New blog

Here's the link to the new blog. I'll try not to post the same photos on both ok.

So we have a name!

... and the first big production was to make chocolate truffles for my sister Jo's art therapy thingy. I've also started another blog so will be going from there to here a bit. The biggest hit was the Milo truffles! We ran out so quicky although we made more than half a kg of it! So take a look at the link above and that's where you can order chocolates too...
 

First sale!

Well no, in the end I didn't end up making caramels. Instead, I got 2 orders for dark choc truffles! So I spent all my free time on the weekend making truffles. It was still fun, and I still learnt a lot. So its my first unofficial sale. It was for Teacher's Day. Lucky teachers! One friend ordered 10 boxes, and another ordered 6! It's a great feeling... especially when I made some money!

Making Caramel

I've decided that I've got to make caramels this weekend.
I need to make some chocolates for a birthday party next week, so its a good time to do it!

Finding a name and logo

Finding a name and logo is harder than it seems. But as I'm still working, there's really no hurry! Haha

Packaging explained

Well yes, I've had a meeting with the packaging people... and its quite interesting indeed.
Lots of things to think about, and well, its got me thinking!

Packaging

Well I've decided that I should sell some chocolates when I've left my job! And the first step is to do up a business plan, think of a name and make some packaging. Not necessarily in that order. First I need to find out how much the packaging will be. It's actually one of my topics in the course, but I've been a bit slack and just couldn't find the time to get decent quotes. Well next week I'll be seeing one of those packaging experts... they might not be as good as the ones from the US, but I think they might be easier and cheaper... wait, better not jinx it because I don't know that yet!

Finishing the course

I finally finished the course with a score of 94 out of 100! Very happy about it but have to figure out what to blog about next...

Hand decorating

So I'm procrastinating, and haven't finished my assignment yet. I still have a few hours;) SO I thought I'd upload some photos of enrobed truffles which have been hand decorated. Mind you, it doesn't taste that different, maybe a bit sweeter with a bit of white chocolate but hey, it looks nicer:)

See the one on the bottom left has my name on it;)

Looking pretty in a pink box...

Making signature chocolates

I'm so late for this assignment as I've been busy at work. Help! There's so many types of chocolates but I'm not sure what I'd like to make. I'm kinda less interested in making fancy types with weird flavours than regular types. I'd love to make honeycomb but I tried it 3 times, all unsuccessfully. I think its too humid in Singapore... Maybe I should try like an Almond Roca type thing too. But I think my favourite type of chocolate is a truffle-like thing, or even ganache squares. Hmmm.

Chocolate can help get rid of wrinkles!

Can you believe it? Move over Botox! Click here to find out more... Let's hope its true!

Chocostory

If you click on the link (the header of this post), you will find the gateway to some of the chocolate museums in Europe. A must see if you are heading there! But I thought it was interesting that the girl drawn to resemble a Mayan or Aztec girl (where the Spanish orginally found the cacao bean)... looks chinese to me! What do you think?

Chocolate factory in Singapore

There's a chocolate factory here in Singapore! They take the cacao beans from Africa and South America and roast it, conch it etc to make chocolate. Excellent! I'm hoping to establish a relationship with them and hope they're not too expensive. Crossing fingers!

Assignment 4 - Chocolate suppliers

Sorry so many things happening that I've forgotten to update the blog! Have been looking at chocolate suppliers and it is quite a headache to get Belgian chocolate here. Wholesale. But got a reply from a supplier today, so am following that up. Yes assignment 4 is due today but because of the time difference, its still not late. Phew!

Expensive chocolates Part 2

Ok so I just can't stand it. Chocolates are so expensive in Singapore. Laurent Bernard, Canele and Jewel Artisan chocolates all charge S$3 for one. One piece of chocolate with some nut or ganache inside. Not even 10g. And I guess people are buying it. But not kids nor normal people I bet. Who can afford S$108 for 36 chocolates? And that's the cheap price! haha its so not funny!

Expensive chocolates Part 1

I know why people buy chocolates from NTUC. They're the only ones they can afford. Crazy. The proper chocolates without vegetable oils or called pralines or bon bons or even easy to make truffles are crazy expensive in cafes across Singapore.
This is one such place. Just opened at Orchard Central but tell me, who can afford it? Chocolates shouldn't be just an indulgence. We should be eating it all the time cos its good for you!

