Christmas Chocolate festival in London 11/12/11

On 11^th December I went to the annual Christmas Chocolate festival in London at Southwark. It was a chance for small chocolate companies to promote and sell their own creations to the public. I am hoping I will have the opportunity to sell my own products on a market stall in London next year.

There were a variety of stalls selling fresh hot chocolate, pastries, hand-made chocolates and truffles. Again, I was in my element surrounded by sweet tasty foods and I was intending to try and test as much chocolates as I could. I managed to find a new chocolatier called ‘Damian Allsop’ who used to be a pastry chef for 25 years and head pastry chef at Gordon Ramsey’s. He specialises in making luxury handmade chocolates, using English spring water, which gives his chocolates a purer, fresher taste. Another chocolate company I highly recommend is ‘Simply Handmade Chocolates’ who use fresh ingredients with no additives, so you can really appreciate the true flavours. I’m glad I visited the fair as it has given me more confidence in my own products and I’m now aware of the areas I need to improve on, which are the aesthetics and texture.

William Curley - Sea Salt Caramel Making course 19/11/11

I apologise for not writing on my blog for a while! I had a horrible full blown cold over the past week, so I have been too ill to keep my blog updated. Thankfully, I have fully recovered so I’m back on track with my chocolate adventure. Last weekend, I went on another chocolate course at William Curley’s patisserie shop in Belgravia. This time, I was making sea salted caramels which I was really looking forward to make, as it’s one of my favourite flavours.

In the class, there were 8 people participating and we were given a talk about the history of chocolate and the chocolate making process from cocoa bean to chocolate bar. We were also given the chance to try William Curley’s awarding winning chocolates such as rosemary and olive oil and chocolates from different regions around the world. Annoyingly, I had a cold so I couldn’t taste the flavours and the only pleasure I could get from the chocolates was the texture. All I can say, is that the texture was excellent as the chocolates melted cleanly in your mouth, which indicates high quality chocolate.

In the second stage of the course, we were taught how to temper chocolate by one of the highly experienced chocolatiers. To make approximately 60 Sea Salted Caramels you will need the following ingredients:

125g Whipping cream

Half Vanilla pod

200g Sea Salted Butter

40g Glucose

250g Caster Sugar

250g Tempered Chocolate

1. Boil the cream and the vanilla pod together and leave on the side to cool.

2. Place one third of the sugar and the glucose in a pan and start to heat. When it begins to melt, gradually add the remaining sugar. Cook to an amber caramel.

3. Take caramel off the heat, gradually add the cream, stirring simultaneously.

4. Once the caramel has cooled, add butter and stir in. Leave to cool before using.

5. Temper the chocolate and cast the moulds. Then leave in a cool place.

6. Pipe in the cooled caramel until two thirds full

7. Place a thin layer of tempered chocolate over the caramel and leave to set in a cool place

8. Turn out the chocolates from the moulds.

This course has to be my absolute favourite. The two chocolatiers were very professional and clearly explained the different techniques of making chocolate. In my opinion, William Curley makes the best and tastiest chocolates. I highly recommend anyone to visit his shop and check out his website as you won’t be disappointed.

 

Making hand made chocolates at home

On 13^th November I made more handmade raspberry truffles coated with different textures which included crushed hazelnuts, cocoa powder and milk chocolate. I used Wille’s 70% Venezuelan black and Valrhona’s 40% milk chocolate for the chocolate ganache, as the brands are known for using high quality beans from South America. This week, I have been practicing making chocolates most days to perfect and improve my skills in chocolate making and I feel I am improving with trial and error. It’s been difficult when I return from work as I feel absolutely exhausted, but I know the only way to succeed is to practice and practice as I really want my business to grow.

This week I bought some packaging to experiment making aesthetically looking products which I am hoping to sell in the next few months. The packaging is very basic and looks very generic, but I am planning to visit Portobello Market in London next weekend to buy some fancy ribbons and fabrics.

