Notes from class

Here are a few of the things Patrick and Barbara talked about.
Patrick Peeters June 28, 2008
All ingredients should be at room temperature.
Don’t have to boil UHT cream. Just bring to simmer and pour over callets.
He always uses a Robot Coupe for ganaches. He says they are much smoother than by hand.
He likes to use European butter. It is 82%. US butter is 72%.
You can add butter with cream but he prefers to add it last for better mouth feel.
You must know the cocoa butter percentage in your chocolate to calculate your formula.
You can freeze your finished bon bons, but follow the normal freezing guidelines—thaw in stages and don’t unwrap for 48 hours.
Invert, honey, and glucose all help water activity. Sorbitol is a sugar that binds water, but we are afraid to use it here, but it is normal in Europe. Greatly increases shelf-life. It also is a laxative if too much is used.
You don’t have to table a ganache if you have prepared it properly.
He used a can of Badger compressed air? and a little Badger siphon feed air brush.
Don’t mix milk and dark chocolate. It throws off the melting point and messes everything up.
Mycryo was developed as a substitute for gelatin during the Mad Cow scare. It is an insulator? Vegetarians like to use it. If it is past its due date, use it 2 degrees warmer—it has changed to beta 6, from beta 5 crystals.
When using a transfer sheet with a layer of chocolate, first spray counter top or sheet pan with Pam. Smoothly roll out the transfer sheet. This makes a smooth area that won’t slide around. Spread with tempered chocolate and smooth to a thin layer. When just starting to set, use a toothpick to “cut” the chocolate. Top with parchment and roll up transfer sheet, chocolate and parchment. Put in fridge until set. Remove plastic and parchment and you have some fun designs in chocolate.
When molding, don’t over-work the colored cocoa butter or it will over crystallize and not release. Vibrate the filled mold on the table top to release air bubbles. When you dump it out, keep it horizontal or the shells will be uneven.
You only have to wait to close the molds until the filling is firm enough to cover. There is no reason to wait over night. Hit the filled molds very gently with a hair dryer to soften the chocolate and make it adhere better to the bottom. If you over melt it, it won’t release from the mold.
Infusing tea in hot cream for more than 10 minutes leads to bitterness. Cold cream refrigerated over night is better.
JPW designed the Mold d’art melter