Valrhona, Meet Bordeaux
Over the weekend I took my first shot at a prototype for the red wine molded chocolates I'm making for my brother's wedding. I used Valrhona Grand Cru Guanaja 70% Cocoa for the shell and a combination of Callebaut White Chocolate and a reduction of Chateau du Gris 2006 Bordeaux, together with some heavy cream, butter and light corn syrup, for the ganache. I thought the red wine and chocolate was going to be difficult, from a chemistry perspective, but these turned out pretty damn good . . . the ganache is smooth and fruity . . . not grainy at all as I had feared it might be. This first prototype might be pretty close to a final recipe. I'm shipping some up to Pennsylvania to see what the bride and groom-to-be think.
I couldn't be more in love with my new tempering machine . . . and my molding technique is gradually improving. Notice the absence of air bubbles that were present in the last chocolates I molded. The process is a simple one—especially when using a tempering machine, which turns several hours of hand-tempering into 20-30 minutes of hands-free waiting for the machine to do its thing. Once the chocolate is tempered, you ladle it into the mold to coat the mold, then turn the mold on it's side to allow the excess chocolate to run back into the bowl of tempered chocolate. You place the chocolate-coated mold upside down on a parchment lined baking sheet and allow the chocolate to set. You then pipe the ganache into the cavities in the mold with a pastry bag, add another layer of tempered chocolate over the top of the mold (which becomes the bottom of the individual chocolates), scrape off the excess chocolate once it has begun to set, put it into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to allow the chocolates to contract a bit and separate from the mold and, finally, unmold the chocolates by banging on the backside of the mold with the handle of a knife or some such thing. I've left out a bit of detail, but I intend to post detailed step-by-step instructions with photos when I can line up an assistant, who I will pay in chocolate. It's hard to make chocolates and photograph yourself at the same time.
My technique still needs some improvement. In the photo below, there's ganache bubbling through a crack in the surface of the chocolate shell, which I think is the result of either not letting the shell set long enough before filling it with ganache or not letting the finished chocolates set long enough in the refrigerator before unmolding them. Either way, I used excessive force to unmold the chocolates and several of them had little cracks through which ganache oozed. But it's all coming together . . . it's all coming together.
perfection. if they taste as good as they look, you are an absolute rock star.
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Wow, those pictures are amazing!
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If these are anything close to the cinnamon-almond ones, then they must be divine!!
We finished the other ones already. They were soooooo good!
The photos are amazing.
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They look good. When mine crack, it seems to be because the tempered chocolate shell contracts to the point where the ganache can no longer fit inside the cavity in the shell. Eventually the ganache should shrink more than the shell when they cool, but the shell will shrink first, since it is on the outside. Making sure the ganache is more cool before piping it in might therefore help. Also, it might help if you let them cool completely (say, for an hour) before putting them in the refrigerator.
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Thank you all. I brought some into my office today and the initial feedback is that they're quite good. I enjoyed them, but it's nice to get some more objective feedback.
Thanks, Barzelay, for the ever-helpful advice. That makes sense. I'll be more conscious of ganache cooling on my next batch.
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The pictures are lovely and I'm sure the chocolates are delicious. It sounds like the tempering machine was worth it! Let me know if you're still looking for an assistant -- I will happily work for chocolate!
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You are the first assistant to step forward! I'll email you and we can make some plans.
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They look perfect! Love the picture of the oozing ganache. Interesting combination of flavours.
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Thanks, Linda. It's funny how, lately, mistakes and imperfections have been leading to my favorite food photos.
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Magnificent! Chocolate making is a meticulous and delicate procedure. My grandmother and I made chocolates this Christmas for our family. Unfortunately, the tempering machine arrived later than expected and we were rushed. The end product needed help. I have the utmost respect for fellow hobby-chocolatiers. A book we found helpful, albeit advanced, is Peter Greweling's "Chocolates & Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner". ~Bonne chance~
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Thanks for the book recommendation . . . I just ordered it! Jean-Pierre Wybauw's book has been recommended highly to me, but it seems to be out of stock everywhere . . . and may be going out of print because he has a new book coming out this Spring, I believe. The Greweling book appears to be of the same quality . . . level of detail . . . etc. I can't wait to read it!
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Would you mind sharing which machine you bought, just in case I find an excuse to splurge at some point?
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I bought the ChocoVision Revolation 2, which costs about $100 more than the Revolation 1 . . . with the main functional difference between the two being that while both the 1 and 2 have pre-set tempering temperatures for white, milk and dark chocolate, only the Revolation 2 allows you to control the temperature with a "custom" setting. I've experienced the variation in liquidity of different chocolates with the same percentage cocoa first hand . . . and I'm a bit of a control freak . . . so I figured the extra $100 was worth the added control in case I come across some stubborn chocolate. So far, however, I've only used the Revolation 2's pre-set temps and they've worked perfectly.
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Thanks. At that price, it's definitely not at the top my wishlist until I have a much better excuse.
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Yep . . . it's a very expensive piece of equipment. I need to start a side business to recoupe my investment!
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A true chocolate lover finds ways to accommodate his passion and make it work with his lifestyle. One key, not just to keeping weight down and staying guilt-free, but also to keeping taste buds sharp (essential for the professionals who evaluate new products as well as judge recipes), is being discriminating.
Nice Post Anyway
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Hmmmm . . . I'm not sure what this comment's about. First, it starts with what I believe is a plagiarized quote from Julie Davis that was published in the LA Times in 1985 . . . or at least that's what my Googling of the quote suggests. And then it goes on to include a commercial ad for chocolate fountains, which I've removed. Interesting spam advertising technique. I was tempted to delete the comment in it's entirety . . . but am erring on the side of free speech.
So, am I not being sufficiently discriminating about something?
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I think when people see a value in spamming comments on your blog, it is a sign you have arrived! Good job!
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Maybe Alex was testing to see if you would be discriminating enough to delete the spammy post! How exquisitely subtle.
I agree with FRF, when they are trying to spam your blog you have hit the big time.
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Your chocolate looks smooth and shinny. The leaking of ganache may come from the excessive force.
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OK, that pic is just seXXX-y. Yum!
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