Forum Activity for @Richard Spangenberg

Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors

Posted in: Opinion

I am looking for a good book or two. Would like a book or two that will teach me about chocolate in the most riveting manner. Educational and focus on artesian chocolates and current trends. Rich in content, photos and well written. Who's the best author? And, what are the best books?
updated by @Richard Spangenberg: 04/09/15 11:19:27

Problems with Raspberry Fondant

Posted in: Recipes

Thanks for the answer. I just ordered some on-line.Alice

Problems with Raspberry Fondant

Posted in: Recipes

You can get online or I can get in local stores. They come in food storage size #10 cans. You should be able to find online in smaller amounts.

Problems with Raspberry Fondant

Posted in: Recipes

I will be glad to try this. I don't know that I ever have seen freeze dried raspberries. Are they readibly available?Thanks for the answer.Alice

Problems with Raspberry Fondant

Posted in: Recipes

I can probably help with this one That recipe was always a bit soft. Use freeze dried raspberries. I run them through a food processor and then make a paste out of the powder, a drop or two of citric acid and just enough water to make it change color. I then stir this in after beating the fondant for about 5 minutes. It gives a very nice color and flavor. I use about 1/4 cup powder. Also, don't cook it in aluminum as this will invert more sugar as it cooks. Ruth

Problems with Raspberry Fondant

Posted in: Recipes

I've been making chocolate at Christmas time since 1990. Someone gave me Candymaking by Ruth Kendrick. I've used many of the recipes with great success. However, the Fresh Raspberry Fondant has only been successful once in 1995. Every year I try it and it never has set up well since then. I've tried fresh and frozen raspberries, leaving out the corn syrup and leaving out pinch of baking soda, but nonr works. Any suggestions?I would also like to find a good coffee fondant recipe.
updated by @Alice P. Douglas: 05/01/15 10:40:20

I wouldn't limit yourself early on with the duration of life expectancy. Make your product, make it taste great, and have a short shelf period like a cupcake. If you want to go the long haul you can always add science to the mix and find ways of making it last longer but that seems overkill starting at the inception of something which taste and texture should prevail..

And, if the yolk is this warm then there's less chance of curdling when making the creme anglaise.This almost makes me want to turn my daughter's aquarium setup into a sous vide bath. There's temp control AND water circulation. Don't need to oxygenation component and it takes a long time to shift temps - but it is inexpensive compared with commercial immersion circulators.:: ClayPS Don't worry, I'd find another home for the fish and not make them my first sous vide experiment. And here's a small world connection - Georges Pralus, the inventor of the sous vide technique, is a cousin of Francois Pralus.

I heard 60C for 31/2 minutes!! And yes, after this time the yolk and all are raw. I believe the temp has to be maintained.

At 57C for 90 mins is the yolk still soft and runny?

Lana:I think the concern is transferring anything that might be on the outside of the egg to the inside - and 80C may not be hot enough to kill any microorganisms that get transferred.My recommendation would be an alcohol-based disinfectant or similar cleaner that works by disrupting the cell membranes of germs. Use it on your hands and clean the egg shells with it. Wait for the alcohol to evaporate and you should have a kill rate of 99.99% on the bacteria. You called also use a UVC light wand.

LanaWhat's the trick of a good anglaise?Cooking it just enough.I think that adds to the concern of the egg ganache. If you cook it too far it loses that subtle flavor and gains texture, cook it too little and you have the opportunity for micro-biological soup.b
updated by @Brian Donaghy: 02/02/15 22:51:10

methodology of the broma process

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Kenneth:With respect to your question about how warm the answer is the warmer the better. The higher the temperature the more fluid the fat in the chocolate liquor will be. If you have a cabinet or room where you can control the temperature I'd start about 115F to see how that works and then increase by 5F increments to see how that affects things.With respect to the fineness of the mesh. I would line a burlap sack with 2 or more layers of cheesecloth. The burlap will provide strength, the cheesecloth will strain the butter through while keeping the larger particles from seeping out.:: Clay

