers, etc. What are some cost-effective models?
Thanks in advance for your advice and feedback.
Vincent Mourou-Rochebois
I think its important to understand why something became popular then we can build something better. The gelatin based mallows have the advantage of ease of manufacture and taste neutrality.
Fresh Wholefoods Murwillumbah is where I got it my dry marshmallow root. I suspect fresh root works better but am not sure whether it was ever introduced into Australia.
I agree, there is nothing like a bit of experimental archiology, I like making old hot chocolate recipes.
I don't think anywhere here will stock it, is the shop in Brisbane?
From the local health food / organic shop. They stock loads of obscure spices and things. Expensive at $95 a kg though. I just like deconstructing confectionary to understand it. Marshmallow clearly has a facinating history. Perhaps the first sweets of kings in Egypt.
What's amazing is how haunting the marshmallow taste is. It survives a meal for example. I can see why this flavour would become popular as your reminded of it so long. I can also see why gelatine and gum arabic came to be used, because the mallow I have are still sticky and not easy to handle. Using gelatine clearly leads to more stable results but bouncy, soft and sticky with a gooey centre is pleasant too.
Wow, quick turnaround on the experiment. Where did you get your marshmallow root powder from in Aus?
Are we going to see a marshmallow root iceblock?
