The French Pastry School-Week Ten - Chocolate

                                                              L'Art de la Pâtisserie  Week 10

Monday

Swiss Rocher:

• Assemble 1 set-up with 1cm bars.
• Temper dark chocolate.
• Pour praline paste into chocolate.
• Blend well with whisk.
• Make sure there are no lumps.
• Pour into frame.
• Should be fluid enough to fill in corners.
• Tap and shake to make filling even.
• Place in chocolate cooler.

Direct Tempering:

• Preserves crystals that already exist.
• Melt pistols.
• Pistols contain only Beta 5 crystals.
• Do not allow chocolate to get too cold or unstable crystals will grow.
• Use heat gun to warm edges of bowl.
• Over agitating the chocolate at this stage can over crystallize chocolate.
• use more "good" melted chocolate to encourage Beta V crystals grow.

Covering Rum Truffles:

• Lay out the table logically; truffles on left, chocolate in middle and clean tray on the right.
• Wear gloves.
• 1st coating of chocolate; Put some warm, tempered or untempered, chocolate in palm of hand.
• Roll cool, rounded filling in thin layer of chocolate.
• Let fully set in cooler.
• 2nd coating of chocolate should be tempered.
• Roll truffle in chocolate covered palm.
• Place in bottom half of cocoa powder covered tray.
• Using a dipping fork, roll truffle toward top of tray.
• Cover truffle completely in cocoa powder.
• Leave truffle in cocoa powder tray for 24 hours.
• Place in chocolate cooler.
• Shake truffles in tamis to remove excess cocoa powder.

Hand Dipping Normandy Cream Filling:

• Tilt melting bowl.
• Line sheet tray with silpat.
• Place filling in chocolate.
• Using dipping fork, push one end of candy down to turn it over.
• Expose top of candy.
• Scrape top of candy off.
• Lift candy with end of fork.
• Tap candy on surface of chocolate.
• Drip.
• Slide candy off of fork onto silpat.
• Leave it alone.
• Clean dipping fork off on spatula.
• Stir chocolate in melting bowl.
• Be aware of edges and surface of chocolate in melting bowl.  It can cool around the edges.
• Cover melting bowl/warming bin when not in use.

When dipping candies, the first one should be hardened by the time the fourth one is being dipped.  Couverture shows everything.  Make sure centers are clean and smooth.  Transfer sheets should be left on surface of finished candies for at least 24 hours.

Filling Cointreau Caramels in Poly Molds:

• Fill pastry bag with Cointreau Caramel filling.
• Cut off ¼ inch tip off pastry bag.
• Holding tip of pastry bag low inside cavity, squeeze filling only full enough that it stays below the rim of the mold.
• Allow to sit for 24 hours in chocolate cooler.

Capping Cointreau Caramels in Poly Molds:

• Cover half sheet tray with parchment paper.
• Fold parchment over end of sheet tray.
• Look to make sure that all the fillings are lower than the bottom of the shells.
• Thin edges are a danger point.
• One quick pass with a heat gun.
• Pour tempered chocolate over top of cavities.
• Gently tap on table.
• Scrape chocolate off of top of mold and into parchment lines sheet tray with rubber bench scraper.
• Clean scraper on edge of sheet tray.
• Check for air bubbles.
• Place in chocolate cooler for 24 hours.

Seeding Method for Tempering Chocolate:

• Seeding starts with no crystals.
• Fully melted chocolate.
• Chocolate should be 45ºc.
• Add 15-20% pistols to total weight of melted chocolate.
• Pistols contain Beta 5 crystals.
• Agitate, stir, while adding pistoles.
• Melt out chunks.
• Use parchment strip to test for temper.
• Chocolate should set up in 3-4 minutes.
• Look for quality of set with no streaks.

Blocks of chocolate or finely grated (shaved) chocolate works better for seeding method than pistols.  