methodology of the broma process

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Kenneth:ChocolateLife member Langdon Stevenson replied to a this thread earlier this year in which he mentions some specifics about the broma process. You might want to read this thread and if you have more questions (one I have is about the fineness of the mesh of the bag used) you might want to respond to that thread or contact Langdon directly.:: Clay

methodology of the broma process

Posted in: Tasting Notes

HELLO PALS!!am a college student in my final year and as part of the curricula for the program, i have to under take a research project, my topic is extraction of cocoa butter using the broma process. i am stuck at the methodology (chapter 3) . so i would like y'all who know how to carry out the extraction of cocoa butter using the broma process to tell me step by step how to use the broma process to extract cocoa butter. counting on your co operation . my email is captainken1@ymail.com thanks in advance.
updated by @kenneth mensah: 04/18/15 10:10:09

Nibs

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Amano has a wide selection of origin nibs.

Nibs

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Coppeneur produces organic nibs from Plantation Menavava in Madagascar (Trinitario Beans) and organic nibs from Plantation Hacienda Iara in Ecuador (Nacional Arriba Beans). The flavour characteristics of the Menavava nibs and Hacienda Iara nibs are unique.

Nibs

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I've been playing with nibs a lot lately, trying them from several different sources, and have found that each one has very distinct flavor notes: Valrhona - quite bitter, sometimes almost burnt tasting; ScharffenBerger - sweeter with hints of sour fruit; Theo - a blend with some bitter and some slightly fruity; DeVries - quite sour, though his caramelized nibs are addictive.What I have been wondering is why all of these companies do "origin" chocolates with the idea that the origin will give you an idea of the flavors to expect, but no one seems to do "origin" nibs. Nibs are offered as nibs with no indication of varietal or origin, as though nibs only come in nib flavor.I am "fondeur" (sp?) and work with about 25 different chocolates to get the flavor notes I want for different things. I love doing tastings and watching the wonder grow in people as the start to understand that chocolate isn't just "chocolate" flavored. I know nothing about the "bean to bar" side of chocolate, and am in awe of the entire process, so I was hoping someone could help me understand what seems to be a gap in the market.Thanks!
updated by @Jonathan Walpole: 04/18/15 12:56:50

Criollo fermentation

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi all,I've seen information from a lot of sources stating that criollo only needs 2-3 days for fermentation, whereas other varieties need about 5-7 days. Why is this? Is it just because criollo has a less bitter taste? Or does the fermentation process for criollo actually take place quicker/faster? Is criollo fully fermented in 2-3 days?
updated by @Byron Prior: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Barry Callebaut to acquire Spanish chocolate maker Chocovic

Posted in: News & New Products Press

http://www.barry-callebaut.com/51?release=5378 Who's next?
updated by @Masur: 03/11/26 06:20:34

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Nice idea.Andre

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thank you, Andy.The issue is that my pieces are mostly very colorful and they follow the same shapes. So black and white is really not an option for me.Thank you, though.Andre

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Valerie,I know printingforless.com, but I have completely forgotten about them. Thanks for refreshing my memory.Andre

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hi Dirke.Thank you for the link to moo.com and for offering your assistance with design. I may need your help in the future, when I need something more complex.Thanks again,Andre

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Yep. You can find some really nice textured rice and other papers that are made to go through a laser printer. Lots of ways to make the presentation special.A zero-extra-cost-yet classy option for custom jobs is to "watermark" or "ghost" the customer's logo on the key ...

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Ooh, I like that idea Clay. Allows for a lot of flexibility and you can pick up some really nice paper styles.

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

One workable solution for printing keys to put into boxes that I have seen - even by very high-end chocolatiers - is the use of translucent vellum that you can run through a laser printer. You can get translucent vellum made to go through laser printers at many specialty paper stores on-line and off and many sources will cut it to exact size for you. You can print in black and white or color depending on the application. You can print only as you need them or to a production schedule - and you can alter them at will.Very flexible option.Once you run the paper through the printer it might not be sanitary any more, so you'll probably have to look into clear food-safe acetate sheets the same size or put the printed key on top of the candy pad. If you opt for the clear acetate and use very translucent vellum you may be able to see slightly through the key to the pieces below.

