Chef Consultant, Cakes & Hand made Chocolates

Posted on June 19, 2011 by

A Bespoke Cake service on offer for all Occasions as well as Quality hand made Chocolates. Based in Bar Hill, Cambridge just off the A14. Produced by a former 2* Michelin Pastry Chef. Chocolate Shells regularly show products at craft fairs and food shows in the local area. Please See Gallery for Previous work & Shop for Prices.

Consultancy service available along side Demonstrations using the Latest SOSA ingredients. Currently An Ambassador Of SOSA, Chef Consultant for The Home Chocolate Factory,  Woods Foods Services, HB Ingredients, Total food Service, T&J Fine Foods, Ritters. Covering A large area of  Hotels, restaurants & chocolate Company’s. Please visit my SOSA info to read more & see recipes…

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International cake show – 2013 London

Posted on April 16, 2013 by

My Chocolate Display The International cake show – London  Ran from April 12th to 14th 2013, Excel, London.

This year Marry Berry, Paul Hollywood & John Whaite were guests throughout the weekend! A lot of people walking around star struck…

With lots of workshops taking place & everything you need to know about cake or equipment for cakes under one roof. A perfect place to visit even if your an absolute beginner to professional.

To the left was my decorative exhibit made entirely from Chocolate. No dummies & no supports.

HCF demonstration cakemartellato cake

I spent the three days on the Home Chocolate factory stand -F25. Answering questions  & running demonstrations on how to create the lace designs on the cake above (made using our Magic Décor & Tricot Décor mats & Mix – using the same system as sugar Vail- my personal favourite is the butterfly). As well as demonstrating a selection of sugar flowers using the time saving Italian Martellato system – the flowers shown above on the lace cake are using the Lilly formers. The cake above to the right was created using A selection of  Martellato cutters, formers & stencils along side our airbrush. Show prices still running!

#Recipe Our Magic Décor & Tricot décor is very user friendly.

  1. Just mix 100g of our powder mix with 80g of warm water for 5 minutes on the kitchen aid.
  2. Now spread on the green Magic décor mats or black Tricot décor mats. Scraping off the excess paste.
  3. Now leave to air dry 3 to 4 hours depending on heat & humidity of the room. This can be speeded up by drying in a very low oven 80C to 120C and will only take about 6 minutes.
  4. The mix is now flexible & will peel away easily & can be applied directly to a cake using edible glue.
  5. The flexible lace will eventually dry out & go crispy if left in the air. So ideal for the butterfly design, as they can then be placed on top of your cup cakes or cake.

#TIP Keep in an air tight bag will stay flexible for three weeks. #TIP any left over paste can be covered and store in the refrigerator for one week. – I hope to get a video on this posted soon! #TIP the Black Trico Décor mats are also deep and can double up as texture mats then cut for the top of your cup cakes – look excellent when dusted over with metallic powders.

chocolate shoes ICSYou may have seen my chocolate shoes on display, Cheaper than Louboutins to recreate using our NEW polycarbonate large shoe moulds – see promotional prices…

Apply melted Red cocoa butter direct to the moulds using a brush. Then fill with two layers of tempered Chocolate and set.

#Tips for advice with tempering and using moulds applying popping candy, colours making lollipops etc.. see top of page under RECIPES FOR CAKE & HOME – chocolate.

If you missed the show Here are some of our show promotion prices That are valid until 30th June 2013. Please click the link!

Promotion for ICS London 2013

There was the Largest UK display of Competition pieces. With some amazing & truly outstanding creations to be seen at the show, demonstrating remarkable talent and creativity. Here are just a few of the entries on show from each class… For a full list of classes & winners http://www.cakeinternational.co.uk/london/2013/competition-classes

Let them eat THIS cake? Amanda MacLeod gave up nursing training to become a Baker and won Best in Class in the Decorative Exhibit at Cake International for this incredible 4 foot tall Marie Antoinette creation that took 6 months (200 hours) to make. Marie Antoinette was the French queen who was said to have told starving peasants 'Let them eat cake'.CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORYhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2316418/Let-eat-cake-Incredible-cake-depicting-French-queen-Marie-Antoinette-took-SIX-months-make.htmlAn article for one of the cakes that won winner in one of the classes at the ICS London. Click the Link to read the full story about Amanda MacLeod gave up nursing training to become a Baker and won Best in Class in the Decorative Exhibit at Cake International for this incredible 4 foot tall Marie Antoinette creation that took 6 months (200 hours) to make. Marie Antoinette was the French queen who was said to have told starving peasants ‘Let them eat cake’.

 

Also don’t forget that the ICS will be in Birmingham in the Autumn if you fancy entering your competition pieces there.  Home Chocolate factory will also be holding a stand at the show.

To see my posts on previous shows- there is some of the flower demonstration on some of them:-

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Cake decoration tutorials

Posted on April 15, 2013 by

Here are a selection of Easy to follow tutorials to inspire you with your cake decorating.

Lots of more tutorials, recipe & stencils can be found under Recipes & home baking at the top of the page under cake décor

There is also a large selection of information and step by step instructions on Chocolate also under Recipes & Home Baking everything from choosing your chocolate to tempering & moulding.

