Writing with Chocolate

Starter Kit

Robbin Warner — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:43:41 +0000

Working with Chocolate Molds Starter Kit

Robbin Warner | www.writingwithchocolate.com |May 2012

My friend Teresa recently asked for a list of essential items for making chocolate in a home kitchen. “Not a problem” I replied and set out to put together a short “Chocolate Making Starter Kit.” What began as a short and simple list quickly grew into a long list of items I can’t live without when making chocolate in my home kitchen. Here are my lists. The first is the Basic Starter Kit. The second list features other items I can’t live without. And the third list consists of additional items I use but didn’t photograph.

Basic Starter Kit

Callebaut Dark Chocolate 811NV (12.50 euros at Colruyt)
Plastic Mixing Bowl (5 euros @ Chocolate World)
Chocolate Mold (16 euros @ Chocolate World)
Digital thermometer ($10 @ Amazon.com)
Box of 100 Plastic Piping Bags (17 euros @ Chocolate World)
Chocolate Scraper (6 euros @ Chocolate World)
Pallet Knife (7 euros @ Chocolate World)

Items I Can’t Live Without

SCRAPING, STIRRING & POURING
Palette Scrapers and Knife I like to have several different shapes and sizes.
Plastic Scrapers These are for scraping bowls and cleaning chocolate off the table and floor. I like to have many on hand in different shapes and sizes.
Plastic Spatulas One can never have too many spatulas. They come in different sizes and styles. For making fillings, be sure to have some that are silicon and can be used with hot liquids.
Plastic Chocolate Stirring Spoons These long and flat spoons were made for stirring chocolate without producing air bubbles.
Plastic Containers for Filling Piping Bags I use a plastic pitcher or pasta storage container as a stand for filling piping bags with tempered chocolate. This makes it easier to fill the bag up with chocolate for filling and capping moulds.
TAKING THE TEMPERATURE
Thermometers A key tool for tempering chocolate at home is a thermometer especially if your home kitchen is like mine where I cannot keep the room at a constant or consistent temperature (one entire wall of my kitchen is a window resulting in the room temperature fluctuating with the weather). There are many different kinds of thermometers on the market. One can use a simple meat thermometer (you need a thermometer that can read low temperatures). Digital thermometers with long probs are nice because they work well in large bowls. My favorite thermometer is my infrared thermometer. You just point and read the temperature; No need to insert anything.
WEIGHING IN
Digital Scale Making fillings for molded chocolate requires precise measuring. To do this one needs a digital scale. The scales come in different shapes and styles. One need not be fancy, just accurate.
KEEPING IT CLEAN
Micro fiber dish cloths – I use these to wipe down the molds, spatulas, scrapers, and even my hands. I like to use micro fiber because the cloth won’t scratch the molds or tools
Trash Can I like to have my trash can near to my working area. However, I don’t need a large trash can out in my kitchen all the time. The answer is a colaspable container. I use a child’s laundry basket from IKEA.
This is what it looks like collapsed	Here is what it looks like with a garbage bag inside.

Additional Items not Shown

Extra plastic bowls – One can never have too many plastic bowls around.
Blow dryer or hot air gun – This is to reheat the chocolate and/or warm up the molds.

A Mention in the Foreign Service Journal

Robbin Warner — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 08:31:30 +0000

My friend Doug Morris just published an article in the April 2012 issue of Foreign Service Journal. Go to www.afsa.org/foreign_service_journal.aspx, select the cover of this month’s issue, then scroll to page 60. The article is about how expats are making the most of their time in Brussels pursuing their creative passions. I’m one of the expats featured. The article, “The University of (fill in the blank)” originally appeared in the November 3, 2011 issue of the Brussels Weekly on page 7, and is by the newsletter’s editor, Douglas E Morris.)”

Fun with Chocolate Workshop on Fillings Scheduled for May 18th

Robbin Warner — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:18:04 +0000

By popular request, we have a “Fun with Chocolate” workshop scheduled for May 18th. Here’s your opportunity to find out how Belgians make those amazing filled chocolates, locally known as Pralines. Learn a new skill to take back home with you! In this 3-hour workshop you will learn how to make 4 different fillings and insert those fillings into a chocolate mould. Making mendicants, lollipops, chocolate dipped fruit will also be part of the activities in this fun-filled class! You then get to take the chocolates you made and place them in a traditional ballotin box as well as learn the art of decorating the box in the traditional Belgian way.

DATE: Friday, 18 May 2012

TIME: The workshop will run from 11am – 2pm. Coffee and refreshments will be served upon arrival.

LUNCH: We will take a short lunch break around 12:30-1:00. A light lunch will be provided.

BRING: Bring containers for your chocolates. We like to be green. Please bring 2-3 reusable containers to pack your delicious chocolate goodies.