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

We use our Dymo Labeler to do the job. I've made EPS files of all the shapes and then we lay them out on one of the larger printing squares. Self adhease to the top of the box or to the padding has worked well. It's not color but it does allow for a lot of flexibility early on.

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

moo.com is one that has some really unique stuff that you could create. Quality is pretty good as well. Everyone I know is local to me since I occasionally do design work with them, If you need help with creative or print maybe I can help? Just let me know.

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

www.printingforless.com is a good resource. I haven't used them for insert printing, but have used them for business cards and postcards. Instead of inserts I usually buy large oval labels, print directly on them what each box contains (I can usually verbally differentiate between my chocolates) and stick them to the inside lids of boxes.

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Being someone who has printed these for Purdies, you will want to take into consideration the smell of offset printing, digital might be the way to go as it is usually high end ink droplet printing much like your home printer. It is also cheaper and you can do short runs. Google digital printers in your area, if you can't find one let me know and I can probably forard you some.

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Hey Gina:This is an open forum and any answer you have for Andre may work for other members of TheChocolateLife. So it'd be appropriate to share publicly.:: Clay

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

yes email me and I can help you out. Gina

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Thank you, Clay.

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Andre:Try 4over4.com.:: Clay

Insert - printing solutions

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques

Good day.I need to print a very small run of inserts. These are the inserts people include in the boxes to tell which bonbon is which flavor.Do you guys know where I can go to get a small run? Any online printing shop?Thank you.
updated by @Andre Costa: 04/11/25 09:27:36

Chocolate and wine tasting

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Hmmm, I hadn't considered breaking the bottle down like that, don't want to have too many half bottles sitting around. The limiting factor last time was the chocolate, being as the tasting was done at the wine institute. Thanks

Chocolate and wine tasting

Posted in: Tasting Notes

Tom:My experience is that the maximum number of people for a tasting of any sort is how many people you can serve without the service being intrusive. If you're serving wines near the end of a tasting that need to be cold you need to figure out how to pour and serve at the correct temperature at the correct time without interrupting the tasting. Of course you could start with those first.Another way to look at this is the size of the pour. A 750ml bottle holds 15, 50ml pours (14, really to account for dribbles, etc. A 50ml pour may seem a lot, but when you're tasting several chocolates with each wine (as I like to do), it's pretty handy to have such generous pours. As a general rule, I figure no more than 16 people per bottle of wine + plus me. This is 17 40ml pours - plus some for dribbles and sediment on the bottom of the bottle.I have done as many as 6 wines and twice that many chocolates in a single tasting over the course of 90 minutes-two hours. Never had a complaint about there being too much.HTH,:: Clay

Chocolate and wine tasting

Posted in: Tasting Notes

I have done this before but at a University for students so I didn't charge participants or pay for anything. I am just wondering from others experiences, what is a good number to do these tastings on, how many pairings and what have people charged. This tasting wouldn't be for friends it is to make money from.When I did it I paired 4 chocolates with 5 wines/spirits. This was about the limit I thought, I remember bench testing and feeling a little overdone palate and stomach wise. I also gave a seminar on parallels in chocolate and wine making which was well received.
updated by @Tom: 07/27/15 02:55:39

Chocolate Show - New York 2009

Posted in: News & New Products Press

The 12th annual Chocolate show just ended yesterday at the Metropolitan Pavilion. If you did not get a chance to go, take a look at the pictures. The only time eating chocolate is acceptable at 10am! View Photos on my page.
updated by @Roxanne Browning : 03/11/26 06:20:34

Alcohol in Chocolates

Posted in: Recipes

You can fill chocolates will "real alcohol"; however each State has different laws regarding this. I live in CT and I am not allowed to produce or to sell them in the State. They are being made in Nevada; but they are not allowed to even ship to me in Connecticut.

Alcohol in Chocolates

Posted in: Recipes

Does anyone know who would be best to contact at the state level to see about getting the laws amended? I live in Oklahoma where you are limited to confections only containing alcohol found in extracts - all other forms are strictly prohibited. I would like to open my own store but 90% of what I make contains alcohol so I either have to figure out how to get this outdated prohibition law changed or move to another state. Any advice would greatly be appreciated.