Ask your chocolate questions to a consumer audience
Posted in: Opinion
Nice, that should be fun to see what peoples replies will be. Good idea
Forum Activity for @Dirke Botsford
Posted in: Opinion
Nice, that should be fun to see what peoples replies will be. Good idea
Ask your chocolate questions to a consumer audience
Posted in: Opinion
Hello everyone,I posted this a while back but not all of you might have seen it. I found this great website where you can ask questions and people answer them for the fun of it - I created an area for chocolate questions in that. If you'd like to know people's opinions about certain types of chocolate etc. I invite you to post your questions there. I have to "publish" them since I started the so-called urtak, but really you can ask anything you like.The link to the urtak is here: http://urtak.com/u/chocolate I hope you'll enjoy it and that you will enjoy learning what people think.Best,Carmen www.createmychocolate.com
updated by @Carmen Magar: 05/14/15 17:06:48
Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors
Posted in: Opinion
Chocolates and Confections is also one of my go-to reference books. Wonderful guide and easy to follow. Another one is Pierre Herme's Chocolate Desserts.
Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors
Posted in: Opinion
I was going to suggest the Chocolates and Confections book as well.It is very well written, the pictures are wonderful and the recipes are easy to follow.
Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors
Posted in: Opinion
I am particularly fond of Mort Rosenblum's Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light. I have read a lot of chocolate books, candy books, cookbooks, old and new, and this one was my favorite. Not heavy in photos, but it gives a wide range of views on chocolate I have not found in other publications.
Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors
Posted in: Opinion
I can only agree - this book is written just great.If you are looking for a beautiful AND informative book, I would recommend The Book of Chocolate, piblished be Flammation. Suits for coffeetable and also as reference (history, different cultures etc.), one even cannot immagine pictures better then in this book.
Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors
Posted in: Opinion
If you're looking for something more educational on the history of chocolate and learning about the different types of beans I highly recommend The New Taste of Chocolate by Maricel E. Presilla. It's one of my favorites.
Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors
Posted in: Opinion
Books on Chocolate Making from Ecole Chocolat is another great list: www.ecolechocolat.com/chocolate-books.php
Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors
Posted in: Opinion
FYI - discoverchocolate.com now redirects here to TheChocolateLife.com.
Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors
Posted in: Opinion
Peter Greweling's Chocolates and Confections is an outstanding reference for artisan chocolate technique. Clearly written, extra description of certain points if you want it, and great photography.
Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors
Posted in: Opinion
Here's the first book on the Chocolate Bliss list :THE TRUE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE by Michael Coe and Sophie CoeAsk around for the best book on chocolate history and you'll wind up here. It is the best!! Written by Yale Professor of Anthropology Emeritus Michael Coe and his late wife Sophie Coe, the knowlege of Olmec, Maya and Aztec historical context, artifacts and source material is deep. Deep, deep, deep! This book propsed the theory that chocolate production started in the Olmec civilization (not just the Maya and the Aztec) and is a source of study for many of the world's best chocolatiers. Amazon/Alibris.
Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors
Posted in: Opinion
There's a great list of books at Chocolate Bliss by TCL member Suzie Norris. It looks pretty comprehensive.
Best Chocolate Book | Best Chocolate Authors
Posted in: Opinion
Well, a good place to start would be DISCOVER CHOCOLATE by Clay Gordon (Description by Chocolate Bliss) This energetic chocolate blogger/author/travel guide focuses on tasting chocolate - how to explore and understand chocolate's full range of flavors. The website www.discoverchocolate.com offers many resources, including a networking site for chocophiles, THE CHOCOLATE LIFE. Amazon/Alibris
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.
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
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
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.