WORKSHOP LEADERS: Robbin Warner and Jessie Lewis

PRICE: 60 euros

VENUE: Jessie Lewis Cooking, 34 Sijs jeslaan, 3078 Everberg

REGISTRATION: Please book early as this class will be limited to 12 participants only. To register, email Robbin Warner (robbinwarner@gmail.com)

New Study Examines it Chocolate Consumption Helps You Stay Thin

Robbin Warner — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 18:14:12 +0000

A new article published in the March 26, 2012 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine examines if there is a correlation between chocolate consumption and lower body mass. You can read a press piece on this article on NPR here or go directly to the article here.

Honey Ganache Part 1: The Recipe Challenge

Robbin Warner — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:59:39 +0000

I love a “use this ingredient” recipe challenge. Last week my friend Elisa asked if I could make a chocolate with honey for a party she was having. I had wanted to experiment with honey since last summer when my family in Portland, Oregon gave me a jar of honey from their bee hives. I accepted Elisa’s challenge and began work on designing a yummy honey ganache chocolate.

I started by going through my recipe books looking for ideas. Honey is not a popular ingredient in Belgian chocolates, so I was not surprised to only find a few recipes that used honey.

After trying three recipes, I choose one to use as my base for experimentation. Using that base recipe, I modified it by using different chocolates in the ganache (different dark chocolates as well as white chocolate.) I also experimented with infusing the cream with different flavors; I infused one batch with cinnamon, another with fresh thyme, and a third with fresh ginger. Another modification was using a glucose infused with honey for extra honey flavor. And finally, I experienced with different chocolate for the moulds. I tried the fillings in dark chocolate moulds as well as in white chocolate moulds.

When I had 10 different combinations I liked, I decided it was time to do a tasting. It just so happened that I was having a meeting at my house that week and used the tasting as a meeting icebreaker activity. I put all the chocolates out on a large table and gave everyone a score sheet to use to identify the chocolates they liked the best. Tasting the chocolates got everyone talking and laughing and having a chocolaty-good-time.

A close up of the four white chocolate honey ganache chocolates. White chocolate and honey ganache go well together.

As a big dark chocolate lover, it should come as no surprise that I came up with more dark chocolate and honey combinations.

My taste testers loved the chocolates, but after reviewing the score cards two flavors did emerge as the favorites: 1) white chocolate honey ganache infused with cinnamon and Speculoos cookie pieces and dark chocolate honey ganache with honeyed walnuts.

Dark Chocolate Winner: Dark chocolate honey ganache with honey roasted walnuts

White Chocolate Winner: White chocolate honey ganache infused with cinnamon and Speculoos cookie pieces

Being a Fan of Peanut Butter and Its Many Uses

Robbin Warner — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 07:44:44 +0000

I’m a big fan of peanut butter. I like it on a sandwich, in chocolates, and even plain on a spoon. To me, it is one of the great fattening flavors. Imagine my delight when I read this article “5 Unexpected Uses for Peanut Butter” on At Home – Yahoo! Shine listing some unconventional uses for peanut butter. I had heard about using peanut butter to get gum out of hair, but never as a leather sofa conditioner. My favorite unconventional use of peanut butter in this list is as a way to remove sticky labels on items. No more “goo be gone” for me; I’m using peanut butter.

New Review: Centho Chocolates

Robbin Warner — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:40:36 +0000

I just posted a review of Centho Chocolates, the place where Origin chocolate (i.e. chocolate from a single geographic source) is king.

Master Class with Ryan Stevenson

Robbin Warner — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:15:06 +0000

Last week Jessie Lewis and I had the honor of taking a private master class with Belgian Chocolate Master Ryan Stevenson. The theme of the class was how to use one primary ingredient to make several different kinds of chocolates. The primary ingredient we used for this lesson in creating recipes was peanuts. We made peanut ganache, peanut praliné, peanut caramel, and peanut marzipan. To round out the flavors we also made several raspberry fillings from raspberry pâte de fruit to a raspberry caramel.

Ryan Stevenson and Jessie Lewis going through the recipes

We made five different kinds of chocolates with peanuts as the featured ingredient. Here is a look at the peanut marzipan–one of my favorites.

Making peanut marzipan. And to think that most people just associate marzipan with almonds.

Cutting the marzipan on a guitar

The finished peanut marzipan chocolates with a pearl accent. I love accessorizing my chocolates

Chocolate Beer

Robbin Warner — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:11:43 +0000

I just learned of a beer brewed in North Carolina called “Sexual Chocolate” that has people waiting in line for hours for a glass. How is it possible that North Carolina has a more famous chocolate beer than Belgium?

Unexpected Chocolate

Robbin Warner — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:11:50 +0000

I had fun today posing my chocolates in places one wouldn’t expect to find chocolates