Ruth's Chocolot Artisan Chocolates

Classes

2011-09-09T12:59:00.000-06:00

I will be teaching a chocolate tempering class in Salt Lake at Bakers C and C on September 24. You must sign up on their website and pay your $10.
I will also be teaching a basic candy making class in Logan at Love to Cook on September 17. You must sign up for that one too with the store.

Chocolate Tulips by Chocolot

2011-05-07T18:00:00.001-06:00

Can't believe it has been since October since I posted. Guess I have been busy:-) As things are slowing down, I have been playing with chocolate tulips. They have been fun to make.
I also made two new flavors, Coconut Lime and Raspberry Rose.
Leaving this week for a Candy Conference in Canada. Should be a lot of fun.

HALLOWEEN EYEBALLS

2010-10-13T18:00:00.001-06:00

New flavors this year: Booberry, sLime green, and Blood orange.

COOKING LIGHT MAGAZINE

2010-09-21T20:04:00.003-06:00

October issue, Page 174. There we are!! We got a Tasty Award for best artisan sweets. I told them I make nothing that is light and they said as long as I don't use trans-fats, they consider it light. I like their thinking:-)

New Enrober Came Today!!

2010-09-10T18:08:00.001-06:00

Here is the enrober. It took Ron and I about 2 hours to uncrate it. Jeff had to come over and help carry it into the room.

I already had chocolate melted so I filled up the pan and started her up. I didn't want to practice on anything valuable so I practiced on cinnamon bears. Not that they aren't good, just cheap and easy:-)We also coated some Oreo's.

It actually works!!! I thought we would have a disaster, but it worked!

They just came out the other end all covered in chocolate. I have a lot to learn, but at least they worked the first time. That is encouraging!!

LAS VEGAS CHOCOLATE SALON AWARDS

2010-08-30T15:48:00.001-06:00

We are pretty excited. We won several including Top Artisan Chocolatier!!
Las Vegas Chocolate Salon Awards 2010
CHOCOLOT WON GOLD
BEST IN SALON
TOP TOFFEE
BEST TRADITIONAL CHOCOLATES
BEST MILK CHOCOLATE
TOP ARTISAN CHOCOLATIER
BEST COMFORT CHOCOLATE PRODUCT

CHOCOLOT WON SILVER
BEST FLAVORED CHOCOLATES
MOST GIFTED CHOCOLATIER
MOST ARTISTIC DESIGN
BEST GIFT SET
BEST PRESENTATION AND PACKAGING

CHOCOLOT WON BRONZE
MOST DELICIOUS INGREDIENT COMBINATIONS

NEW BARS

2010-08-13T10:46:00.002-06:00

Here are some of our new bars for Fall. We are doing a variety of toppings on dark, milk, and white chocolate. One of my favorite toppings is a caramelized cocoa nib on white chocolate. I know, some people think white chocolate is the ugly step-sister of "real" chocolate, but it totally works on this bar. We are doing Candied orange peel and nibs on dark chocolate, Utah cherries and candied almonds, wasabi and ginger (our sushi bar) coconut, macadamias and ginger, blueberries and lemon peel, cocoa nibs, espresso beans, peppermint candies on white,and fruit and nuts. I have also played with a granola bar. Since I share a kitchen with Natures Indulgence granola, I put some of their granola on dark chocolate. Pretty good if I do say so!

For Corporate gifting or for yourself, we have some fun containers this year.

Orange Creme

2010-07-01T16:26:00.000-06:00

Made Orange Creme chocolates today. They are wonderful! Used semi-confit orange peel and Grand Marnier. You really get the flavor of the orange.

New transfers

2010-06-07T18:03:00.003-06:00

I received my new logo transfers and had to try them out. I probably won't use them on rectangles, but that is what I was dipping today.

Here is a new flavor we are trying--Utah Montmorency Cherry Pie. There is a layer of cherry pate de fruit, and a layer of ganache containing graham cracker crumbs. Ryan got the recipe in a chocolate class he took in Los Angeles in April.

Meyer Lemon and Root Beer Float

2010-04-05T19:37:00.001-06:00

Meyer Lemon and Root Beer Float are ready for Spring. White chocolate is not my favorite, but these two flavors need it.

Easter bunnies 2010

2010-03-18T12:41:00.002-06:00

My Easter bunnies are ready to go to a good home. White chocolate has passionfruit marshmallow, milk chocolate has gianduja and dark chocolate is Manjari-Madagascar.

New Chocolate Room

2010-01-25T20:36:00.004-07:00

My storage drawers. We put vinyl letters on each drawer.

The Guittard pan in the window was a gift from Gary Guittard. It is one of the old molds they used to form 10# chocolate bars. They now use polycarbonate and these were headed to the museum. I asked if I could have one and they said yes. In the jar are unroasted cocoa beans. The sign is the Salt Lake Magazine Best of the Beehive award for Best Chocolates in the state.

