Forum Activity for @Beth Mansfield

Why do certain ganaches leak out of molded pralines?

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Your ganaches sound tasty! My experience with that problem is that it happens when the ganache has not had time to crystallize. Try covering the filled mould (for sanitation purposes) and leaving it overnight to set before topping it off. Alternatively, maybe your ganache contains too much liquid. Try reducing the amount of cream in your formula.

truffles-- making in advance

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

Hi Katie,First, congratulations on your order! That's great. . I store my product in a wine cooler at 65 degrees and have not had a problem with shelf life for a week or two. I do not use invertase or other preservatives. I personally draw the line at about two weeks for storing because my customers may not eat the product for a week or two and I want it to still taste fresh. I recommend that you not store your finished truffles in the regular fridge as it is too cold and chocolate will pick up other favors that are in there. Dip your ganache within 24 hours, so long as it has crystallized. That seals out oxygen, which promotes spoilage. I too have had issues with salt melting on finished product. It is the result of humidity. If you have a lot of humidity in your area then dip the salt garnished truffles last and use a dehumidifier in the room. I store them in a wine cooler, but if that isn't an option, then keep them on a counter in a cold dry room and cover them. And despite your best efforts, they may melt once you leave to deliver them if it's warmer or more humid than where you store them. I have pitched more than one batch because of this. Good luck!

Alcohol in Chocolates

Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques

In the contradictory state of Ohio, no alcohol is allowed in confections without a license - and yet they have no provisions to issue licenses to confectioners. But you can add vanilla and other flavorings that contain alcohol. The key is it can't be an alcohol meant to be consumed as a drink. Who makes up these rules? How do you label alcohol that's been cooked down to reduce its percentage? And does the flavor suffer? Does anyone have any good flavor alternatives to Cointreau, Brandy, or Amaretto? I feel that in Ohio we are at a competitive disadvantage to the rest of the country. And how about the issue of shipping. Do those of you in states that allow alcohol content have to be careful not to sell to minors? And can you ship anywhere to anyone? I'm trying to decide if I should become an activist in politics. Is there a chocolate lobbying group? Jeez - Prohibition all over again. Ship truffles to Congress. Forget the budget deficit, health care reform, etc. By God, I want alcohol in my truffles! Ok, I'm done ranting. But I would like to know what y'all are doing on this topic.
updated by @Beth Mansfield: 04/12/15 04:42:19

Best chocolate school

Posted in: Opinion

Well Linda, Vermont is mighty tempting. But only in the summer. And Jeff, all those toys you have must be a blast, but they would hardly fit in my tiny rental apartment. For the time being my batches are teeny tiny. At least I've gotten to the point where I don't feel I have to eat all the mistakes! I now share with the trash. But maybe once I get my act together and go public I'll buy a few toys too.......But first I have to fix this ganache.

Best chocolate school

Posted in: Opinion

I have had such a good time reading this forum this afternoon. I'm tinkering with a berry ganache and just decided that the flavor profile isn't right and should start over. Personally, I have been going to the school of hard knocks this past month doing exactly what Jeff recommended. Uh, minus the tempering machine, much as I crave it. There is no substitute for making errors and figuring out how to fix them. Though I would like to find a class that deals with spoilage (you know, bacteria, air, hygroscopy and such) and artistic elements that's somewhere in the midwest. Anyone have any ideas? The Callebaut class in Chicago would have been nice but I can't make it on those dates. I prefer hands on stuff. Does the internet class have videos at least? Or is it all lecture/question/answer/research format.Oh, and BTW Jeff, Vermont IS a stunner. I spent a week biking around the state in the '70's and it is a conservative hippy paradise. Someday I'll make it to Oregon to compare. I would have entered the Oregon apprentice contest recently but didn't hear about it until too late. Good videos on YouTube. Your store looked great too.