Technique | Chocolate Apprentice

Clotted Cream and Caramelized White Chocolates

“Uh, dearest?”

“Yes?”

“Do you see this?”

(Showing him a clear plastic bag with a small handful of blonde chocolate fèves in the bottom)

“Oh yes, they are really good.”

“Uh …”

“I ate them.”

“Yes ….”

“Were you saving them for something?”

“The blog. I was going to make something with them.”

“Ohhh … They were really good – especially at night, when you wake up and you just want a little something tasty …

(sees me shaking the sparse contents of the bag)

“Can you do anything with that many?”

“I guess I’ll find out.”

“Well, at least there are enough to photograph.” [Read more…]

A Chocolate Thank You

Although I have now been working with chocolate for three years (gosh, has it really been that long?) and have had the privilege to write this blog all that time, I am still very much an apprentice and feel I always will be.

So when my dear friend, Steph asked if I would make some chocolate thank you gifts for generous folks who have supported a wonderful organization we both work with (Vocal Eye Descriptive Arts), I became very nervous.

“I’m really not a professional, you know. Won’t they be disappointed?” [Read more…]

Some Bloody Good Chocolate

I made a chocolate coffin, this week. And then I stuffed it with dark chocolate bleeding hearts. It was a lot of fun especially with Hallowe’en coming.

My old alma mater, Studio 58, did a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which they are billing as “Shakespeare with Bite” … because the director has set it in the Carpathian mountains and the fairies are vampires who “taunt and terrorize all who wander there”.

I know, I know. Haven’t we had enough of vampires? Actually no, judging by this tongue-firmly-in-cheek, very creative and energetic take on this classic play. [Read more…]

Tea Infused Chocolate – Bars and Truffles

A few weeks ago, I had a great time with my panel of two teenaged tea aficionados, tasting black, green and herbal teas with dark, milk and white chocolates. We were surprised and delighted to discover how well the flavours of some of the teas blended with or accentuated the aromas and flavours of some of the chocolate … and some definitely did not.

Clearly, I have not had enough of the tea and chocolate experience because this week I picked up a half dozen tea infused chocolate bars and am making batches of tea infused truffles using some of the flavours which seemed to go so well together. [Read more…]

Delicious Disaster

Sometimes, good things come out of big failures.

Last week, I made a flag, for Vancouver’s Pride Parade celebration, of six different flavours and colours of Pâtes de Fruits (French fruit jellies).

I took a shortcut for the final two batches (I was running out of time and patience), and used unflavoured gelatin as the setting agent, instead of the fruit pectin I usually use (I like the texture better and they are suitable for vegetarians).

Now, unflavoured gelatin is a perfectly acceptable gelling agent for pâte de fruit. Several recipes, including one of Jacques Pepin’s use it. [Read more…]