Another view of the room with one Savage tempering kettle in the corner.

A work table with Savage melters in the background. A guitar cutter is in the foreground. This allows me to cut squares, rectangles or diamonds evenly.
I finally have the room about where I want it. I have a small refrigerator, and induction burner, microwave and lots of drawer and cupboard space.

New website

2009-11-04T05:31:00.000-07:00

We have completely resigned our website. Please check it out and let us know what you think and if something isn't working. Thanks. www.sweetchocolot.com

What to do with eyeballs

2009-10-13T09:33:00.003-06:00

Wondering what to do with my eyeballs? A good friend, Cassidy Sudduth came up with these "beauties".

Busy week

2009-10-08T20:23:00.002-06:00

So far this week, I have made: Aztec spice, orange creme, espresso, peanut butter, strawberry balsamic, milk chocolate, gingerbread, pomegranate, & molten caramel. Plus a few hundred eyeballs!

Eye balls

2009-10-06T17:17:00.002-06:00

Eyeballs for Halloween.

I'm getting better at making them. The best part is the gray goo that comes out when you bite them. As long as you don't look, they taste great!

New flavors

2009-08-30T19:24:00.001-06:00

I have been working on a new truffle. I have made the Aztec Spice before, but I think I have improved it. I used Ancho and Guajillo chiles and a touch of habenero along with a few other spices. It has great flavor with heat slowly coming in at the end. I think it could be my new favorite.

E Guittard samples

2009-07-17T22:57:00.002-06:00

Received several single-origin chocolate samples this week. Ecuador, Columbia, Peru, Madagascar, Sur del lago and Ocumare. They are all 65%. I like them all! I have to narrow it down to my 4 favorites. Might need some help. Anyone available?

Caramels

2009-07-08T16:52:00.000-06:00

Just finished dipping Marcona almond caramels. Yesterday I dipped caramels in dark chocolate and sprinkled with Fleur De Sel salt. Nothing beats a great caramel!

SALT LAKE MAGAZINE

2009-06-23T04:17:00.000-06:00

Salt Lake Magazine has just come out with their 2009 Best of the Beehive awards. Chocolot is honored to be their selection for best box of chocolates in Utah.

COLORADO CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL

2009-05-12T18:34:00.002-06:00

Went to Denver for the show. It was Friday night and all day Saturday. Ryan and Mel and Melissa and Brett worked the booth so I was free to wander and talk. The kids hauled all the stuff to Denver, set it up and tore down. It was great having such good help. We sold out about an hour before the show closed, so that was good timing. We met some good chocolatiers who were very willing to share their knowledge. Networking is the best part of any business trip.

San Antonio

2009-05-05T15:19:00.003-06:00

Just got home last night from 5 days in Texas. Hot and humid!! It is very pretty there, but happy to be home. Ron and I went down because I was one of 9 finalists in the National Chicken Cooking Contest. Didn't win the big money, but got the trip paid for plus $1000. We got to meet a lot of Food Editors from magazines and newspapers. That was really great. Had a good time, but I am now packing candy to take to Colorado on Friday for the Colorado Chocolate Show. Hopefully, next week will be calmer.

NEW TOFFEE BOXES ARE HERE

2009-04-11T08:37:00.003-06:00

Our new toffee boxes are awesome!! Thanks to Brett Smith, our designer, and Ryan Kendrick the project manager, we have some terrific boxes. They open up like a flower petal. The box is almost as great as the candy inside!! We will be taking these to the Colorado Chocolate show May 8.

Studio 5

2009-02-13T07:37:00.004-07:00

On Monday, I was a guest on KSL Studio 5. They featured the KSL staff's 5 favorite chocolate treats and mine was one of them!!
http://studio5.ksl.com/?nid=71&sid=5525668
This is where you can find the clip. Sorry I don't know how to post a link. Start at about 5 minutes in. Cute little Kelsey Nixon (Next Food Network Star) was on after me. She is a real sweetheart. On Thursday, my candy was supposed to be featured again, but it just barely got a mention at the end of another segment. A special thanks to The Rose Shop in SLC for providing a beautiful fresh flower arrangement for the Thursday show. People have been emailing asking where to buy my chocolates in SLC. Here is a list:
The Rose Shop
Capitol Gift Shop (in the Capitol building)
Les Madeleine Bakery
Artichokes and Co
In Ogden:
Beehive Cheese
McKay-Dee Gift Shop

And the winner is.....

2009-01-31T09:05:00.003-07:00

Youngest son Ryan is working on his MBA at Westminster College. He wrote my business plan for Chocolot and entered it in a school wide competition. He won first place!!! He now goes on to the state competition. A big Congrats to Ryan!