The chocolates I made over the weekend turned out better than I expected as I believe I used better quality chocolate. I incorporated fresh raspberry coulis again as the sharpness of the raspberries work really well with bitterness of the dark chocolate. I coated the truffles with hazelnuts, cocoa powder and milk chocolate to experiment with different flavours and textures. It was really exciting to see my finished product in a box as I feel I am making steady progress, and it’s given more confidence to test different flavours so I can sell my products very shortly.

I am truly passionate about chocolate and I am really happy I travelled to the Amazon rainforest last year and experienced working on a cocoa farm, in Ecuador. My travel and work experience in the industry has confirmed to me the chocolate making business is the path I want to pursue.

Chocolat Chocolat in Cambridge

On Saturday 5^th November, I went on another chocolate making course in Cambridge with Chocolat Chocolat.  In the group there were 20 of us, and we learnt how to make handmade chocolates and truffles, and gained greater knowledge with tasting good quality chocolate.

In the first part of the course, we discussed our favourite types of chocolate and I gathered most people in the group preferred 30% milk chocolate. My favourite chocolate has to be salted caramel, and dark chocolate with raspberries by the famous chocolatier William Curley. It’s the best and I highly recommend it!

In the course, we were taught how to recognise good quality chocolate. So, high chocolate should contain a minimum content of: 53% for dark, 30% for milk and 25% for white. However, just because a chocolate contains 70% does not mean it is good. For instance if the cocoa beans, original ingredients and the production of the processes are not good, then you are not buying high quality chocolate. Chocolate should smell good as you unwrap it and be sweetly fragrant but not overpowering. It should also feel silky and begin to yield the warmth of your fingers and if you break a piece it should snap cleanly.

When you taste chocolate the flavours will hit the front of your tongue, which is where most of your taste buds are located. If the chocolate does not melt straight away it is a sign of poor quality chocolate. The texture should be smooth and buttery, gently dissolving into a creamy liquid filling the mouth with a complexity of flavours. If the chocolate is waxy then it sometimes means the cocoa butter has been replaced with vegetable fat. The flavour of chocolate is essentially going to be bittersweet, fruity and spicy with a good balance of acidity, and should be subtle rather than overpowering. Afterwards, the favour should linger for several minutes and good quality chocolate can linger up to 45 minutes with a clean aftertaste.

In the second part of the course, we learnt how to make chocolate truffles and package the goods in an aesthetically pleasing way. So to make the truffle ganache you essentially mix warm whipping cream with good quality melted chocolate and then leave the mixture to set in the fridge for 2 hours. When the ganache was set we spooned out truffle sized amounts of the mixture and placed onto a baking tray covered with greaseproof paper.

The next stage was to dip the chocolates in a bowl of tempered chocolate and decorate the truffles with cocoa powder, chopped hazelnuts and icing sugar.

The final stage was to package the goods into pretty boxes with ribbons and stickers. I have to admit I was reasonably satisfied with my finished chocolates, especially the presentation. I am naturally a messy person so I’m making a huge effort to be as organised and tidy as possible. When I look back on the previous courses I have been on, my chocolates look like dog turds to put it bluntly!! But I am gradually learning the art of creating beautiful tasty chocolates.

Overall, I really enjoyed the course, I learnt a great deal about the industry and I would say it’s been the most productive, organised and interesting course of them all.

Sunday 23rd October - Home made passion fruit and caramel truffles

On Sunday 23^rd October, I made some fresh truffles and flavoured my concoctions with homemade passion fruit coulis and caramel. This time, I experimented with a different brand of chocolate and percentage of cocoa. My aim was to determine how the different ingredients would affect the flavour and consistency of my chocolates. I used Waitrose home brand of Ecuadorian 75% dark and Tanzanian 40% milk chocolate. I also bought some cooking fudge pieces, which I used to make the caramel for the truffles. Its sounds truly calorific, but I wanted to try and use my favourite flavours incorporated into a truffle.

