http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html In LA, but Still Exploring Desserts Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:41:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-21024 Nina Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:51:50 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-21024 Thank you, Jessica! Thank you, Jessica!

]]> http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-20968 Jessica Sheldon Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:28:27 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-20968 These Look Amazing. I didn't actully think you could make chocolate buy hand at home. I haven't been reading it yet but look at the pictures. They look so perfetional :D. These Look Amazing.
I didn’t actully think you could make chocolate buy hand at home.
I haven’t been reading it yet but look at the pictures.
They look so perfetional :D.

]]> http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-20498 So Close… - Sweet Napa Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:08:42 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-20498 [...] No matter how much is done, these bars won’t be completely ready for sale on the internet until everything is completely ready. So, I wait with baited breath for my 5-ply candy pads, my website design, my website photographs, and my marshmallow packaging (more layerboards, only bigger this time! from this fantastic company) and label design. Just like my efforts that took months to prepare (or has it been over a year already?), all of those works are being done to order, so I understand they also need time and take care to prepare. It’s so easy for a week to go by at a time, but with the holidays coming up, I am getting anxious about getting in on orders. My bars, and their packaging, are ready to sell in stores and I’m pursuing that, but at this point, many stores already have their holiday inventory ordered (my first choice retailer included, darn it). So, for December, my goal is to build word of mouth through individual sales and to pursue corporate gift orders for larger volume sales.  And to keep calm.  And to appreciate all the wonderful people who are helping me out in so many different ways. Anyway, for Thanksgiving, I indulged in some good old-fashioned dessert-makin’ (in addition to candy bar samples, of course).  I made a trifle with Butternut Squash Mousse (based on this brilliant recipe; I used less gelatin and whipped cream b/c it was in a bowl and served with whipped cream), Fresh Ginger Cake (another brilliant recipe here; a combo of blackstrap molasses and Lyle’s golden syrup worked just fine for the mild molasses called for), and Bourbon Whipped Cream (I actually winged that one, just like in the olden days of plated desserts). How wrapped up in candy bars am I? I didn’t even take a single picture! But it was delicious, by popular sentiment. The butternut squash was roasted, pureed, frozen, and strained before being incorporated into the mousse. The sweet squash flavor was so smooth and lasting. I wonder if this would even work for canned pumpkin — to freeze, thaw, and strain it for a more intense flavor. The freezing step separates the water from the starch puree, so just like smaller fruits usually have a more intense flavor due to less water content, this butternut squash puree made for a particularly tasty dessert.  And a pleasant distraction… [...] [...] No matter how much is done, these bars won’t be completely ready for sale on the internet until everything is completely ready. So, I wait with baited breath for my 5-ply candy pads, my website design, my website photographs, and my marshmallow packaging (more layerboards, only bigger this time! from this fantastic company) and label design. Just like my efforts that took months to prepare (or has it been over a year already?), all of those works are being done to order, so I understand they also need time and take care to prepare. It’s so easy for a week to go by at a time, but with the holidays coming up, I am getting anxious about getting in on orders. My bars, and their packaging, are ready to sell in stores and I’m pursuing that, but at this point, many stores already have their holiday inventory ordered (my first choice retailer included, darn it). So, for December, my goal is to build word of mouth through individual sales and to pursue corporate gift orders for larger volume sales.  And to keep calm.  And to appreciate all the wonderful people who are helping me out in so many different ways. Anyway, for Thanksgiving, I indulged in some good old-fashioned dessert-makin’ (in addition to candy bar samples, of course).  I made a trifle with Butternut Squash Mousse (based on this brilliant recipe; I used less gelatin and whipped cream b/c it was in a bowl and served with whipped cream), Fresh Ginger Cake (another brilliant recipe here; a combo of blackstrap molasses and Lyle’s golden syrup worked just fine for the mild molasses called for), and Bourbon Whipped Cream (I actually winged that one, just like in the olden days of plated desserts). How wrapped up in candy bars am I? I didn’t even take a single picture! But it was delicious, by popular sentiment. The butternut squash was roasted, pureed, frozen, and strained before being incorporated into the mousse. The sweet squash flavor was so smooth and lasting. I wonder if this would even work for canned pumpkin — to freeze, thaw, and strain it for a more intense flavor. The freezing step separates the water from the starch puree, so just like smaller fruits usually have a more intense flavor due to less water content, this butternut squash puree made for a particularly tasty dessert.  And a pleasant distraction… [...]