Tuesday

Unmolding Chocolate molds:

• Flex mold in opposite directions while holding in on the side of the table.
• Turn mold upside down over cake board.
• Tap once firmly on cake board.
• Move the candies that release out of the way.
• Tap to remove remaining candies.
• If there are 1 or 2 stuck candies, place tray in cooler for 15 minutes.
• Set aside candies with cracks, holes or scrapes which are good entry points for bacteria.
• Cut one candy in half to look at the interior.
• Consolidate the good candies.

Swiss Rocher:

• Remove the the filling from the frame.
• Do not put a top coat of chocolate on the filling.
• Cut on guitar cutter.
• Cutting is for portion control
• Wearing gloves, dived and pinch squares of filling into ball.
• Allow to rest in chocolate cooler.
• Roll rough circles into smooth balls.

Pistachio-Cinnamon Molded Bobbon:

• Melt 50-75% of white chocolate pistoles to maintain beta V crystals.  This helps the ganache set up.
• In a small pot; blend smooth the pistachio paste, salt, ceylon cinnamon.
• Do not turn on the heat.
• Add a little bit of cream at a time to ensure even distribution of chunks.
• Cream/pistachio paste should be completely without lumps.
• In a small bowl; combine soft butter and trimoline very well.
• Have pastry bag ready.
• Heat the cream mixture to a quick boil.  Get it off the heat immediately.
• Pour cream over half melted white chocolate.
• Let sit for 15 minutes.
• With a whisk, mix from the center and work toward the outside.
• Do not incorporate air bubble.
• Add ⅓ of the chocolate emulsion to the butter once it has reached 38-40ºc.
• Add butter mixture into chocolate mixture.
• Whisk until just smooth.
• Cover bowl with plastic.
• Set aside, at room temperature, for 20-30 minutes.
• Filling should now be less than 32ºc.
• Pour into pastry bag.
• Cut ¼ inch of tip of pastry bag.
• Place tip of bag deep into chocolate cavity.
• Pressure, fill, stop and pull toward inside of cavity to keep any ganache from messing up top of mold.
• Place in chocolate cooler to set.

This is the only ganache we have made with white chocolate.  The recipe calls for white chocolate couverture.  We are not using couverture.  This adjustment may affect fluidity as higher percentages of cocoa butter add fluidity to chocolate.  31% cocoa butter and 35% of cocoa solids are required in couverture and we will have less of this.  Our texture may be softer as cocoa butter adds strength to candy/ganache recipes.  If your ganache is too soft, switch to couverture.

It is imperative that no cream is evaporated when it is brought to a boil.  If too much water is evaporated, the fat solids will be too plentiful, get big and bind together.  This will break the ganache every time   Mixing ganache with a whisk from the center of the bowl creates the core of the ganache.  It is the foundation of the emulsion.  

A good, fluid ganache will settle into chocolate mold cavities easily.  The chocolate cap will stick better after it has set.  Allowing fillings to set in the chocolate cooler dries them out.  This means that they will not shrink later and their lower moisture content will make their shelf life longer by discouraging bacterial growth.

Filling Molds for Pistachio-Cinnamon Ganache:

• Polish molds with cotton balls.
• Have ready; spackle tool, rubber scraper and offset spatula.
• Line tray with parchment.  Lay some parchment over the edge for cleanly scraping excess chocolate.
• Warm mold briefly with heat gun.
• Use tempered chocolate.
• Put tempered chocolate in deli cup.
• Fill each cavity.
• Solidly tap mold on table top ten times.
• Flip over and drain over parchment lined tray.
• Tap edge lightly.
• Scrape with spackle tool.
• Turn mold back over. 
• Clean off top and sides of mold.
• Place in chocolate cooler.
• May be filled with ganache on the same day.

Hand Dipping Ganahe fillings:

• Stir chocolate mixture in warming bin every three to four candies.
• Ganache centers/filling should be room temperature.
• Tilt warmer for easy access.
• Drop filling into chocolate dipper.
• Flip it over with chocolate fork.
• Move off to side.
• Scrape top.
• Tap, tap.
• Allow to drip a moment.
• Pick up candy with tip of chocolate fork.
• Place on sheet to set up.

