"Alex Rast" wrote in message
...
at Sat, 11 Feb 2006 18:18:08 GMT in kt9su1t9qeclojjjs3g3o34uvlv9fm7vs2@
4ax.com, (Debra Fritz) wrote :

Hi all,

I am going to try to do molded, filled chocolates for the first time.
I have made truffles for years, but wanted to try something new.

I'm going to use some Callebaut dark & bitter 60.3% chocolate that I
have for the shells. I bought 2 inexpensive molds to play around with.
Any tips for using that particular chocolate for the shells?

Callebaut 6040 - which is I believe what you've got, is excellent for
moulding. But you do need to temper it. I've posted many times the
instructions for chocolate tempering so it should be easy enough to look
it
up on DejaNews.

It's best to fill shells with multiple, thin coatings instead of trying to
get all the chocolate for the shells in at once.

I don't think this is necessary, or even desirable, unless the chocolate you
are working with is over-thinned. If you set the mold upside down on some
kind of support such as chopsticks after filling it, tapping/shaking it,
dumping it, and scraping the excess, nothing will pool at the bottom. When
the chocolate is setting but still soft--this usually takes only a minute or
two--turn the mold over and scrape off the excess neatly with a bench
scraper. You should achieve a proper coat that is even.


Either you can make a template of the bottom, pour a thin sheet of
couverture, and cut to the template, then, once the bottom is solid, *very
carefully* warm the edges of the chocolate shell and press lightly
together.

Or you can pour over tempered chocolate directly onto the filled shells.

The first way does leave a noticeable seam but tends to yield a better
temper and doesn't risk slightly melting the filling.

The second way gives you a seamless chocolate - very pretty - but it can
start to melt the filling, not to mention the sidewalls.

The second method is what I use--I'd never heard of the first--and I've
never melted the sidewalls or the filling. The chocolate for the bottoms
need only be at about 86F. A more likely source of melting is filling the
shells when the ganache is too warm. Make sure it is under 85F.

Whichever method you use, chilling the centres is a good precaution.
However, beware of condensation when you do this.

I prefer to let them set up in a cool, but not chilled, environment for that
reason. Making chocolates by hand is a multi-step process that takes some
time, and trying to rush it usually causes problems, in my experience.

I also need some help with the fillings. I want to start with a soft
center that I can flavor as I please. Something about the consistency
of a "butter cream" that you'd buy at a candy store.

The classic filling base is ganache. The standard firm ganache is simply
hot cream mixed with grated chocolate at a ratio of 1 part cream to 2
parts
chocolate. You can go softer by upping the cream amount - 2:3 will be
considerably softer, almost like peanut butter, and 1:1 is very soft -
enough that it will need to be piped in with a pastry bag. I've also
written numerous times on the subject of ganache, look up under both this
word and truffles. Not so long ago there was also a good discussion as to
how to flavour it with various ingredients - different items call for
different tactics.

--
Alex Rast

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