Valentines

2009-01-27T09:48:00.003-07:00

Here are some new things for Valentines. The lavendar one is a marshmallow-caramel chocolate that is yummy!

SAN FRANCISCO

2009-01-20T13:24:00.017-07:00

Views from our apartment

SAN FRANCISCO ADVENTURES

I have wanted to attend the Fancy Food show for several years, but didn't have the opportunity before. Hubby Ron broke his leg just before Christmas and couldn't walk, so I asked my foodie friend Janet to go along. The added bonus was her sister has an apartment on the Embarcadero and it was available for us to use. What could be better than that?

Friday Jan.16—Janet and I started the day at Safeway which was on the street level of the apartment building. We bought fresh fruit from the Deli and a bagel and walked across the street and ate in the park, enjoying the wonderful warm weather. We walked to the BART station on Market and bought roundtrip tickets to Millbrae, which is closest to the Guittard plant. Train ride was fun but uneventful. Got a cab to Guittard. Mark Spini talked to us in his office then took us on a tour of the plant. They don’t have public tours, but take customers through when they come to town. The tour was fascinating. We saw and smelled the chocolate at different stages. It took about 3 hours to tour the plant. Afterwards, Mark introduced us to Gary Guittard. It was a very informative and fun day. I asked for and received a tin pan that they used to form the 10# blocks of chocolate in years ago. Now, they use polycarbonate molds. Not sure what I will do with it, but it is very nostalgic to me as my mother used Guittard chocolate her whole life.
After the tour, we went over to the Ferry Building. Bought Rechutti chocolates and PDF’s and ate at Out the Door. It was very good until Janet ate a whole chili. I thought she was going to stop breathing right then. We bought sourdough bread and took it back to the apartment. Janet wanted to go to Fisherman’s Wharf to get something she had seen on her last trip. We got a cab because I was tired of walking. She told the driver pier 49. I wasn’t sure where she was headed, so for once, kept my mouth closed. He took us to Ghirardelli Square. Janet says this doesn’t look right, but gets out of the cab!! We start walking because she keeps telling me it is real close. Right!! She meant pier 39, not 49!!!! We walked the entire length of the wharf!! I am not happy at this point. That is why we took the cab so we wouldn’t have to walk!! We eventually get there and Janet goes off to buy her trinkets. We ate our one restaurant meal on the wharf at the Fog Harbor. We both had fish and chips and it was very good with a very nice waiter. We grabbed the street car back.

Saturday was another great day. We started at the Ferry Building and the Farmers market. The produce was amazing.

A lot of citrus and winter veggies. It was a fun atmosphere with street musicians playing and people walking their dogs (not allowed in the market area). Janet got a salmon BLT sandwich which she always looks forward to when in San Francisco. We sampled our way through the market and bought some olive oil direct from the producer. We also bought a stalk of brussel sprouts for a joke I’ll tell you about later. We took everything back to the apartment, put the sprouts in water and left again. I wanted to go to the Moscone center to get our credentials to avoid the rush on Sunday. We got them, walked over to the Westfall mall and shopped at Nordstrom, buying a couple of shirts and a pair of shoes. We got a cab to drive us to a button and bead store that Janet was interested in. After a bit of wondering on his part (the cabbie) we eventually found ourselves at this interesting place. It was in an alley, door and windows covered with beads like out of the 60’s. It was about 4 in the afternoon and the store had a few customers in it, so we felt sort of safe. We went upstairs and Janet was in heaven. They had vintage buttons. I found a nice spot with a table and chairs and sat down and marked out the booths I was interested in for the food show. 2 hours later, Janet has her treasures in hand. It was dark and we were not about to leave this place without the cab sitting there. Did I tell you this was a little bit scary? The cab finally comes and we climb in. We were pretty tired after our adventures, so we went back to the apartment and watched TV.

Sunday morning was another great day. The skies were clear and temperature mild. We got a cab and went to the Moscone center about 9. The show didn’t open until 10, but we thought we might be able to see something. As it turned out, they weren’t watching the doors and we were able to get in early and look around. It is amazingly huge!! 1500 vendors all wanting your attention. Food was what it was all about.
Samples of everything were offered in two different centers. The North building had the smaller companies and packaging. We methodically went up and down each aisle so as not to miss anything. Even doing that, we missed some. Visited with Tim from Beehive cheese. He had a booth and was working. Talked with Art Pollard of Amano chocolate. His booth seemed to be busy most of the time. Visited the two high school kids that started Brandini toffee. They are high school seniors now. They said their parents were doing the marketing and such. The fun part of the show, was that you got to visit with the “real” people behind the label. I talked with Ina Garten in her Barefoot Contessa booth.
In the North hall, there were a lot of flavored waters and teas. Always, a lot of chocolate. Also visited with some packagers to get some new ideas. Mid afternoon, we wandered over to the South building. This is where the “big boys” were. The big slick displays and long time participants. Either there wasn’t as much excitement down here, or we were getting burned-out, but it wasn’t as exciting as the North.