Firstly, I cut open two passion fruits and extracted the juice by passing the pulp through a sieve to remove the seeds. I then added lemon juice and icing sugar into the mixture, and heated the ingredients on a medium heat until it boiled.  I removed the coulis and set aside to cool.

I heated the whipping cream until it boiled, and then added a mixture of dark and milk chocolate until the elements had completely melted. Once cooled, I added the passion fruit coulis and caramel and mixed the ingredients together until it reached a smooth shiny consistency.  I was told by my new favourite chocolatier ‘Paul Wayne Gregory’ that cocoa fats of dark and milk chocolate melt at different temperatures. As a result this produces different flavours.

Once the chocolate had cooled, I placed the mixture into a piping bag and piped approximately 30 truffles. I set the truffles aside to cool in the fridge and whilst the truffles were chilling I heated and tempered 250g of dark chocolate. I removed the truffles from the fridge after 30 minutes, dipped them in the tempered chocolate and then coated with cocoa powder.

The truffles tasted amazing especially with the hint of passion fruit and caramel. I wish I had a photo to show you my finished masterpiece, but they were all devoured within minutes amongst my family!

Chocolate Unwrapped 2011

On 16^th October I went to Chocolate Unwrapped show in London which is perfect for someone with an incredibly sweet tooth like me! The show features some of the best chocolatiers in the world such as William Curley, Paul A Young, Lindt, Artisan du Chocolat, Amedai, Kallari and many more. The Chocolate Unwrapped show features demonstrations, tastings, and the chance to meet people from the growing countries too. Special events include the chance to hear about the cocoa plantations which provide us with our beloved sweet treat and there is even a mini chocolate factory which shows you the whole process from bean to bar.

For me, my favourite chocolatier was Paul Wayne Gregory who is an award winning chocolate maker. He has supplied chocolates for the Queens 80^th birthday and he describes his chocolates as luxurious like a Bentley car. His chocolates were the best I have ever tasted and I tried salted caramel, raspberry and passion fruit chocolates. They literally hit the spot and they were full of intense fruity flavours and weren’t too rich. I was particularly impressed with Paul Wayne Gregory’s enthusiasm and passion with his chocolate making business which really came through when I chatted to him. He is artistic in his chocolate style and he created a face made out of chocolate which was very impressive.

                                    

By the end of the event, I was completely chocced out!!! I have never eaten so much chocolate in my life!!! I am looking forward to the next Chocolate event in December which will have all of the new Christmassy chocolate range!





Chocolate making with Mychocolate

On Sunday 9^th October, I went on my second chocolate making adventure in London with a company called Mychocolate. They run workshop events for corporate entertainment, hen parties and for individuals who love chocolate. I was with a group of 20 individuals who were all very excited about the prospect of making and eating chocolate. First of all, we were given a small talk about the history of chocolate and I learnt that Christopher Columbus discovered cocoa beans from South America and was the first to bring the beans back to Europe between 1502-1504. I also found out that cocoa beans were used as a currency by the Aztecs and the beans were the natives' "coins." A list of Aztec trading prices looked something like this:

1 small rabbit = 30 cacao beans
1 turkey egg = 3 cacao beans
1 large tomato = 1 cacao bean

After a brief talk about the history of chocolate we tasted and compared high quality chocolate to low quality chocolate. Good chocolate is shinier in appearance, snaps more cleanly and taste slightly bitter. Bad chocolate is brittle and dull in texture and tastes of sugar and vegetable fat. Once the tasting had finished we did the fun part which was making chocolate. I made truffles, a massive chocolate button and individual chocolates coated in ingredients you would find at a kids party!!!!! I had so much fun although my presentations skills really need to improve, but apart from the aesthetics the chocolates tasted amazing.

William Curley's chocolate truffle making course

On Saturday, I went on my first chocolate truffle making course at William Curley’s shop, in Belgravia He is an award winning British Patissier, and Chocolatier and has won the prestigious accolade of Best British chocolatier (2007-2011). I went to London on one of the hottest October’s on record with temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius, so it wasn’t the best climatic conditions to make chocolate. The shop itself is relatively small, but as you step inside you are automatically drawn to the gorgeous looking patisseries and chocolates on display. I was offered a complimentary chilli hot chocolate by a friendly shop assistant, so I would definitely give praise to their customer service.