Use transfer sheets, acetate, texture sheets or silpats to create designs on dipped chocolates.  Marking chocolate is for distinguishing flavors and for appeal.  Always drop dipped chocolates on far side of tray and work towards you.  Chefs like good hand dipping skills.  

Wednesday

Enrobing Machine:

We used the enrobing machine today.  Two people placed the fillings on the chain belt.  Two people caught the enrobed candies, stenciled them and cut the parchment from the belt.  Two more people trimmed the parchment and placed the finished candies onto sheet trays and speed racks to be stored properly in the chocolate cooler.

  

Cocoa Butter Transfer Sheets

Butter Mass of Grand Marnier:

• Prepare #9 round tip in pastry bag.
• Room temperature butter.
• Whip butter in mixer.
• Add sifted 10x and salt to butter.
• Whip until light in color and very fluffy.
• Temper milk chocolate couverture.
• Pour chocolate into butter.
• Mix immediately.  This protects chocolate from setting up too fast.
• Scrape the bowl.
• Mix until smooth, no lumps and mass holds its shape.
• Add Grand Marnier very slowly.
• Stop as soon as alcohol is added or 10x may become grainy.
• Scrape. 
• Whip once more for 20 seconds.
• Fill piping bag.
• Pipe long, nice tubes on back of half sheet tray lined with parchment.  Do not worry about bubbles.
• Place in chocolate cooler uncovered.
• Let rest for 24 hours.

Butter mass is very European.  The Swiss and Germans enjoy this confection.

Average ratio is 1 of butter and ½ of alcohol and 2 parts chocolate to 1 part sugar.

Royaltine:

• Temper milk chocolate.
• Add hazelnut paste.
• Stir well until smooth.
• Can microwave for 5 seconds if it is too cold.
• Blend feuilletine completely or it will get soggy.
• Use two spoons to form small mounds.
• Place in chocolate cooler for 24 hours.

Hazelnut paste is 100% roasted hazelnuts.  Untempered chocolate may be added to the hazelnut paste but it must be table tempered before adding feuilletine.

Swiss Rocher (second step).

• Medium plastic bowl with pralinettes.
• Small plastic bowl with untempered, melted dark chocolate.
• Coat Rocher filling with chocolate.
• Drop into pralinettes.
• Cover Rocher completely with pralinettes.
• Place uncovered in chocolate cooler.
• Let rest for 24 hours.

Pralinettes are caramelized granulated almonds.

Capping Pistachio-Cinnamon Shells:

• Temper chocolate.
• Cover bottoms of shells with melted chocolate.
• Tap 10 times on table.
• Scrape excess chocolate off of top and sides.
• Place in chocolate cooler.

Turn in Self Evaluation:

Organization:

Briefly describe your current organization skills.  Share what you've learned in class about organizing yourself for product production.

Answer:

Our workspace is limited but very efficient.  Each team must have easy access to their own tools.  My partners and I have all gravitated to one side of the table and tend to stay there.  If I need a tool, I do not have to ask my partner to move.  This saves time and causes less frustration and distractions.  I try to designate the bottom left hand side of the table for a sheet tray filled with the day’s scalings.  This tray, in turn, becomes the dirty dish collector.  It is much easier to keep things organized then it is to work in a mess and then have to clean it all up.  I do this by removing labels before I stack them, putting tools away that are no longer in use and keeping the table top clear for only immediate work.  I find that making a copy of recipes is easier than bringing in my entire book. 

When I began the program, I would do all of the recipes in the order that the chef demoed them.  I now keep a, “to-do” list and divide it up with my partner.  This makes it much more flexible when it comes to fitting all of the day’s work together in an efficient and logical way.  I have learned to look around and access where the other teams are in their production schedules to see if we might share a tray or some piece of equipment.  This communication has opened up many new doors.  We are no longer operating separate of one another.  The nature of chocolate production has made this particular lesson essential.  I still have a strong urge to purge and keep things clean.  This program has only reinforced how important it is to stay organized, clean as you go and work in a logical order.