We visited with the guys from Guittard, Fran and Dylan Bigelow from Fran’s chocolates. I met them in Montreal in March. We were in the same class at Callebaut. It was good to see them again. Janet signed up for the class of gift baskets. I wandered the show a bit while she was in class. We left the center at about 5:30. We had sampled bits of food all day, but mostly chocolate. We were just wanting some real food of some kind. Being tired and having already been to most the places we were interested in, we walked over to the Ferry Building and got a hamburger at Taylors. Back to the apartment. We planned out our last day.

Monday we would pack and clean the apartment. We needed to do the laundry and clean up after ourselves. Bill, whose apartment we were staying in, was gone the whole time we were in town. He loves Brussels sprouts. When I say love, I really mean it. He thinks they are great. His wife doesn’t care for them at all. Well, Bill lives in the apartment during the week and then flies home on the weekends. That is why the apartment was available to us. At the Farmer’s market we bought this stock of Brussel sprouts about 18” tall. The farmer told us to put the cut end in water and it would last for weeks and you just pulled off what you wanted to eat. We thought this would be a great thank you gift for him. After we cleaned the apartment, we left him a thank you note, and brussel sprouts and a bottle of lemon olive oil as well as my chocolates. We hope he enjoys them all, because we certainly enjoyed his apartment. Janet with our Thank you gifts.

We got to the show about 11, bags in tow. We checked them in the luggage/coat check area along with hundreds of others with the same idea. Janet found another button store not too far away so she went there while I walked the show one more time. I found that with a new day, I was more enthusiastic about what the South area offered. I found some vendors I had missed on the first day. I roamed, snacked and visited both the North and South areas. While I was sitting in the lounge area waiting for Janet, I looked over and saw Mark Spini visiting with a couple. I didn’t think much about it when I saw Mark motioning to me. I walked over and he wanted to introduce me to Andrew Shotts . I couldn’t believe it! He is younger and taller than I would have thought. He was very gracious. I asked him about g pectin and how could I know how much calcium was in the fruit. He told me to email him and he would send me some pectin and a basic recipe formula. He said that Chef Rubber was not making the pectin to his specifications and that he had someone else making it for him. I got a picture with him. Me and Drew Shotts.

I was feeling pretty proud of myself for that one when Janet arrived. She had gotten there earlier and was walking the floor again. It was about time to leave for the airport when she casually mentioned that Norman Love had a green box about the same color as mine. I told her I knew that but I had mine before I had seen his. I then asked her how she knew what his box was like. She said because she just stopped at his booth!!! Well, you have to understand that Norman Love is the ultimate in beautiful and tasty bon bons. He is the master of wonderful chocolates. I told her that he wasn’t at the show and looked again at the listing. She assured me his chocolates were there. She told me where to find them. I literally ran down because we were running out of time. I found the booth, but there was a gentleman running it and no Norman. It was in the Italian import section and not listed under his name. I looked further, and there he was talking on a cell phone. I snapped a picture fast with my cell phone. Norman looking at a crazy women taking his picture wondering what she is up to.

When he finished, I took the opportunity to visit with him for a few minutes. He is truly a nice guy. He said he is planning on teaching a class in LA for Guittard some time this year. He told me he really likes Guittard chocolate. He was really humble. When I told him I thought his chocolates were so beautiful as well as tasty, he said it was because he had a lot of good people working for him. As I turned to leave, Gary Guittard was there waiting to talk with him and Drew Shotts was heading down the aisle. What a great end to a perfect weekend.
In 4 days, we did about everything we wanted, walked our legs off, talked to many wonderful people, got new ideas, ate many foods, and had a great time. The weather couldn’t have been better. I tried to notice trends in products, but I guess I was on over-load. There were a lot of teas, teas and chocolate, flavored waters and chocolate. I saw more cheese than I have ever seen in one place before. Natural and organic was tossed around. Other than that, I didn't notice too many trends.

SAN FRANCISCO FANCY FOOD SHOW

2009-01-08T18:30:00.001-07:00

Next week I am going to SFO to the Fancy Food show. Never been but people tell me to wear comfortable shoes and go hungry. I want to get some new ideas for packaging toffee and popcorn. Packaging takes way too much time the way I do it. I'll try to take pictures and post on my return.

NEWS COVERAGE

2008-12-08T12:57:00.001-07:00

It has been a busy 2 weeks. The Deseret Morning News did a big article on my toffee.http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705267581,00.html and the SL Tribune food editor dubbed me Utah's Chocolate Queen. The Standard Examiner did a small writeup on gift ideas and mentioned Chocolot.