On the course there were 8 people participating and we were given a talk about the origins of chocolate and the type of chocolate they use to make their truffles. William Curley uses a high quality bean called Criollo which is regarded as one of the finest and rarest types in the world.  It is found in South America but is difficult to grow as it’s more susceptible to diseases, unlike its ancestor Trinitario and Forastero. The chocolate brand he uses is Amedei which is known as one of the most expensive chocolate in the world.

To make approximately 30 truffles you will need:

160g 70% Chocolate

145g Whipping Cream

25g unsalted butter (soft)

250g tempered chocolate

150g Cocoa powder

1)  Heat up the cream and bring to the boil

2) Chop the chocolate finely and gradually add the cream, stirring continuously, until the mixture forms a smooth emulsion.

3) Add in soft butter, mix until fully incorporated and leave to set

4) Once the chocolate ganache is firm, spoon into a piping bag and pipe bulbs onto a silicone lined tray or greaseproof paper.

5) Leave to set in a cool place.

6) Prepare a bowl of tempered chocolate and a tray of cocoa powder.

7) Coat each truffle in tempered chocolate and roll individually in cocoa.

8) Allow the chocolate to solidify and ‘sieve’ the truffle to remove any excess cocoa.

I would definitely recommend anyone to go on the course and I learnt a great deal about the chocolate making industry! Although the truffles did not look like the ones you would buy from the shop, they tasted amazing. The bitter sweetness combination complimented the flavours perfectly, and they were one of the best chocolates I have ever tasted.

 

Chocolate Adventure at Borough Market

Last weekend, I visited one of the most famous food markets in the world ‘Borough Market’ in London. My quest was to search for market stalls selling high quality artesian handmade chocolates. Over the years, I have gained a huge interest in the chocolate making industry and my passion has grown bigger after visiting and working on the Kallari cocoa plantation, in Ecuador (August 2010). My aim one day is to sell and produce the highest quality and most delicious tasting chocolate in the world!!!

Currently, I am carrying out research on different chocolate companies and looking at their branding, packaging and taste, to find out more information about the chocolate market. My journey begins here at Borough Market, and as you can imagine anyone who is a real foodie and has a passion for food will be in their element!! At the market, there are various stalls selling the most exquisitely tasting foods such as French patisseries, cakes, curry’s, chutney, jam, cheese, meats exotic fruit and veg and many more food products.

I only managed to find two stalls which purely sold artesian chocolate and their names were Chocolicious and Artisan du Chocolat. Both stalls are based in the Green Market and Chocolicious specialises in selling hand-made chocolate truffles. Chocolicious had different flavours on offer which included elderflower, raspberry, cranberry with hazelnuts, and strawberry with balsamic vinegar. My favourite chocolates had to be the elderflower truffles as they tasted amazing and the texture was a perfect consistency. My least favourite were the strawberry and balsamic vinegar truffles, as the flavour was overpowered by the vinegar, and the chocolates literally disintegrated in your hands! Overall, I thought the chocolates were average tasting, but I like the down to earth approach and I like the fact the chocolates were individually hand made by the seller, which shows a personal touch.

The next stall I ventured to was Artisan du Chocolat. Initially, I was impressed with how the chocolates were presented in a colourful and artistic fashion on the stand. I was particularly impressed by the graphics on the chocolate bars, and on the individual chocolates as this demonstrated creativity and skilful crafting by the chocolatier.

Although the chocolates looked aesthetically pleasing to the eye ,they were bland, tasteless and mediocre. Personally, I feel they were too expensive, and I was disappointed as first impressions were good but this was soon dissipated by their taste. Overall, I had such a fun day and I would definitely recommend anyone to visit Borough market.The food is just amazing and you will want to try everything as the smells and freshly cooked foods will make you mouth salivate.