Here are the recipes I came up with for the assignment. A far cry from the grandiose plans I had in mind when the course started - I can't believe I got sick again!!! What's going on?! They came out pretty ok though - I also did the dark chocolate covered tambrind balls - and they were yyyyuummy!!
Assignment 5: Develop Your Signature Chocolates
Sarah Babies
ganache with passion fruit tea infused cream
Enrobed in pink chocolate drizzled with white chocolate.
Sarah Babies
ganache with passion fruit tea infused cream
Enrobed in pink chocolate drizzled with white chocolate.
Citrus Midnight
fudge – orange flavoured angostura bitters
Enrobed in dark chocolate and drizzled with white chocolate
fudge – orange flavoured angostura bitters
Enrobed in dark chocolate and drizzled with white chocolate
Gold Fire
Cinnamon flavoured fondant –tinted yellow
Piped into dark chocolate shell, decorated with gold leaf*/placed cutout baby flower.
Cinnamon flavoured fondant –tinted yellow
Piped into dark chocolate shell, decorated with gold leaf*/placed cutout baby flower.
Chewy Cuties
Soft caramel
Piped into dark chocolate shells – cavities first drizzled with pink chocolate.
Crunchy Lauries
Croquant – sliced almond
Enrobed in milk chocolate decorates with white mittens!
Croquant – sliced almond
Enrobed in milk chocolate decorates with white mittens!
Recipes
Sarah Babies
Addition to Master Luxurious Truffle recipe:
After scalding, add two passion fruit tea bags and immediately removing from heat. Use a large spoon to keep the bags submerged if necessary. Allow to cool for 30 minutes.
I was inspired to use pink chocolate because it was in my mind from the beginning of the course to make the cutest pink bonbon for my baby cousin Sarah because really cute – and pink! That lead me to use the passion fruit tea as I was going for a subtle flavour to go into a delicate bonbon
Sarah Babies
Addition to Master Luxurious Truffle recipe:
After scalding, add two passion fruit tea bags and immediately removing from heat. Use a large spoon to keep the bags submerged if necessary. Allow to cool for 30 minutes.
I was inspired to use pink chocolate because it was in my mind from the beginning of the course to make the cutest pink bonbon for my baby cousin Sarah because really cute – and pink! That lead me to use the passion fruit tea as I was going for a subtle flavour to go into a delicate bonbon
Citrus Midnight
Changes to Master Fudge Recipe:
· 6 0z bitter sweet chocolate called for in master recipe is replaced by 3 oz Hershey’s semisweet baking bar, 1 ½ oz Valrhona Alpaco and 1 ½ oz Valrhona Abinao.
· Substitute 5 ml of vanilla with 5 ml of Angostura Bitters Orange. Yummy!
I used dark chocolate here because I just love how it goes with orange and the bitters just brings out the decadence of the dark chocolate. I just couldn’t imagine using anything else.
Changes to Master Fudge Recipe:
· 6 0z bitter sweet chocolate called for in master recipe is replaced by 3 oz Hershey’s semisweet baking bar, 1 ½ oz Valrhona Alpaco and 1 ½ oz Valrhona Abinao.
· Substitute 5 ml of vanilla with 5 ml of Angostura Bitters Orange. Yummy!
I used dark chocolate here because I just love how it goes with orange and the bitters just brings out the decadence of the dark chocolate. I just couldn’t imagine using anything else.
Gold Fire
Fondant recipe from about.com : candy
(For 2 cups of granulated sugar, 1/2 cup water, and 2 tbsp corn syrup)
Work in 5 ml of Goldschlager cinnamon schnapps during kneading. Tint with 5 drops of yellow food colouring.
I used dark chocolate here because I thought white or milk would have detracted from the kaboom effect of the cinnamon schnapps. Also I thought the gold leaf would have been particularly striking against the dark chocolate – now if only I could catch one of those rascally gold flakes!
Important note: Do not allow helpers (especially moms) to get into the schnapps as they will be completely useless afterwards.