This Week

2008-11-23T18:06:00.004-07:00

Booth at the start of the show.

The Best Daughters-in-law

The Best Dark Chocolate Award

My two best helpers!!

The Medals

The Help

Small box ($9.00)

Shoppers

What a week I have had!! Monday, I had to have my chocolate entries submitted for the chocolate competition for the Utah Chocolate Show. I entered dark chocolates, milk chocolates, truffles, toffee, caramels, molded, dipped/enrobed. Wednesday, I was on local TV-see photo below. On Thursday, we(very supportive family members) set up for the Utah Chocolate Show in Salt Lake City. Son-in-law designed the booth as well as my wonderful packaging. It took several hours to get everything the way we wanted it. The shelves were stocked with more than enough product for the 2 days of the show. The aprons were hung and the stools cleaned off from baby's sticky hand prints. We covered it up and went home. Thursday morning, Mel and I opened for business. What a business!! I thought we might sell a little popcorn and toffee, but no one was going to buy my chocolates. I don't know why I thought that, but I guess I didn't know that others really appreciated the work and art that goes into them. Just before the show started, the competition judges gave the awards. Imagine my surprise when Chocolot won 8 Medals!!! I felt like Michael Phelps walking around with 8 medals around my neck. We won in every category we entered plus a special Artistic Merit award and 2008 Chocolate Champion. It was great fun! I taught a hands-on tempering class for 2 hours and Mel manned the booth. After the class, I taught a demo on the stage on making toffee. By the time I got back to the booth, Mel was exhausted and about out of candy. There was a crowd around the booth the whole day. Everyone commented on how great the booth looked and how beautiful the chocolates were. It makes it all worth while when your work is appreciated.
Left the booth at about 8 to come home and box more chocolates. I took down more than the first day, stocking heavy on the larger sizes. We sold out again on the second day. We had more help in the booth and we had double the attendance from the day before. I taught the tempering class again, but the kids handled the booth just fine. At close, we were out of product and energy. The kids tore down the booth and hauled it all out. Couldn't have done this show without them.
One of the highlights was that many people commented on the Candymaking book that my mother co-authored with me. Many commented on fond memories of taking classes from her.
Oh, I forgot to tell you--the Deseret Morning News was there taking pictures and writing a little story about the toffee and the show. Check them out on Wednesday. I'll have some photos to down load in a little bit. Thanks for all your support.

Next event is coming up the first weekend in December. It is in Logan Utah at the Bullen center. Entry is free. It is a juried artisan show. Should be lots of fun.

TV appearance

2008-11-20T01:14:00.003-07:00

Wednesday, I had the opportunity to do a cooking segment on Good Things Utah on channel 4 ABC. It was a fun experience and they asked if I would come back and do more. Ryan and Mel came to help. Ryan took this photo of the girls and me and Mel.
Thursday we set up for the Utah Chocolate Show. A very busy week!!

Web site is up

2008-11-18T07:23:00.002-07:00

We have been really busy getting orders out for November. We produced 2000 containers of toffee, 1000's of bags of popcorn and bark and lots of chocolates. I will be on Good Things Utah tomorrow-Wednesday November 19. I'll be making dark chocolate ganache and dipping. Friday and Saturday is the Utah Chocolate Show and we will have a booth and I'll be teaching a class each day on tempering.
We sold our chrome plating business in October and that gave me the freedom and time to get my candy made. It is a lot of work, but work I enjoy. Check out the web site. www.sweetchocolot.com and let me know what you think.

Website is coming

2008-10-08T06:21:00.003-06:00

My website is under construction so I thought I would give you a preview. Please give suggestions and corrections to my About Us info:

Chocolot is an artisan chocolatier located in Ogden Utah. Ruth Kendrick has been making candy and using chocolate for more than 50 years. She is a second-generation chocolatier, having learned at her mother’s (Pauline H. Atkinson) side. Ruth and Pauline co-authored HP Books Candymaking, including all their favorite recipes and helpful hints. They have both taught classes in candymaking for many years, both together and separately.
Ruth has made traditional chocolates for years, but in the Spring of 2008 she attended the Callebaut Chocolate Academy in Montreal, completing the course work for a certificate in the Advanced and Expert levels. That experience changed her way of making chocolates. Instead of hand dipping chocolates, she now uses molds and colored cocoa butters to enhance the taste and appearance of her chocolates. She still fork dips some pieces with a thin shell of couveture and uses cocoa butter transfer sheets and texture sheets. Everything is made by hand in very small batches. The finest ingredients are sourced from around the world bringing the exotic as well as the traditional flavors to her confections.
This summer she has been working on chocolate covered popcorns. This is a new area for Ruth and she has come up with some great flavor combinations that make you want more. English toffee has always been a favorite treat and Ruth has included that in her offerings.
Her personal philosophy is that her candy must be the best tasting, freshest, and most exciting chocolates available. She is passionate about her chocolates and hopes you enjoy them as well.
Ruth has been a guest presenter on a Chocolate Cruise with Princess Cruises, and has appeared on the Food Network with Bobby Flay and Al Roker.