I take stock of my ingredients, tools and equipment before I begin a recipe.  I don’t want to be in the middle of something and have to ask my partner to run and get me a silpat or sieve.  It takes a moment but pays dividends in the end.  Chef En-Ming  keeps her labels on the pot or bowl up until the exact moment she begins working.  This was revelatory to me because I have thrown away labels and gotten myself and my partner confused in the past.  This is my favorite new trick.

Team Work:

Briefly describe your current approach to team work.  Share what you've realized about team work, from seeing other teams in class plus being partners with different people.  How are you applying your new team work skills?  What's changed?  What's stayed the same.

Answer:

My current approach to team work is that it is key to getting production done in an efficient manner, affects the quality of the product, fosters camaraderie and is not as difficult as I might have initially thought.

I have grown very comfortable with my partner and I am nervous about getting a new one.  These partnerships are mini relationships and it takes a little time to get to know one another’s preferences, strengths and personality.  I realize that each new partner assignment presents an opportunity to learn more about myself and to possibly learn a new and better way or working.  I have learned that you must be loyal to your partner and not talk behind their back.  The ones that say the least about their partner, good or bad, seem to preserve the relationship and present a united front.  The teams that have the highest level of frustration, outbursts, mess and confusion don’t seem to know how to talk to one another.

I like a partner who asks questions and takes the time to lay out a plan for the day.  It is best to jump in during slower moments and do some dishes, put some things away or ask if your partner needs help then to constantly tell other people what they should be doing.  It not only models a good behavior but shows respect.

The other team work is class team work.  This has also changed so much from the first week of class.  There used to be a lot of frustration and grumbling where now there is direct communication and willingness to help individuals that, in turn, helps the entire class.  There are still some people who function as individuals but I believe that they are trying to break out of that shell.  Believing the best about your teammates and having faith in them builds an overall sense of being on the same side.  I used to be more concerned about my individual duty but now I make sure to have that done and then look around to see who needs help getting their duty done.  I may still mention it to the team that I’m doing their job (I need to stop this) but I do it to get it done. 

Finally, having had four different instructors and three different interns, has allowed me the opportunity to compare and contrast different styles of teaching and leadership.  I’ve thought a lot about positive and negative reinforcement, patience, clarity of presenting information and professionalism.  The best interns and teachers seem to be the most positive, organized and in control of their emotions.  They model the behavior they want to see in FPS students and, as a student, I am constantly aware of how I am working in my space, working with others and maintaining an organized space, efficient  production and displaying a good work ethic.

Thursday

Sorting Chocolate Candies:

• Inspect top, bottom and sides.
• Look for bubbles, cracks or filling bubbling through.

Storing Chocolate Candies:

• Store in freezer, well wrapped.
• Place in cooler for 48 hours minimum.
• Place in chocolate cooler for 48 hour minimum.
• Well wrapped, room temperature for 24 hours.
• Unwrap and serve.

Covering Swiss Rocher:

• Add 8% canola oil to tempered chocolate.
• Place hand blender into chocolate and shake to remove air  bubbles.
• Blend in canola oil for fewer than 30 seconds.
• Drop in a Rocher.
• Scoop richer out with metal spider.
• Tap, tap.
• With gloved hand, place on parchment lined tray.
• Look for air bubbles.
• Should be able to see tips of nuts.
• No fee and do not let them roll around.
• Place in chocolate cooler for 24 hours.

This is a very traditional Swiss Rocher recipe.  Vegetable oil makes chocolate thinner, adds fluidity and allows the nuts to show.  More fat will make the chocolate take longer to set.  It also softens the bite.  A hot environment is not good for extra added oil.  Hand blender can heat up chocolate too much and take it out of temper.

Gianduja:

• Set up: silpat line sheet tray with 1" chocolate circle discs and a pastry bag with french tip.
• Melt half of Gianduja.
• Add other half of chopped Gianduja.
• Mix with paddle on medium speed.
• Scrape sides and make sure all of the pieces have melted down.
• Paddle until mix starts to hold its shape.
• Add butter and mix until just combined.
• Fill pastry bag.
• Pipe single rosette onto chocolate discs.
• Place in chocolate cooler for 24-48 hours.

