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Sweet/Petits Fours making difficulties. help appreciated!

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purpleivy
purpleivy Posts: 3,664 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
in Old style MoneySaving
I'm in the middle of [strike]bodging[/strike] creating beautiful hand made sweets but having some problems. Stuff doesnt seem to be as firm as I would like it. firm at ambient temperature would be nice. THis always happens. Can't do anything about it.
  • Have made some things already, but getting really frustrated by the 'finish'.
  • I did the bounty balls with some dark chocolate last night. Had cut the stuff into squares, but the choc just ran off them and they looked huge. After about 5 I squidged the mix into balls and coated with choc, but they were very messy, so put them straight into cases to stop them doing freestyle all over the sheet. I wanted them to be nice and ball shaped and covered in dark glossy chocolate. Well the dodgy ones that I had for breakfast tasted good. But I want stuff to LOOK good as well.
  • Baked some tiny macaroons, they look fine.
  • Have done some of the Nigella peanut butter squares. Now trying to cut this, but it's cracking, so will leave out for a while and try again, then put in little cases too. Have used a better quality peanut butter this time rather than the cheapy stuff, better result and tastes nicer too.
  • I have made some plain choc and ginger truffles, this was firm enough straight from the fridge to roll into balls and I have just dusted these with cocoa powder. After last night's escapade with melted chocolate and attendant mess......didn't seem like a good idea.
  • I have some white choc truffle mix that has apricot brandy and bits of glace apricot in it. Seems relatively solid in its box in the fridge. Question is, what to do with it? scoop out into balls? if so, what to cover with? I have a bit of white chocolate left, but seem so messy with this. Any ideas? DOn't want to do more with cocoa powder, as I would like them all to look different.
  • have some marzipan, so need to do something more attractive (but preferably easy) than just making into lumps!
Any help at all would be appreciated. It's really hard being a perfectionist!
[SIZE=-1]"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad"[/SIZE]
Trying not to waste food!:j
ETA Philosophy is wondering whether a Bloody Mary counts as a Smoothie
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Comments

  • mardatha
    mardatha Posts: 15,612 Forumite
    god I know just how you feel.... I've just had a traumatising experience with melted choc on fairy cakes. I am thinking hundreds & thousands or choc vermicelli, and rolling things in it - rather than going totally batty trying to get melted choc to stop looking like road kill.
  • purpleivy
    purpleivy Posts: 3,664 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    mardatha wrote: »
    god I know just how you feel.... I've just had a traumatising experience with melted choc on fairy cakes. I am thinking hundreds & thousands or choc vermicelli, and rolling things in it - rather than going totally batty trying to get melted choc to stop looking like road kill.


    Thanks Mardatha, at least I know I'm not alone. Will see what I have in the way of choc vermicelli.

    In a previous job (a loooonnnnggg time ago) I was head cook and bottle washer in a boarding school. HM's wife asked me if I had spilt the chocolate vermicelli.... and we hadn't had it out......:eek:

    I'm bracing myself to sort out the apricot and white chocolate truffs at the mo. The peanut butter squares were fine for cutting at room temp, even if a little squidgy. Have started to get them in little cellophane bags with labels on. Covers a multitude of sins! Might get round to a pic
    [SIZE=-1]"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad"[/SIZE]
    Trying not to waste food!:j
    ETA Philosophy is wondering whether a Bloody Mary counts as a Smoothie
  • purpleivy
    purpleivy Posts: 3,664 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Just had an idea Mardatha... go ahead with the white choc coating then drizzle a v. small quantity of dark chocolate over to disguise the fact that they're a bit rough looking.
    [SIZE=-1]"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad"[/SIZE]
    Trying not to waste food!:j
    ETA Philosophy is wondering whether a Bloody Mary counts as a Smoothie
  • mardatha
    mardatha Posts: 15,612 Forumite
    Tried that. thats when it started to look like road kill..and then I shoved a cherry on top to take attention away from the brown goo with white bits in... and then I threw it all out for the birds and the cat started eating it.
    I was never ever employed as a cook... I wonder why?
    but the shortbread was fantastic ! (et half already)..
  • purpleivy
    purpleivy Posts: 3,664 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    I haven't got going with this yet, but found your message. Do you think it might be worth letting the white choc coating set before putting the brown on?

    In answer to your question... the truffle mix itself was easy enough, but too soft at room temp. I dusted with cocoa powder. Peanut butter squares are easy, just need to cut at room temp, as it cracks when cold.
    [SIZE=-1]"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad"[/SIZE]
    Trying not to waste food!:j
    ETA Philosophy is wondering whether a Bloody Mary counts as a Smoothie
  • mardatha
    mardatha Posts: 15,612 Forumite
    I will try the choc thing tomorrow when I feel less suicidal, Really hot melted choc and let set in fridge, then really hot dark melted choc dribbled on . ok :D I sort of wish I'd bought bl**dy smarties like everybody else though..
  • purpleivy
    purpleivy Posts: 3,664 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    mardatha wrote: »
    I will try the choc thing tomorrow when I feel less suicidal, Really hot melted choc and let set in fridge, then really hot dark melted choc dribbled on . ok :D I sort of wish I'd bought bl**dy smarties like everybody else though..


    Maybe this is why shops do such hot trade in Mon Cheri and Ferrero Rocher this time of year.

    Maybe the cavalry will come and help out in a bit. Pretty please! I regard myself as a pretty competent cook, but the choc thing is getting tooooo frustrating :confused: :wall:
    [SIZE=-1]"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad"[/SIZE]
    Trying not to waste food!:j
    ETA Philosophy is wondering whether a Bloody Mary counts as a Smoothie
  • System
    System Posts: 178,349 Community Admin
    10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    hi,sorry you feel all stressed out, how about coating your white choc truffles
    with ground almonds or dessicated coconut,or finely toated nuts,you could put any of those on the dark truffles also.

    could you make marzipan fruit,maybe just oranges if you have any orange food colour there,small balls,roll on small pointy bit of grater and a clove for the
    stalk bit if your with me


    i have been baking today,i have made chocolate brazils,mini half coated florentines which turned out better than expected and some very nice viennese hazlenut cookies which arent petit four size but very easy and delish and you could adapt.

    hope the rest goes ok for you
    This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com
  • purpleivy
    purpleivy Posts: 3,664 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    So you're obviously successfully coating stuff with chocolate. I wonder if you would share what you do with us? We'd be ever so grateful.
    [SIZE=-1]"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad"[/SIZE]
    Trying not to waste food!:j
    ETA Philosophy is wondering whether a Bloody Mary counts as a Smoothie
  • System
    System Posts: 178,349 Community Admin
    10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    i haven't done anything different i don't think, i melt it over hot water,as i think if it gets too hot it loses its sheen.

    i used thorntons chocolate fountain chocolate drops as i had some left,i gave the brazils 2 thin coats of chocolate and let set on parchment.

    the florentines my kids were helping me with so just dipped half in, again onto parchment

    the white chocolate chunks i had here i added a little vegetable oil to before melting.
    working with chocolate is a messy buisness but someones got to do and
    clean up the spills!
    This is a system account and does not represent a real person. To contact the Forum Team email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com
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