‘Tis fall, and chocolate is in the air…
I am starting to plan out flavors so I can place my annual chocolate order with the gourmet wholesaler (Pacific Gourmet ). They sell mostly to businesses, but will take orders over $75 from individuals, and believe me, my annual chocolate bill is well over that. (In fact, it’s large enough that these people remember me, among all their zillions of orders. Egad.)
Anyway, here is the tentative list for this year:
Fudges:
- Chocolate macadamia
- White chocolate, lavender, Meyer lemon
- Coconut tequila lime
- Coconut almond fudge
- Maple walnut fudge
Chocolate dipped stuff:
- Candied Bergamot peel
- Candied Meyer lemon peel
- Candied Kaffir lime peel
- Candied Yuzu peel
- English toffee
- Jasmine caramels
- Dried apricots
- Candied ginger
Bonbons:
- Dried fig + Cognac (white chocolate inside, dark chocolate outside)
- White Guava (white chocolate/white chocolate)
- White chocolate lime (white/white)
- Black Currant + port (dark/dark)
- Honey-cinnamon (milk/dark?)
- Coffee white chocolate butter ganache (white/dark)
- Plum (prune, port, cinnamon, honey) (dark/dark)
- Strawberry jam and balsamic vinegar (white/dark)
- Apricot buttercream + lavender (white/dark)
- Irish coffee (dark/dark with sugar sprinkles)
- Armagnac (dark/dark)
- Jasmine tea (dark/dark)
- Saffron (dark/dark)
- Scotch (dark/dark)
- Orange, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, honey (milk/dark)
- Passionfruit caramel (dark/dark)
- Caramelized banana (dark/dark)
- Lavender anise (dark/dark)
- Orange, lemon, vanilla (dark/dark)
- Lavender lime (white/dark)
- Pear fruit gel on ganache (dark/dark)
- Boysenberry (dark/dark)
- Peanut butter (dark/dark)
- Hazelnut (dark/dark)
- Orange marmalade (dark/dark)
- Rose geranium (dark/dark)
This will have to be cut down substantially. I count ten slots for non-bonbons (the candied peels can all go in a single candy cup) and 26 kinds of bonbons (ganache-based chocolates). That’s 35 kinds of chocolates, and I know from experience that only 25-28 will fit into a box. (Last year had 28 flavors and we could only fit 26 into a box.) So I may have to do some consolidation, and some elimination.
It’s always a difficult decision, because the good flavors are really really good (I’ve been at this for twenty years now and have “saved up” the best recipes over the years), and the new flavors are generally intriguing enough that they’re hard to eliminate. And what about even more innovative stuff? I had some wonderful rose-geranium flavored candied grapefruit peel recently. Wouldn’t that make a fine mix with white (or even dark) chocolate? What about combining maple syrup with something else? There is always a twist, an innovation, something new and interesting to try. But I can only make so many, and I can only fit so many into the box. T’ain’t fair. (I should do this for a living!)
At any rate, this year’s chocolate order is just about ready, and starting in November I will begin devoting my weekends to candy-making. Nonperishables first: chocolate covered dried fruits, caramels. Then the less-perishable fudges. The weekend before Thanksgiving, I start in on chocolate shells for the bonbons. And, finally, on Thanksgiving weekend, a frenzy of bonbon-making (they are very perishable), culminating in the annual chocolate-packing party on Sunday. Four or five friends come over and help pack about 2500 chocolates/candies into candy cups, then into boxes, then into shipping boxes. Then I put on mailing labels and make the annual trip to the post office with a car stuffed to the gills with boxes. The candy-packers go home with all the leftover chocolates they want to take. (It’s a popular job!) And chocolate season is over for the year.
Woven shibori update: I dyed the most recent test, with disappointing results. First, I don’t think I used enough soda ash, so the gold mostly didn’t “take”. Second, the black dye bled badly (perhaps the soda ash contributed?) and produced a rather saddened effect. Still contemplating what to do. I have some WashFast acid dyes which I think (but am not sure) have a smaller dye molecule so should penetrate the resist better, so perhaps I will try that in an acid dyebath for next time. I may also switch to nylon monofilament in an attempt to get something that removes more smoothly. Any idea where I can find monofilament that’s about the weight of 60/2 silk? The fishing section of a sport store, perhaps?
Hi Tien,
Places like Hancock fabrics and JoAnns usually sell spools of nylon monofilament. The “invisible” sewing thread. You might also consider the nylon thread for upholstery – it is stronger, but perhaps thicker.
Stephanie S
Tien, every year your chocolate making fascinates me! It sounds heavenly and like so much fun. This year I swear I’m going to make at least a few kinds of candy — although they’ll be more of the Homemade Candy by Farm Journal type than the exquisite chocolates you’re describing here.