Italian chocolate mixed with roasted hazelnuts and sucrose.  Open candy that is not enrobed.  Sugar + roasted hazelnuts + chocolate = Gianjuja.  Establish structure first and add butter second.  The butter will soften the mixture and add flavor.  Could top rosette with caramelized hazelnut or other roasted nut.

Butter Mass Sticks:

• Using a ruler, mark butter mass at 2" intervals.
• Cut 2" segments with warm, dry knife.
• Loosten from parchment.
• 1st coat:  Using gloved hand, coat sticks with untempered chocolate.
• 2nd coat:  Using gloved hand, coat sticks with tempered chocolate.
• Place directly into sifted 10x.
• Using dipping fork, roll sticks to cover with 10x.
• Leave in 10x overnight in chocolate cooler. 

Butter sticks are very fragile.  Could substitute cocoa powder for 10x.  Rum truffles, Swiss Rocher and Butter Sticks get packaged in cello bags.

Panning Demo:

• Place almonds in panner.
• Turn on mixer.
• Add a little chocolate at a time.
• Use stiff spatula to keep almonds from sticking to sides of panner.
• Add untempered chocolate when previous addition as dried.
• Add chocolate slowly.
• Separate almonds if they stick.
• Only add more chocolate when 1st layer is set.
• Slow speed 
• Hold spatula in one spot, pressure against wall.
• Pull out samples to check for evenness.
• Watch out for bald spots of chocolate on the almonds.
• Add 10x and liquor at the end of chocolate addition.
• Spread out on parchment lined tray.
• Store in chocolate cooler for 24 hours.

Using caramelized almonds that have been roasted evenly through, coat evenly with chocolate a little at a time.  If the chocolate gets lumpy the almonds or chocolate is too cold. Friction from the panner will heat up the mixture.  

Friday

Stage:

Floriol - 1220 W. Webster Ave, Chicago, Illinois

7:00am - 12:00pm  Owner: Sandra Holl    

I washed and sorted blueberries, washed, pitted and slice plums, buttered tins and filled tart shells with passion fruit cream.  I learned that the beautiful tart shells are the result of large chunks of butter and a couple lamination turns.  

Sandra allowed me to take a box of pastries for my classmates to try.  We tasted croissants, Blueberry Buckle, Canelé and a Gateau Basque.  For the croissant lover, they were a hit, but the overall winner was the Gateau Basque which is almond cream goodness.  

I went back on Saturday with my good friend Priscilla Pardini and her sister, Deborah Pardini.  Lunch began with a shared Croissant and Spicy Tomato soup.  We ordered and shared the Vegetable Tartine, Vegetarian Sandwich and the Quiche.  We loved the quiche but they were all outstanding.  The crust is unparalleled.  Deborah bought a Fougasse and we all shared the Gateau Basque. Sandra Holl said hello and was busy and gracious all at the same time.

Mendiants aux Fruits Sec:

• Any selection of dried fruits and nuts.
• Look for color.
• Line tray with acetate, silpat, flexipan or mold to get the desired shape.
• Use tempered chocolate.
• Piper 2" circles of chocolate.
• Tap, tap sheet on table to spread and smooth chocolate.
• Lay nuts on by color.
• Push them in a bit so that they stick.
• Each circle should have the same design pattern.
• Do not place fruits and nuts near the edges.
• Fill up nicely but do not overfill.
• Place in chocolate cooler.
• Allow to rest for 24 hours.
• Package.

Fruit and nut bars.  In France, these are used as samples for children.  

Sorting and Packaging:

Deep Clean:  

We did a really great job of deep cleaning and packaging and finished on time!

Personal Reflections:

This was very technical module but Chef En-Ming Hsu did a great job of breaking it down for us.  The class was very organized and I learned some core information about how chocolate and ganaches function.

My experience at the French Pastry School as exceeded my expectations.