On Sun, 12 Feb 2006 15:38:13 GMT, "Janet Puistonen"
wrote:


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.

That's what I am going to do. I think trying to use multiple thin
coats is going to lead me to disaster! This is my first time trying to
use a mold, and your method sounds like it will work best for me.

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.

I'm going to chill the ganache/filling before filling the shells at
room temp overnight...which will also take care of potential
condensation problems...and I will be careful about the temp of the
chocolate... Should it also be at 86F for the initial filling of the
molds?

I'm still looking for a basic "white butter cream" filling that I can
play with for color/flavor, if you happen to know of one, other than
ganache.

Thank you for all your help.

Debra