3.3.3 Supporting Evidence -- Journal Entries

I see my cordial and chocolatier process growing

Rapid prototyping was a key theme
and I recognize within the mindset of Fair Share, I am interested in exploring PRODUCTS that I would like to make

The design process for my chocolatier program was key
and I am appreciating the concept of creating curriculum

I would like my cordials to include tinctures/elixirs/ potions, ferments

OPPORTUNITIES for Growth
1 TEMPER
2 Glossary
3 Understand emulsions and breaking (caramel/chocolate)

I was intending to play all week

My first attempt at tempering was fun and successful learning
I did not successfully temper

I was glad I approached this as Active Experimentation

REALIZATIONS regarding temperature on chocolate
and in many ways refrigeration of chocolate mimics proper tempering
So if you have a product that you didn’t temper, just serve directly out of fridge or freezer.
Uncomplicates the melt in your mouth not in your hand and holding it’s shape that tempered chocolate offers as bonuses.  


Fun to be making caramel simulatneously as I realize that turtles and filling chocolate with caramel all are basically the same thing

I also made a batch of ganache and realize I can just hold that for a week and use it in later attempts to dip ganache in choclate for truffles

Good opportunity to leaderfully collaborate
Recognized that my mom and friend Elizabeth wanted to play learn
Opportunity to explain/teach and to delegate
They were happy to arrange

I could learn a bit more from each of them particularly mom around caramel making


FIELD — Value Added Products -
    — Creating Product line

BIG LEARNINGS
1 90 degrees is tempermental — it is more viscous than I anticipated — I think i was working with warmer chocolate previously — which has the tendency to bloom/streak when you do it at the wrong time
So HAVE all my filings and stations set up so that when the chocolate is IN TEMPER I am ready to throw down.

Because of my inexperience I got to see in just this one batch, 3 different “temperings” and the first one was done well (although some I poured off early and it streaked)
some i poured off at 90 and it did the best i’ve done
then it got too low and I needed to reheat and recool (i went over 90) and then it streaked again.

Chocolate heats up quickly — don’t do full boil on the water bath below
allow it to heat softly
Basically once the chocolate is fully melted, i think it’s all good
VISUALLY awareness vs. temperature awareness (Do you REALLY NEED a thermometer — yes on the 90 degree end)

Tempering 1 #
1# of chocolate is about a quart so 3 cups heated
Heating 3 cups of chocolate —> 122 takes about 5 minutes on medium heat
Cooling chocolate
cool to 108 then the 1/4 cup — add 5-6 pistoles at a time
I think the glass bowl holds LOTS of heat so this is a disadvantage when cooling your temper
Stainless steel may be easier

90 degrees is much cooler than I think of it

Keep the warm/boiled water covered but don’t
If it cools, try not to heat it TOO MUCH
possibly even when it gets to 88, let it sit over a warm bath that isn’t on (maybe 120 degrees gently warming for a couple minutes)

I was reasonably happy with my chocolate covered cherries, reeses cups
dipping truffles,
The methods of molding and dipping were MUCH simpler than I even anticipated — it just sort of happens
And even the tempering (although tempermental) is fairly easy and i feel fairly successful after just two attempts.

3rd Attempt

Good shine, good snap

Good times

Temp is still the most challenging
Everything tempered well from the original heat and then coo

But even on the original heat, i pulled it off as soon as all the choco melted and it was still > 130
I need to heat longer/slower and stir more

Heat to 122
Then let it cool to 111
and then temper with SEED
to 90
then use QUICKLY
READY to pour off into molds/bars

then fill
(perhaps hold over warm water)
but I held it over an OFF water bath and heated it to 120
when there was just a little left in the bowl

Larger volumes probably work slightly differently.

OP Chocolate
white chocolate journal

pondering

I poured off some white chocolate at 115 and it still hasn’t set up
whereas that which i poured off in the 80s and 90s set up in 5 minutes

WOW

the lower temp of 85 ideal is harder to work with because it’s just above hardness

i do think that i gotta seed earlier because i keep having chunks left
or else do the immersion blender thing to mitigate the last remnants of seeding

Fourth play was january 28th — able to hold chocolate better
            — new understanding that if i take it too hot > 94, then i will have taken it out of temper and
NOTE : BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BRING CHOCOLATE higher than 90 or 94

LESSON 2: Easier to hold larger volume in temper longer — small amounts go out of temper sooner
    OPPORTUNITY : Check out whether I can temper untempered chocolate and then just do more than I need and then RE temper it. . . .

Leaderfulness — Realization that I could invite any friends from PGH to a chocolate making class at my house. . ..

I had the worst chocolate making day which perhaps taught me the most

I heated the chocolate to 120 — perfect
I seeded it at 113 — perfect
it cooled to 90 (I was considering letting it cool more and then heating it back up as more people say that is “proper” but I’d been having good success with just pouring off at 90

But this Chocolate didn’t temper perfectly
AND I THINK I KNOW WHY.  I think the contradictory information of whether you need to cool to 86 then reheat is based on whether you are starting with a tempered product or not
If it IS NOT TEMPERED, it seems much more significant to COOL to 82 then reheat

as I was pouring off and then filling with cherries and elderberry rose jam and caramel, indeed the rest of the batch cooled ad I heated it
alas to 98 rather than 90 — very quick (not so much left in bowl — heats quicker
So i was distraught and yet this chocolate ended up BETTER than the original which I though was going to be my best

LEARNING — Gotta cool to 85or something when working with untempered chocolate, then heat back up.