Chocolate is good for you. Part 2

Well I already knew this, but great that its true!
Smelling chocolate calms you down! Check out this article.

Burn

So apparently 300°F is the temperature when sugar becomes hard candy.

Well this is what happens if you stir candy and one drop of 300°F  hot sugar accidentally spills on your finger. Ouch. It swelled up to a bubble within 30 mins but this is after about 5 days. I've checked and I've got a scar on all the other fingers on my right hand so now I've got the complete set. Ha.

Soft ganache squares

So a member of my household bought a 140g box of chocolate from Royce in ION Orchard. It cost S$15. That's more than S$1 for 10g. So I recreated it for a fraction of the cost.

It tasted almost the same! And so much cheaper... imagine the markup! Crazy Singaporeans... So because it's about the size of a small bar of chocolate, we ate it all in one sitting. Haha now we can eat without spending that kind of money. Phew! Anyone else interested?

The most expensive chocolate in the world

Was wondering why chocolate is so expensive when I came across this article.

Crazy! Is this the most expensive chocolate in the world?  I sure hope so!

More homework... I forgot!

Yes I've just remembered that I've got more homework that I haven't even looked at. Yikes. I think it's got something to do with sourcing chocolate... that's true. I think I'm supposed to consider chocolate from Belgium (or Belgian chocolate) or from USA or somewhere else. I'm told the most beans come from Africa and the best from South America. I think some are from Indonesia too so I've got to start reading!

Hazelnuts

I discovered hazelnuts today. Wow yummy. Great with chocolates. Here's me putting some hazelnuts into the chocolates I gave to sis and mum for mother's day!

Chocolate is good for you Part 1

Yes it is. Apparently there's an ingredient in it that can prevent stroke.
Here's the article.
Woo Hoo!

12 hours

I just realized that I took 12 hours to make a few chocolates. Yikes! I have to practise more!

Tempering chocolate

I started making some chocolates yesterday. It was sooo tiring but fun! It was so hot and humid, even with the air-conditioning on. Here are some photos of the tempering process.

So I was using the marble to bring down the temperature. Ice had to applied onto the marble for 20 minutes before, and had to make sure there was no more condensation or water of any kind on it. Note we were trying to get it to go below 80F which is very challenging to do in Singapore!

Ah! This is what I was trying to achieve... the tempered chocolate consistency. Now, to stabilize the crystals, the last step is combining it with the warm chocolate...

Ah! Perfectly tempered chocolate! Now let's prepare the ganache for the truffles.

One rolled ball. Now let's do it again.... and again....

And after it's rolled into the tempered chocolate, let's lightly dust it with cocoa powder...

Truffles! And of course we have to do the tests as required by my teachers...

Test 3 is after 10 min of temper. Now to try out the chocolate molds...

 OK not quite right here. This is what air bubbles left in the chocolate looks like after it's set!

Now that's better!
Yea... I can make a decent looking chocolate!

Dinner last night at D* 10

Ok so there's this place near Newton Rd which my friend said was great. So we went there to celebrate another friend's birthday. Boy was it disappointing.

Firstly the ambience was lacking. Unless you sat in 30 degree humidity with giant fans blowing at you, you were subjected to extreme brightly lit pine furniture inside. The pizza I thought was so-so, although my friends thought it was good. Then the mains came and it was all very disappointing, especially for the S$50 a head that we paid. Gosh, aren't there good restaurants in Singapore where you don't pay an arm and a leg?

Worrying signs when the $19 Caesar salad is the size of a side dish, and although the dressing was good, the leaves were soggy, the cheese soft and little, the croutons tasteless. The duck confit which was their signature dish was dry and tasteless, and their sauce was just bland. So was the pork ribs, which lacked punch or spice - my mum makes them better - and don't let me start on their desserts. I haven't tasted apple pie that bad in a while (I mean how do you do apple pie that bad) and their Obama pancakes were about half an inch thick I kid you not. The only saving graces for me were the Spaghetti Carbonara (although instant pasta, not homemade) and the creme brulee (but too small a serving).

So I'm not a food critic and this is NOT a review but I know what I like. And it wasn't that meal. Just a warning to those who are planning an important function to please taste the food at the restaurant first. For me? Never again!