Fondant recipe from about.com : candy
(For 2 cups of granulated sugar, 1/2 cup water, and 2 tbsp corn syrup)
Work in 5 ml of Goldschlager cinnamon schnapps during kneading. Tint with 5 drops of yellow food colouring.
I used dark chocolate here because I thought white or milk would have detracted from the kaboom effect of the cinnamon schnapps. Also I thought the gold leaf would have been particularly striking against the dark chocolate – now if only I could catch one of those rascally gold flakes!
Important note: Do not allow helpers (especially moms) to get into the schnapps as they will be completely useless afterwards.
Chewy Cuties
Master Caramel recipe for soft caramel centre. Unflavoured.
My reasoning for using dark chocolate again is twofold:
1. Caramel is soooooo sweet! Milk and white would have distracting/overkill.
2. Dark chocolate is just awesome! I don’t know if there’s anything more alluring (and uber-luxurious-looking) than caramel oozing out of a dark shell after biting into it! Is there anything dark chocolate can’t do? I thought not – but then I tried to make croquant…
Crunchy Lauries
Master Croquant recipe using almond slices- rolling as thin and flat as possible.
I used milk chocolate after deciding that the dark chocolate was competing with the caramelized sugar. Upon reflection I’m thinking that my decision to use milk chocolate stems from my relative disdain for brittle-esque formulations – we mostly only see brittle sold by street vendors. But then again it might also be saying something about the level of success with my croquant! If that’s the case I might revise my choice of coating in the future as my technique improves.
Note: This recipe was so named for my cousin Lauren who ate most of my croquant when I wasn’t looking. (Hi Looenne!)
Master Caramel recipe for soft caramel centre. Unflavoured.
My reasoning for using dark chocolate again is twofold:
1. Caramel is soooooo sweet! Milk and white would have distracting/overkill.
2. Dark chocolate is just awesome! I don’t know if there’s anything more alluring (and uber-luxurious-looking) than caramel oozing out of a dark shell after biting into it! Is there anything dark chocolate can’t do? I thought not – but then I tried to make croquant…
Crunchy Lauries
Master Croquant recipe using almond slices- rolling as thin and flat as possible.
I used milk chocolate after deciding that the dark chocolate was competing with the caramelized sugar. Upon reflection I’m thinking that my decision to use milk chocolate stems from my relative disdain for brittle-esque formulations – we mostly only see brittle sold by street vendors. But then again it might also be saying something about the level of success with my croquant! If that’s the case I might revise my choice of coating in the future as my technique improves.
Note: This recipe was so named for my cousin Lauren who ate most of my croquant when I wasn’t looking. (Hi Looenne!)
I didn't post the report part of my assignment (it's kinda long) but I thought I'd post some of my feedback cos I'm all proud-like! *^_^
ReplyDeleteFeedback from the Teacher
Heidi Hudspith
Sunday, 13 June 2010, 09:27 AM
Grade: 18 / 20
Great work Lesley!
I think you have learned some important techniques that will help you continue to create your signature collection. Make sure you document all your ingredients, ideas and process’ for future reference, as this will help you adapt your recipes as your production volume increases.
Depending on the look you are trying to achieve, I find that using transfer sheets on chocolates that have a smooth surface and regular shape, often yield the best results. For efficiency, I recommend placing the enrobed centres directly onto the transfer sheet instead of cutting and placing them individually.
When working with moulded shells, be sure to fill the shell 2/3 and let it sit out until the ganache has set completely -- this will make it easier to bottom and you will be able to maximize your shelf life by filling in the air space (that was created once the ganache shrinks back) with your tempered chocolate bottom. To bottom a molded shell successfully, I find it essential to keep the bottom of the mold as clean as possible while you create the shell. This may require you to scrape off some of the chocolate that has set on the bottom of the mold before you attempt to add the tempered bottom. Heating the bottom of the mold slightly with a quick pass of the hair dryer will also help the tempered bottom bond with the sides of the shell.
Multi-tasking while in production is the "name of the game." It is a lot of juggling, but with time you will develop a rhythm and order that will help production flow more naturally. Recipe development and production take a lot of practice and trial and error – and you are well on your way!