]]> http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-14440 Sweet Napa » Blog Archive » Sweet Napa’s Television Debut — on Shark Week Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:55:46 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-14440 [...] Well, this charming comparison is part of the Discovery Channel’s new Perfect Predators program, produced by Tigress Productions. And whose candy bar will illustrate the point? My very own… [...] [...] Well, this charming comparison is part of the Discovery Channel’s new Perfect Predators program, produced by Tigress Productions. And whose candy bar will illustrate the point? My very own… [...]

]]> http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-10255 Sweet Napa » Blog Archive » The Scotch Bar Sun, 20 May 2007 17:23:44 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-10255 [...] Spiced Caramel Nut Bar S’More Bar The Coconut Peanut Butter Bar Coffee Bar Malt Bar Banana Bar Beer Bar Orange Bar [...] [...] Spiced Caramel Nut Bar S’More Bar The Coconut Peanut Butter Bar Coffee Bar Malt Bar Banana Bar Beer Bar Orange Bar [...]

]]> http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-9297 Sweet Napa » Blog Archive » The Orange Bar - In Progress Mon, 30 Apr 2007 08:00:02 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-9297 [...] A meringue layer is fun in a candy bar. It starts off crunchy, but then dissolves in a lovely way. So, it seems like a counterpoint to the creamy ganache at first, but then it almost becomes part of the ganache for a clean finish of texture and taste; this is similar in theory to a dacquoise cake (but the meringue softens once it’s constructed in that). Although I like shortbread in the Malt Bar or Banana Bar, it wouldn’t work for this bar — the butter and flour give a flavor and texture that are very different. [...] [...] A meringue layer is fun in a candy bar. It starts off crunchy, but then dissolves in a lovely way. So, it seems like a counterpoint to the creamy ganache at first, but then it almost becomes part of the ganache for a clean finish of texture and taste; this is similar in theory to a dacquoise cake (but the meringue softens once it’s constructed in that). Although I like shortbread in the Malt Bar or Banana Bar, it wouldn’t work for this bar — the butter and flour give a flavor and texture that are very different. [...]

]]> http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-6322 Sweet Napa » Blog Archive » My Candy Bar Business Wed, 14 Mar 2007 17:07:37 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-6322 [...] So, what bars am I going to offer? The Caramel Bar. The Malted Bar. The S’More Bar. The Coconut Bar. They’re all in, but are being minorly or majorly tweaked. I have six other main contenders, and loads of back-up ideas. You’ll be hearing lots about them. [...] [...] So, what bars am I going to offer? The Caramel Bar. The Malted Bar. The S’More Bar. The Coconut Bar. They’re all in, but are being minorly or majorly tweaked. I have six other main contenders, and loads of back-up ideas. You’ll be hearing lots about them. [...]

]]> http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-5694 Sweet Napa » Blog Archive » The Beer Bar Tue, 06 Mar 2007 08:54:05 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-5694 [...] I like that, except for the potato chips, all the mix-ins can all be cut into roughly the same size and are similar colors, so there’s little predicting what you’ll get in one bite and every bite is slightly different, even crunch-wise. I find that the corn nuts produce an especially alluring flavor combination with the chocolate. The ganache provides a creamy refreshment to the crunch and a beer aftertaste… just like washing down some snacks with some beer (…and chocolate). The ganache on the bottom works as a nice change; and Chad’s been eating recently-made Malt Bars upside-down anyway. [...] [...] I like that, except for the potato chips, all the mix-ins can all be cut into roughly the same size and are similar colors, so there’s little predicting what you’ll get in one bite and every bite is slightly different, even crunch-wise. I find that the corn nuts produce an especially alluring flavor combination with the chocolate. The ganache provides a creamy refreshment to the crunch and a beer aftertaste… just like washing down some snacks with some beer (…and chocolate). The ganache on the bottom works as a nice change; and Chad’s been eating recently-made Malt Bars upside-down anyway. [...]