Ganache

Made some ganache. It was just chocolate and cream. Going to make truffles and some filled chocolates on Saturday, and also looking forward to try... and let me emphasize, TRY to make like a crunchie or a violet crumble. It might have to be enrobed (dipped) cos I' not sure how fast the honeycomb will take to harden... but still, it sure sounds fun. Yummy!

How now brown cow?

What's in a name? So many names out there and so little time...
Also starting a company sounds so complicated. Am I really going to do this? Sometimes you just have to ask. Sigh.

Chocolate Tasting - My Assignment

I had my chocolate tasting in a friend’s home, about an hour before dinner.

For my chocolate tasting, I bought all the dark chocolate brands that are found commonly in a Singaporean supermarket. There are not many, I was disappointed to find. I also chose a common milk chocolate to be the first one.

This was the order that I required my tasters to taste the chocolate. I also insisted they drink room temperature water in between tasting each chocolate.

1. Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate

(S$1.45 for 50g, or 29 cents for 10g)

This was the most recognizable of all the chocolates firstly because of the colour. It was pleasant, milky and smooth, very sticky with some dryness and sweet almost to the point of too much. Liked by the 7 year old and man, unfortunately not so liked by most of the women.

2. Goya Dark Chocolate confectionary

(S$0.85 for 38g, or 22 cents for 10g)

This was the worst of the lot for me. I realized after it had just too many additives and preservatives in it. It was very musky and earthy and had an awful aftertaste of palm oil and had a floury, diluted and waxy texture. In all, not a pleasant experience.

3. Dars Bitter Chocolate Morinaga brand

(S$1.95 for 45g, or 43 cents for 10g)

This had a strong intense aroma, which was surprisingly easy to eat. It was on the sweet side for most of the women and was fruity with a hint of wine. While some found it to be grainy, others thought it was smooth and slightly waxy.

4. Hershey’s Dark Chocolate

($1.70 for 41g, or 41 cents for 10g)

This had some strong opinions from one taster who totally disliked its taste and grainy texture. It had a slight minty taste, with a smokey and rich flavor. There was some powdery texture, and was generally not liked.

5. Droste Holland Dark Chocolate Pastilles

(S$3.50 for 100g, or 35 cents for 10g)

This had a mild scent but was strong in taste. Bitter and smokey with tobacco undertones, and some describing it as medicinal, with an mild disinfectant aftertaste. However, one woman did like the taste but most did not.

6. Morinaga Bitter Chocolate

(S$2.30 for 60g, or 38 cents for 10g)

A mild iron aroma in this one that had the right amount of sweetness for most of the women, and melted easily. Rated highly in taste.

7. Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate

(S$1.70 for 41g, or 41 cents for 10g)

This one also had a minty taste and was similar to the other Hershey’s sample. It had slight earthy, woody aroma and taste, with a floury, waxy and sweet aftertaste.

8. Bakeway Dark Chocolate Couverture

(S$12.90 for 1kg, or 13 cents for 10g)

This chocolate had a earthy, musky aroma and an intense and bitter flavor. Melts smoothly, slightly dry with a clean astringent aftertaste.

9. Tudor Gold Dark Chocolate 55% Cocoa

(S$1.75 for 55g, or 32 cents for 10g)

This sweet and fruity chocolate had a slight medicinal aroma and although smooth and melts easily, had a sticky and grainy aftertaste.

10. Cadbury Old Gold Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa

(S$5.50 for 200g, or 28 cents for 10g)

This smoky tobacco intense dark chocolate has got musky and earthy undertones and feels very much like a macho kind of chocolate. Grainy and rough texture.

11. Belgian No Sugar Added Dark

(S$4.95 for 100g, or 50 cents for 10g)

Woody, minty and fruity with a light acidity and medicinal quality, this chocolate also tasted like sweeteners, which is not too good.

12. Frey Classique Noir 72% Cacao

(S$3.50 for 100g, or 35 cents for 10g)

A robust pleasant chocolate with a strong fruity aroma had a smooth texture and bitter aftertaste.

How many chocolate samples do you feel are appropriate for a chocolate tasting?

No more than 10.

I used 12 and after a while we struggled with our descriptions and our taste buds!

What size would each sample be?

Just a small square. About 5g.

What would you use to deliver and label each sample so your tasters could keep them separate?

