So begins the Candy holidays

[Drac]

Hi all,

Getting into the candy making mode.  Got the mise en place going -



This is just this weekend's start.  More will come as I'm still waiting on some of the ingredients for the centers.  Each year I try a different line of flavors: cocktails, coffee house, and wine have been been done in the past.  Usually one or two flavors may stick around.  This year will be salt.  Salted caramels and salted chocolate truffles.  I have got a small selections of salts: habanero, smoked, pink, red, black and some finishing salts.

Also trying some new pepper flavorings.  While habanero/mango/rum is still the number one favorite the fans have been asking for more heat.  Also trying a new hot pepper flavor - the Dirty Irishman.

Also have 33 more pounds of chocolate coming in.  Stay tune for how it proceeds...

Jim

[grnhs]

gran marnaier
you have my attention :D

[ghost9mm]

This should be fun to watch... :D

[muebe]

Candy made with boose! Nothing wrong with that :)

[deb415611]

Nice........  what brand of chocolate do you use?

[SiFumar]

Will be following this!

[Quarlow]

Oh god, chocolate yum. We deliver 40' containers of Belgium chocolate to a pplace that makes promotional chocolates and chocolate cookies. They advertise company logos and slogans and the like.
One year I got a block of milk and a block of dark. The blocks are 8lbs. each. We made chcolate everything that year for xmas gifts. You name it we covered it in chocolate. Ginger, jujubes, pretzels, nuts, dried fruit. That was something else.
I wait with baited breath to see what you do with this. I may have to go get some more blocks of chocolate.
One of my fav choclates is chili pepper choclate bars I think from Hersheys or Cadbury.....I may be wrong on that, but it is dang good.

[Habanero Smoker]

I was hoping I would see another candy making post from you.

[Drac]

Nice........  what brand of chocolate do you use?

Orchid from Albert Ulster Imports.  It is a good compromise between flavor and cost.  This runs about $45 a 11lb box and it comes in wafers which makes it easy to work with.  The dark a rich berry flavor.  It also is bitter (as should be for 74%) but very low in acid.  The milk has a very strong caramel flavor.

If you guys wish I can do the step-by-step time? 

Jim

Jim

[deb415611]

thanks Jim

I really like the looks of their website, it could be dangerous

[ghost9mm]

Jim...a step by step I think would be just great, and my wife will be watchin with great interest... :D

[Drac]

I'll see what I can do.

I got 6 bathes of centers done yesterday.  Ran out of storage bags at that point :D

Planning out the rest of the attck to get it done.  Several are experiments so it gets bounced around the head to figure out the chemistry of adding flavors without changing the basic recipe.  Take cocktail recipes, I think about what the overall flavor profile is and than what each of the ingredients brings.  Take creamsicle, it is orange and vanilla with a smooth creamy texture.  So white chocolate seems to be a good base to start with.  Next will be the orange, Grand Marnier provides that but so will Triple Sec, neither one by itself doesn't seem to bring out the right punch.  So I go with Triple Sec for a sharper punch of citrus and add a touch of vodka to bring a "bam" factor. 

The tough one this year will be the Dirty Irishman.  Based on a drink using a hot pepper (ghost peppers) chocolate sauce.  Here I have to figure out how to add a liquid ingredient without making the truffles into liquid centers.  Got my work cut out for me.  Also got to decide which salt to use for a couple of the salted line.  The salted caramels will propably go  with a nice finishing salt such as fluer de sel but on the salted dark chocolate truffles I want to play with what could really work there.  So far the Peruvian Pink salts and the Hawaiian Black salts seem to give the best flavors but the Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt (red) would make a stunning visual picture.

Jim

[Drac]

Here we go, the basics for the truffle centers.  The players tonight for Mudslide and French Kiss truffles -



The milk chocolate in the best machine for making a perfect emulsion, the food processor.  Done it by hand, immersion blender and others and this is the best -



Chop up the wafers even smaller -



Scald the cream, bad cream, haven't I raised you better -



Add to the processor and let sit for a minute -



Blended all smooth -



Let it cool to room temp so it won't melt the room temp butter.  Gets a better flavor and texture.  Added -



And all ready to use or add flavors -



Flavor mixes ready for additions -



Mixed and packed.  I like to chocolate to set at room temp before the fridge -



More to come but this is the basic technique I use for most of the centers.  The main difference is the flavors in many cases.  Granted white chocolate works better if I melt it first and than add the cream by hand.

Jim

[jiggerjams]

Everything looks great!! Is the pink salt a colored salt or a cure?

[La Quinta]

Mr God...I gotta try this when you finish posting...My husband is a huge chocolate fan...never even thought to make candy for him...

I will definately stay tuned!!!