]]> http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-4989 Sweet Napa » Blog Archive » I Went Out for a Candy Bar… And Came Back with 14 Wed, 21 Feb 2007 04:55:41 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-4989 [...] From a production standpoint, it’s pretty involved. It’s one of the few molded mass-market chocolates — especially bold b/c sharp edges and fine patterns are more prone to cause air bubbles in the chocolate. So, they probably make it by: baking pellets of cookie and coating them with a certain protective layer to prevent moisture from softening the cookie (you can see that white sort of substance around the cookie; Twix does the same with a darker substance; I’ll have to do the same for my cookie bars, like the Malt bar, by hand), lining their molds with chocolate, making and injecting enough caramel to leave room for the displacement caused by the cookie, pushing the cookie down into the caramel, and then backing it with more chocolate. Many cookies protruded out through the back a little, but I guess it’s okay as long as it doesn’t prevent other squares from stacking next to it in the package. And they have to make a lot of these to fill a packet, and packaging them is a little more work than packing a single bar. [...] [...] From a production standpoint, it’s pretty involved. It’s one of the few molded mass-market chocolates — especially bold b/c sharp edges and fine patterns are more prone to cause air bubbles in the chocolate. So, they probably make it by: baking pellets of cookie and coating them with a certain protective layer to prevent moisture from softening the cookie (you can see that white sort of substance around the cookie; Twix does the same with a darker substance; I’ll have to do the same for my cookie bars, like the Malt bar, by hand), lining their molds with chocolate, making and injecting enough caramel to leave room for the displacement caused by the cookie, pushing the cookie down into the caramel, and then backing it with more chocolate. Many cookies protruded out through the back a little, but I guess it’s okay as long as it doesn’t prevent other squares from stacking next to it in the package. And they have to make a lot of these to fill a packet, and packaging them is a little more work than packing a single bar. [...]

]]> http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-3069 Sweet Napa » Blog Archive » Spicy Caramel Nut Candy Bar… With Cocoa Nibs Wed, 06 Dec 2006 10:23:38 +0000 http://www.sweetnapa.com/2006/11/12/a-candy-bar-made-at-home.html#comment-3069 [...] I waited for the caramel mixture to cool to 85F before I filled my molds; any higher, and the chocolate could melt. I then began the painstaking process of using the ends of two butter knives to deposit the caramel mixture bit by bit into the molds b/c it wasn’t pourable. In the future, I could add more cream to make it more runny, but I do like it the way it is so maybe I’ll try to think of a better method. In any case, since it’s only one filling, it’s much easier to engineer than a ganache and cookie combination, like with the Malted Caramel Ganache and Vanilla Shortbread Candy Bar…. which reminds me — I need to start thinking of snazzy names for these things. [...] [...] I waited for the caramel mixture to cool to 85F before I filled my molds; any higher, and the chocolate could melt. I then began the painstaking process of using the ends of two butter knives to deposit the caramel mixture bit by bit into the molds b/c it wasn’t pourable. In the future, I could add more cream to make it more runny, but I do like it the way it is so maybe I’ll try to think of a better method. In any case, since it’s only one filling, it’s much easier to engineer than a ganache and cookie combination, like with the Malted Caramel Ganache and Vanilla Shortbread Candy Bar…. which reminds me — I need to start thinking of snazzy names for these things. [...]

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