Order form

2008-09-28T13:42:00.004-06:00

In case any of you are interested in ordering, here are my selections. I won't put my email. Call me 801-479-5806. Thanks

Chocolot artisan chocolates My unique confections are handcrafted from the finest ingredients. I use only E. Guittard or Callebaut couveture chocolate with a high cocoa butter content. Each piece is selected for flavor combinations with the particular chocolate, whether dark, milk or white. Colored cocoa butter is applied to some pieces. My popcorn is a moreish treat. You always want more!! I make it with real white chocolate, cinnamon and almond toffee bits. I also make almond toffee covered with chocolate and sprinkled with almonds.
My chocolates can be towered together for an impressing gift, or use any of my confections in your own gift baskets.
Please order as soon as possible so that you won’t be disappointed. I personally , hand make all my confections and I have a limited production.
I hope you enjoy my offerings. I am passionate about my confections and want them to be the best available.
Chocolates
small box (6 pieces)______@ 9.00=_____
medium box (12)________@ 15.00=____
large box (24)___________@ 25.00=____
Popcorn
small (4 oz)______@ 3.00=_______
large (16 oz)_______@ 12.00=______
Toffee
12 oz container_____@ 14.00=_____
Name
Phone
Company
Date needed

Chocolot

More photos

2008-09-24T22:00:00.005-06:00

Professional photos

2008-09-24T21:30:00.007-06:00

My large box with the full assortment.

All three boxes.

I don't have all the photos yet, but should have them by the end of the week. We are working on my website but don't have it ready yet. I have entered the world of chocolate popcorn. My favorite flavor is Cinnamon Toffee. Everyone tells me it is great.

My boxes are here!

2008-08-27T21:03:00.004-06:00

The brightly colored bands/labels are a fun addition to the boxes. If you look closely, you will notice that the boxes do not have the Chocolot printed on them. These were mock-up boxes to test for size. The bands are just samples also. We are still working on them.

This is the "introductory" size. 6 pieces of lusciousness. This box is the real box with the foil stamp. don't you love it?

These are the three sizes of boxes. They hold 6,12,& 24 pieces.

These are my new-to-me melters. Each holds 50# of chocolate. I had no idea how much that really was! I should NEVER run out of chocolate now.

Large order

2008-08-24T12:20:00.003-06:00

I have a large order that needs to go out Monday morning early. I have them ready to go. Here is a picture of them before putting them in the box. Each box has 9 pieces: Molten caramel, Marcona almond caramel, Gianduja, Lemon, Mayan, Hazelnut, Root beer, Beehive, & Fleur d'sel caramel. They look pretty good to me!!

More experimenting

2008-08-19T14:57:00.005-06:00

White chocolate triangle mold with a lemon curd ganache

The "Beehive". A touch of wildflower honey topped with a honey ganache.

These are Orange and Strawberry ganaches in the shell mold.

Hazelnut ganache in the hazelnut mold with a dark chocolate stripe

You have seen these before, but they are multiplying. These will be my signature piece. A mint infused white chocolate ganache.

Molten caramel in the farfalla mold

Cinnamon ganache in the Maya mold, sprayed with a touch of yellow. One is in dark chocolate, the other milk.

CHOCOLOT

2008-08-07T10:25:00.001-06:00

I have my domain name. www.sweetchocolot.com I don't have the page up yet, but that will be coming along soon.

Green Ones

2008-07-30T17:54:00.004-06:00

Here is todays effort.

Swiping colors

2008-07-29T18:25:00.004-06:00

No, I didn't steal them, just used a gloved finger to wipe or swipe the color in the molds. I used white and topaz yellow. I think it worked quite nicely, thank you. The mottled ones I used a cotton ball to apply the color. Tell me what you think.

This is my "Norman Love" impression. You will have to google him to know what I mean:-)

I am thinking I really like these.

These were made with the cotton ball. Different effect, but kind of cool.

I made these because I was filling some molds for a wedding order and I had extra filling. I didn't want to waaste it and I didn't have any shells ready, so I hurried and made these. I didn't have time to get the compressor running, so I just melted the color and swiped the molds, made the chocolate shells, filled them and closed the molds all in about 20 minutes.

Marcona almond caramels

2008-07-27T18:07:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I made Marcona almond caramels. It is a new recipe where I caramelize the sugar and glucose before added the cream. It seems to make a very nicely flavored and textured caramel.