I will also be doing a live demonstration on using Chocolate moulds, Ideas for fathers day on Wednesday 24th April 8am – 9am on Craft & create TV Ideal shopping. (Sky 671 | Freeview 36 | Freesat 813)

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Run up to International cake show – London 2013

Posted on April 10, 2013 by

Well there isn’t long to go now to the International cake show – London  from the 12th to 14th April, Excel, London.

This year Marry Berry, Paul Hollywood & John Whaite are guests throughout the weekend!

Lots of workshops taking place & everything you need to know about cake or equipment for cakes under one roof.

There will  be the Largest UK display of Competition pieces…. See If you can spot my Show piece.

Make sure if you are coming down to the show you come see me & the Team at the Home Chocolate factory stand!

  • I will be doing demonstrations using our dual action airbrush. (If your looking to buy come & try first). We will be running a special show price….
  • Also demonstrating Sugar flowers using the timesaving Italian method from Martellato.
  • I will be on hand to answer all your Chocolate making questions.
  • We have some interesting design mats from Magic Décor & silicomart – to use alongside your Sugar Vail.
  • Macarons due to popular demand on line this year – Mats & boxes available.
  • New Polycarbonate Shoe Mould – The best design I seen in a long time!
  • Do you have a cricket machine? want a machine that rolls out your paste to perfect thickness every time? We have it NEW IN!

So I have been busy preparing display items for the stand with another full on Chocolate & cake & macaroon day today…

Order your tickets now!  - Also see the link for opening times & full list of Suppliers at the event.

To see my posts on previous shows:-

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Filming Live at Ideal Shopping world – All about chocolate & Easter

Posted on March 17, 2013 by

Are you looking for ideas for Easter?

Or just bought some silicone mats or easy to use chocolate moulds after watching my live TV presentation on Craft & Create (18th March 4pm-5pm).

Scroll down for Recipes, How to temper chocolate, step by step photos & video clip of my live show. See Video clip on filling moulds

Here is how to get the best out of your Silicone mats or easy to use Chocolate moulds from the Home Chocolate Factory or Check out Craft & Create for a few money saving Packages.

Care instructions For Silicone Mats:-

  • Can be used in oven up to 230 degrees centigrade.
  • Can be used in freezer up to -60 degrees centigrade.
  • Dishwasher safe.
  • Cleaning – Wash in hot soapy water or put on the top shelf in dishwasher. Ensure the mould is completely dry before use.
  • If filling with chocolate, wipe the inside with kitchen roll to polish the inside. For best results, use tempered chocolate.
  • Before use – Even though the moulds are non-stick, it is best to lightly grease or spray each cavity first with baking spray to ensure easy release from the mould. Tip for baking only, no coating needed for chocolate.

Recipe ideas:-

  • Chocolate moulds. Solid or with fillings.
  • Cookies & biscuits. (Ginger, Shortbread & Almond Biscuite recipes).
  • Boiled sugar sweets / Isomalt decoration.
  • Ice-cream, Parfait or semi Freddo. (see my ice cream recipes for ideas).
  • chocolate mousse & jelly.

Ginger Biscuits

  • 300g self raising flour
  • pinch salt
  • 3tsp Ground Ginger
  • 1stp mixed spice
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 50g Butter or Margarine
  • 3tblsp Golden syrup
  • 4tbls (20ml) milk

Making ginger biscuits with my boy Ray. I will be decorating these on the show tomorrow with icing.

Filling with Tempered chocolate

  • First ensure your moulds are clean & dry!
  • Start by tempering your chocolate (I’m using white as its more easy to colour).
  • For tempering see my step by step photos below & video clips at the end. Extra information under Cakes-tempering
  • Once the chocolate is tempered you can fill up the moulds. Video clip on filling moulds
  • Then add detail after cooling/setting or colour your chocolate with powdered colour then fill and set.
  • colour can be added after setting solid chocolate by combining powdered food colour with melted cocoa butter & a small amount of vegetable oil. then paint on with a food grade brush. (I hope to be adding a few photos of this soon).
  • Video clip on making chocolate lollipops.
  • If you are using the easy to use chocolate moulds the same instructions apply for use but please do not put in the dish washer.

There is still plenty of time to order your Easter egg moulds & have fun with the kids. I ran several Easter Egg classes last year “Ladies Chocolate night in” and they all loved it designing their own Eggs, so its not just about the children….

Check out the Craft & Create web sit for multibuys & Short video by me on how to temper chocolate & use the silicone mats.

Other Biscuit recipe Ideas:-

Easter Shortbread Biscuits

Ingredients:

  • 230g flour
  • 80g caster sugar
  • 180 g cold butter
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • a few drops of food grade rose water

Icing:

  1. 200g icing sugar
  2. 1 egg white
  3. 2 drops of lemon juice
  4. Food colouring as desired
  5. Coloured sprinkles

Preparation:

  • In a large bowl bring together the flour and diced butter,
  • work until the mixture is sandy.
  • Add sugar, egg yolks, a few drops of rose water and mix well.
  • Once the dough consistency is achieved, rest it between two sheets of parchment paper in the fridge for an hour.
  • Next, work the dough lightly with your hands, then portion it into the mould cavity, taking care to press firmly in order that the mixture follows the mould contours.
  • Bake at 160 degrees for 15/18 minutes and let it cool in the mould before going onto the decoration.