I used 12 separate little Tupperware boxes and yellow post it notes. We all ate them by numbers, so 1, then 2, etc. So it was kept very separate. Still, sometimes the tasters needed to take 2 pieces to double check!

What information would you include about each samples?

I didn’t want them to see the packaging so we didn’t give them much information. I think it’s not necessary to give too much information if you want their truthful answer.

On your tasting sheet what would be the main flavor categories that you would be asking people to taste for?

Aroma, Taste and Texture. I also asked them to rate it from 1 to 10. I also gave a list of the descriptive words to use. Eg. Fruity, robust, caramel tones, smoky, balanced, smooth, melts easily etc. so as to help them with their descriptions.

How many people took part in the tasting?

Seven people of different cultures and ages.

A 7 year old girl of mixed parentage

An Indonesian woman in her 20s,

A Filipina woman in her 40s,

An Englishman in his late 40s,

An Australian Caucasian woman in her 40s, who is a chocoholic and

2 Chinese women in their late 30s, one being me.

Which chocolate was the most popular and why?

For the 7 year old it was just the only Milk Chocolate. She gave it a 9.

The man, unfortunately was confused. Eg. His description for no. 9 – “Flowers of spring mixed with mud”, no. 12 – “Slimey tadpoles in a Wellington boot”. In the end he said he had no favorite and they all tasted the same!

But for the 4 older women, they all liked no. 8, which happens to be the couverture that I will be using to make the chocolate! I think the reason why is that it was the one with the least flavorings. I also thought it was similar to no. 12, except it had a more astringent aftertaste.

How was this formal tasting received by your tasters? What were their comments?

I think they were very excited about it, and found it was interesting and refreshing to know that dark chocolate could taste so different from one another. I had to first brief them about how to describe it with the terminology in the Grand Cru module and at first they used it well but soon they preferred to use the 1 to 10 ranking to help themselves rank the chocolate in order of their preference. What was surprising also was how many of the chocolates were “Smoky”, with “Tobacco notes” and had an “Astringent” aftertaste. However, I think we were all too full for dinner afterwards!

How did this formal tasting increase your knowledge of the products you tasted?

I think I could never buy store bought chocolates again! Especially not the cheaper ones. It was amazing that the 2 Hersey bars which I had thought had to be good were the most expensive but yet were the most disappointing of the lot. The brands are very commonly bought in Singapore, and a lot I’ve eaten before, but never together. It was definitely an eye-opening exercise.

And a lot of them had many preservatives and other flavorings to make it last longer or taste different. That was disappointing. In the end, I realized that one had to go to a more upscale supermarket or specialty stores to get the more high-end chocolate.

Lessons Learned.

What do you think about the way the chocolate industry describes the flavor and aroma of the different chocolates?

Initially I thought it was a bit snobbish and contrived but after having to describe them myself, I thought it was very apt and suitable descriptions! I could smell the earth and taste the tobacco undertones too. That made me feel very 'educated'!

What did this tasting teach you about people and about tasting chocolate?

I learnt that many people have similar tastes and tasting chocolate is very much more complicated than I first thought.

My observation is that many people in Singapore are not exposed to the different kinds of chocolate out there – even myself and some chocolate fanatics, because they were just too difficult to find, or just too expensive. So we loved chocolate, but knew nothing about it. I think people in Singapore also may not be prepared to pay so much for good chocolate.

On a side note, I think maybe generally men and children prefer sweeter chocolates, whereas women tend to like them less sweet. Maybe it’s because of dietary or health reasons, or maybe they just don’t like the sweet taste. All 5 women in my tasting found the milk chocolate to be just too sweet.

What lessons did you learn about holding a chocolate tasting and would you change in the future?

Yes I think I would buy some better brands of chocolate, and of more vastly different grades. I would probably invite more chocoholics! I think the next time I conduct a chocolate tasting, hopefully it would be all chocolate flavors that I will be making for the testing.

Next time, I would have to taste all the chocolates first before the tasting and compare my notes with the notes of all the participants. I think that people in Singapore might have different taste from people in other parts of the world too, and I would have to use my own tasting palette to judge whether my taste is comparable to the general public. Hopefully it is!

Tempering is messy!

