[TapTapper]

Hello All

I am looking for a nice hard chocolate coating for cookies that dries hard and is runny for dipping. Plain melted chocolate doesn't seem to get runny enough (I'm using Callebaut couverture). And I do not have a chocolate tempering machine; I use a double-boiler. Some coatings take shortening; is this to give a shine without tempering? I had a recipe that included corn syrup and shortening and it never got smooth.

Also, I have received a large order for chocolate-covered strawberries. Does anyone have a good coating recipe for this? Dark and white chocolate. And how long will they last refrigerated? I have to make 250 pcs for Valentine's Day, and I wonder how long I have to complete them. I'll be using large, bright red, hard as a rock berries.

Thanks in advance
--Pat

[panini]

Pat,
There is a couple of ways to go. My first question is your rock hard berries. Do you mean that they might not be ripe and a little white on the inside. If your berries are not going to taste to ripe, you might want to use an already prepared coating. These coatings come in white, dark and milk chocolate. Cocoa-barry has one, most of the big chocolate companies have one. These are pretty fool proof but you do sacrafice some quality.
There are also some good formulas out there that will do the same thing but these are less forgiving. You need to bring some up and then see if it hold well underfrig and so on.
I guess my question is what type of quality are you going for.
HTH
pan

[Suzanne]

Moving this to Baking and Pastry questions.

[panini]

your such a stickler.
that's why we luv ya

[TapTapper]

Originally Posted by Suzanne

Moving this to Baking and Pastry questions.

You know, I went back and forth about that. Originally I started it in baking and pastry, but since there is no use of an oven and no flour I decided to go here. Maybe it's a confection?

[TapTapper]

Originally Posted by panini

I guess my question is what type of quality are you going for.pan

Weeeell, I'd say medium quality. The berries will be under-ripe with white centers (I've found a source for huge berries at around $2.50/doz, so that's what they get). In my products I concentrate on seasonal, local, fresh ingredients, so I feel that anyone that wants a 2 inch strawberry in the northeast in Febuary gets what they deserve. I guess could use candy melts but just for my own education I'd like to find a proper chocolate treatment.

In season I would NEVER use those red rocks that pass for strawberries but that doesn't seem to be the point for my customer: they just want big and pretty. The strawberries I prefer are too soft and small for this treatment, so I have no respect for or understanding of this particular item. But I'm a wiz with a pastry bag and I'll try anything. I was planning on doing some of those tuxedo-style ones, as well as the bi-color drizzles.

BTW Pan: the items on your website are gorgeous! I would love to be able to do that level of work one day.

[HeavyMetal Chef]

Ok, so do you just want to find out how to coat some berries in chocolate? If so just temper it yourself....I guess I will tell you the way to do it. Melt 1/2 your chocolate in a double boiler while constantly stirring making sure the sides are well scraped. Then to check the temp you take the spatula right from the chocolate and touch right bellow your lip.....if it is hotter than body temp take it off the boiler and add your second 1/2 and keep on stirring until the chocolate is completely melted....if it doesn't melt flash it (by just putting it onto the heat until it melts....NOT GET HOT). Keep on stirring because "agitation promotes crystalization". To check if it is ready you take a little and smear a thin layer of it on a metal or marble surface (if you have a counter top that will do but it will suck to clean). If i cools realtively quick and looks shiney it is readdy for your berries.......was that the answer you were looking for?