I don't dip the entire caramel because the nuts make the top irregular and it is hard to put a transfer sheet or texture sheet on it. If you look close, you will see that I dip the caramel up to the top, then just drizzle chocolate on top. I think I like the look. By dipping the bottom, it keeps the caramel from spreading.

Another experiment

2008-07-10T18:10:00.003-06:00

Today I tried some different molding techniques. I made the shells yesterday, today I filled them, not as full as usual. My thought was to close the molds with extra chocolate and then cover the wet chocolate with caramelized hazelnuts. It turned out ok, but not as spectacular as I had hoped.

My other experiment was with the wiping of cocoa butter in the molds. I first used aztec orange and came back with white. I think I like the look, but need to work some more on technique.

New chocolates

2008-07-05T12:33:00.002-06:00

This is a new flavor I came up with yesterday---SMOKED SEA SALT. Save it Ryan, I know what you are thinking:-) It is a bit out there, but it isn't too bad--in fact, it is interesting. Ron actually likes it!

My new favorite--ROOTBEER FLOAT. You can try it out on Sunday.

Chocolate tiles

2008-07-02T23:55:00.005-06:00

Today, I made some chocolate tiles out of a thin layer of tempered chocolate over a transfer sheet. I cut them with an expandable roller knife.
They are far from perfect, but they have possibilities. I dipped some strawberry-balsamic and placed the tile on top.

I have been having issues with my chocolate. I did a big "no-no" and mixed dark and milk chocolate together. I had milk in the melter and didn't want to clean it out, so just added dark to it. I have done it for years, but this time it messed up. I had to re-temper it several times. I took it to 45 C, dropped it to 32, added Mycryo and stirred until it crystallized, which took until it was 25c. I rewarmed to 27 and that is when I finally was able to get a good gloss. I have got to stop experimenting!! It should have been ready at around 30, but it wasn't. These are the rum briquets I learned in class in Montreal.

Notes from class

2008-06-29T20:21:00.002-06:00

Here are a few of the things Patrick and Barbara talked about.
Patrick Peeters June 28, 2008
All ingredients should be at room temperature.
Don’t have to boil UHT cream. Just bring to simmer and pour over callets.
He always uses a Robot Coupe for ganaches. He says they are much smoother than by hand.
He likes to use European butter. It is 82%. US butter is 72%.
You can add butter with cream but he prefers to add it last for better mouth feel.
You must know the cocoa butter percentage in your chocolate to calculate your formula.
You can freeze your finished bon bons, but follow the normal freezing guidelines—thaw in stages and don’t unwrap for 48 hours.
Invert, honey, and glucose all help water activity. Sorbitol is a sugar that binds water, but we are afraid to use it here, but it is normal in Europe. Greatly increases shelf-life. It also is a laxative if too much is used.
You don’t have to table a ganache if you have prepared it properly.
He used a can of Badger compressed air? and a little Badger siphon feed air brush.
Don’t mix milk and dark chocolate. It throws off the melting point and messes everything up.
Mycryo was developed as a substitute for gelatin during the Mad Cow scare. It is an insulator? Vegetarians like to use it. If it is past its due date, use it 2 degrees warmer—it has changed to beta 6, from beta 5 crystals.
When using a transfer sheet with a layer of chocolate, first spray counter top or sheet pan with Pam. Smoothly roll out the transfer sheet. This makes a smooth area that won’t slide around. Spread with tempered chocolate and smooth to a thin layer. When just starting to set, use a toothpick to “cut” the chocolate. Top with parchment and roll up transfer sheet, chocolate and parchment. Put in fridge until set. Remove plastic and parchment and you have some fun designs in chocolate.
When molding, don’t over-work the colored cocoa butter or it will over crystallize and not release. Vibrate the filled mold on the table top to release air bubbles. When you dump it out, keep it horizontal or the shells will be uneven.
You only have to wait to close the molds until the filling is firm enough to cover. There is no reason to wait over night. Hit the filled molds very gently with a hair dryer to soften the chocolate and make it adhere better to the bottom. If you over melt it, it won’t release from the mold.
Infusing tea in hot cream for more than 10 minutes leads to bitterness. Cold cream refrigerated over night is better.
JPW designed the Mold d’art melter

CALLEBAUT WORKSHOP

2008-06-29T19:18:00.006-06:00

I attended a great class yesterday at Gygi's in Salt Lake City. Patrick Peeters from Callebaut was the instructor.

He talked about tempering-an outdated term. Should use crystallization in reference to chocolate. Met Barbara from Callebaut who is the sales rep for this area.

They showed and we sampled several new chocolates from Callebaut. Some origine and some plantation. He showed a new confection--Turona--and demonstrated how to make it. It is VERY tasty. He showed molding and ganaches. He prefers to use a Robot Coupe to make his emulsions.

Patrick is showing how to do molded shells. He said to keep them horizontal when emptying the shells. This will keep the shells from being too thick on one side.