OK so tempering was quite challenging. I think I still have a lot more to learn. In the end I think maybe I over-tempered it! But when I made the empty shell chocolate casings, I was pretty pleased with myself.

Assignment 3 completed

Ok great. Finished my assignment 3, which was on chocolate tasting. Considering I haven't even tried melting chocolate, this is a lot of work! Today I'm going to be trying tempering. That's assignment 2, but it's not due yet. Phew! Have to air-condition the whole house as my kitchen is sort of open concept. Not sure if I will post assignment 3 cos it's really long... maybe I should.... tomorrow!

Something else is due today!

Can you believe my assignment on Chocolate Tasting is due today? I haven't finished it yet but am close to it. Thank goodness they are working on Canadian time, so that gives me at least 12 hours more. Hee hee. I haven't been sleeping well, because I'm still thinking about names for a chocolate place if, or should I say, WHEN I have a chocolate place. Of course I can't post the options, but if you have any suggestions, let me know!

My assignment number 1

Ok I submitted this 2 weeks ago, a day before the course began! But I thought its probably important to tell you what I'm learning in this course. But of course, if you're not interested, then you're not! haha. Read on at your own peril...

Discussion Assignment: Researching Business Models & Products


List the name and internet address of the 3 chocolatiers whose work you hope to emulate.

a) Explain why you chose each of these chocolatiers.

b) Give examples of each chocolatier's most important product that inspires you.



Beth Tully

http://www.cocoadolce.com/

a)
Her story is so inspiring – her reason for changing her career as a speech therapist to her dream of becoming a chocolatier – I identify with that completely. To think that she started not long ago and is so successful is very comforting. She makes me believe that I can do it too!

b)
I love the way she packages her chocolates – her survival kit is my favourite – “In case of emergency, open immediately”. Love it! Her personal touch and creativity is evident, so clear to anyone who loves chocolate.


Kate

http://blackdinahchocolatiers.com/

a)
Now Kate is such an adventurous soul, she sells frogs and bark. It’s not until you see the photos of them till you realize how great they look. And she uses the local farm produce, and is so concerned about communities in Peru and Venezuela, how can you not feel her passion?

b)
Of course my favourite is the Frog on a log. Such cute things! And extremely pretty. Each so different, yet the same.


Gail Ambrosius

http://gailambrosius.com/

a)
Meet Gail. The introduction to Gail starts with her proclaiming chocolate as a separate food group. She also tells you her life story, but it’s all related to how she got there. Then of course she names a chocolate after her mum. But what imaginative chocolate flavours she has! Lemongrass, curry…


b)
Who sells buddhas with gold stomachs? Has got to be a best seller in my book. Also the fig sounds great, and I was tempted to buy the apparel as well. Who doesn’t want a T-shirt that says, “Peace, Love, Chocolate”?

What differentiates these chocolatiers from the others that you researched?


All these chocolatiers are very personal, they share their stories, and it certainly helps that their websites are easy on the eye and photos very well taken. They creativity in their chocolates is also very heartfelt, as all of them make their chocolates in the shop daily. Here is a story about a woman who loves chocolate and has made it her life. Now that’s a good story.

Understanding the Industry

It’s going to be a long time before I understand the industry. I barely understand the notes and curriculum in this course! But I love the industry, as it’s filled with such imagination and independent thought. Everyone has their own flavours, their own packaging ideas and chocolate products.

a) What are your general observations about independent chocolatiers and their products?

They are so well-thought and planned out! I have such a long road ahead of me. But I do like the smaller scale chocolate shops more. Not the chain stores but the personal touch with one store. The big name chocolatiers seem to lack a bit of character and soul. There’s something missing there.

b) Having gone through the research, what did you learn about the chocolate industry?

One thing I learned was how you have to make your chocolate available online to be successful. I would have never thought that. I’m still old-school and I thought you’d need to see the chocolate before you buy it!

Professional Chocolatier Course

Yes I am learning to be a chocolatier. Professional, I'm not sure but yes it requires me to play with and eat chocolates. Yeah!

YES it is 2010!

And this is my year to change. Firstly, I'm taking a chocolatier course. Haven't studied in a while so the reading material is giving me a headache. Wish me luck!

New and improved!

I'm going to be changing this blog. So it'll be more interesting. Firstly I'm going to be posting something everyday. Today's post is to tell you that change is a-comin! Woo hoo!