Barbara helping Patrick with a ganache

Brad McDonald and Patrick Peeters before class started.

Finished confections

I'm legal

2008-06-27T18:05:00.002-06:00

As of today, I am official---CHOCOLOT LLC. Had my health inspection yesterday and got business license today. Here are a few more chocolates.

New Molds

2008-06-07T06:22:00.004-06:00

Received my new molds from Chocolat-chocolat this week. Also got new colored cocoa butter from Chef Rubber. I made a hazelnut ganache for the bean mold, and made a white chocolate Grand Marnier in the ridged shell mold. I think both turned out pretty good. I splattered the bean mold with crimson then sprayed with tuscan brown. On the shell mold, I splattered with yellow and a light spray of popsicle orange.

Chocolates

2008-05-31T18:00:00.004-06:00

Here are some of my latest chocolates

Cutting Guides

2008-04-30T18:11:00.003-06:00

These are photos of cutting guides I had made. I can't afford a guitar, so had a friend who works on a plasma cutter make these. They are stainless steel. I had three of them made--3/4 inch, 1 inch, and 1 1/4 inch. I use them to cut ganache and caramels. I can make the pieces square, rectangular or diamonds. I use a pizza cutter or razor blade to cut the candy. So far, they have worked amazingly well. They are a bit heavy, so I have to support the weight if the ganache is a little soft.
I have a total of $150 invested. Much better than $3000!!! I still would love a real guitar some day.

Molding experiences

2008-04-03T09:35:00.005-06:00

Today I am going in to work late so that I can experiment with the new recipes and with molding chocolates, rather than hand dip. I made an infused mint ganache with white chocolate. I think it turned out well. I attempted to splatter the inside of the molds with colored cocoa butter. I think I got more on me than in the molds. I poured tempered chocolate into the molds, and not so quickly dumped the excess chocolate out. I wasn't fast enough and the last mold has many air bubbles and gaps. I piped the mint ganache into the shells, allowed them to set for about an hour, then put the bottom on them. I am not very good at this yet!! Surprisingly, I think my first time was partially successful.

I will also post pictures of my lady bugs. I made these before I took the class on how-to-do-it. I made them for a granddaughters first birthday party.

Quebec City

2008-04-01T16:27:00.000-06:00

Saturday we went to Quebec City. What a beautiful city. It is 3-400 years old. It is the last city in North America to have a wall around it. It is built on a bluff overlooking the St. Lawrence river. Ice breakers work all winter to keep the port free. They got over 30 feet of snow this year and it was still on the ground. It snowed while we were there. The little streets are very quaint and are similar to European cities. Quebec and Montreal are French speaking. almost everyone who lives there speak both languages. It was amazing to hear them switch between the 2 languages so easily.

Chocolate class

2008-04-01T16:00:00.003-06:00

Janet and Derrick

Derrick making transfer sheets

tempering

Graduation Day

The reason we went to Montreal was to take a chocolate class at Callebaut Chocolate. It was in a little town 45 minutes from the city. There were 8 students, all experienced chocolate people and most had a pastry background. 6 were from the states, 2 from Canada. All worked/owned candy or catering businesses. The van would pick us up at the hotel at 7:30 am and bring us back at 6 pm. It lasted 4 days. It was a wonderful experience and I learned a lot. The other class members were very nice and extremely helpful. Although I thought I knew a lot about chocolate, I found that I didn't know as much as I thought I did!! I found out why my caramels leak (I need to cook it 2 degrees more), but I like the texture, so I might have to put up with it.

Our instructor was wonderful!! He is from China. He was delightful and very knowledgeable. He was extremely helpful and calm, even when we were doing things wrong. My cooking partner was from Seattle. She has a chocolate business there and makes some beautiful chocolates. I'll post some photos that I took in class. We made more than 20 different types of candies. I used equipment that I have never seen before but now I want to own!! We even got to play with the enrober. I always thought that hand-dipping was the best way, but I think I have been convinced that there are different and maybe better ways of dipping.

Trip to Montreal

2008-04-01T15:35:00.000-06:00

Ron and I went to Montreal and Quebec City for 9 days. It was great fun, although it was VERY cold and windy. I'll post some pix of Montreal that Ron took while I was attending my chocolate class. He wandered around the city and took pictures. He even took the Metro (subway)! Montreal has a church on every corner, most with a green copper dome. We went to Easter Mass at St Marie's.

The leaning tower is at the Olympic Plaza. There is a cable car that takes you to the top. Wires coming from the over-hang of the tower, hold up the roof of the stadium.

Old Montreal is fun. These were taken in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral. The lower pictures were taken at the Marche Jean-Talon. It was basically a giant Farmers Market. We went there after we ate in Little Italy. We took 3 Metro trains to get there. We took a cab back:-)