Decoration:

  • Working with an electric whisk, mix the icing sugar with the egg white and lemon juice until the mixture is stiff.
  • Divide into small bowls and colour with the colours chosen and mixed well.
  • Place the frosting in a cone made of parchment paper or disposable piping bags and spread the decoration over the desserts/biscuits.
  • wait to solidify.
  • Soften the remaining icing with a little water and use to fill in the gaps.
  • Add the final sprinkles to finish before the icing hardens.

Almond Easter Decorations

Ingredients:

  • 50 g of almond flour
  • 200 g of flour “00”
  • 100 g of icing sugar
  • 200 g cold butter
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 egg yolk

Decoration:

  • 150 g of white chocolate Food grade marker pen Coloured sugar

Preparation:

  • In a large bowl bring together the flours and diced butter,
  • work until the mixture is sandy.
  • Add sugar, the egg and the egg yolk, and mix well.
  • Once the dough consistency is achieved, rest it between two sheets of parchment paper in the fridge for an hour.
  • Next, work the dough lightly with your hands, then portion it into the mould cavities, taking care to press firmly so that the mixture follows the mould contours.
  • Bake at 160 °C for about 15/18 minutes and let it cool in the mould before going onto the decoration.

Decorating:

  1. Melt the chocolate in a Bain Marie.
  2. Fill a parchment paper cone with a little of the melted chocolate, spread over the decorations of the dessert waiting till chocolate has become hard.
  3. Fill in the gaps with the remaining chocolate and, before it all hardens.
  4. Add decorative details to your creations with coloured sugar and food grade marker pens!
Posted in cakes, Chocolate, Dessert, Equipment, Home Chocolate Factory, Recipes, Tutorial | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

International cake show – Manchester

Posted on March 9, 2013 by

The ICS is a must for anyone who loves making cakes weather your a beginner or pro. A 3 day event full of cakes, demos, hands on classes, equipment inspiration & ideas!
This time ICS was held at event city in Manchester just next to the Trafford centre. I Had an excellent time not just at the show but catching up with friends (as I used to live in Manchester. Excellent meal at Grenache to start the weekend – worth a trip to Manchester just to try Mike Jennings food.)

Thanks to everyone that came to see my airbrush & sugar flower demonstrations using the Martillato moulds both Saturday & Sunday.

For those of you that bought chocolate moulds from us at The Home Chocolate Factory stand. There is plenty of tips on chocolate making – Everything from tempering by hand, making lollipops or chocolate tubes. With extra tips on colouring chocolate, stippling & marbling.
I will be live on the craft & create channel Monday 18th March 4pm & 7pm going through chocolate making Perfect timing for Easter & on again in April.

The competition classes were out of this world! A big well done to two of my close friends Emma ball for 2 gold medals for her batman & her Repunsel cake and my best friend Rose who received Bronze for her comic relief cake

I Hope to be extending this post with a few videos of my demos in the next few days….

If you didn’t make the show don’t forget you can catch us again in London – Excel April, I will be doing demonstrations again on sugar flowers using our air brush & Martilato moulds & cutters available at the show and on line.

If you have been inspired with the cake competitions? There is still time to enter the ICS in London & Birmingham follow links for details. http://www.cakeinternational.co.uk/london/2013/

More posts on past cake shows….

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My second trip to SOSA in Spain – 2013

Posted on February 6, 2013 by
The Old Factory

The Old Factory

A quick two day trip over to Barcelona to see the new Factory & New products – not yet available here in the UK.

There wasn’t much left of the old factory after the fire….

The new premises is so big & in full swing even though there are areas still not in use yet as not finished. Some area had equipment only just moved in but already in use meeting the demand for SOSA range.
Here is a quick tour of the factory - Each product type has its own room.

  1. So starting in the Freeze drying room - Fruit, Vegatables & Powders Prepared & Pakaged in this room.
  2.  Then over to the Nut room where all the nuts are roasted, ground, caramelized, pressed, packaged & torro are made.
  3. Then to the fruit Compound & Cold confit room (New products to be with us soon in the UK) – all the fresh fruit is prepared under low temperature & High pressure in this room to create some fresh stunning fruit & vegetable products that retain there natural properties.
  4. Next up is the Flavour room – This is Temperature, air & Light controled to keep the aromas, natural extracts & oils at there best. But the smells was too over powering for me when this door was opened I would struggle to work in this room. On my last visit all the 50ml aromas were bottled/ measured by hand – they are now done with a small machine moving production forward.
  5. Demonstration room – under construction so was a little make shift for my visit but still did the job. (New kitchen will be installed in the Next few months).
  6. Finally store rooms & delivery areas – my photos probably don’t do the place any justice of how big it is.
  7. There are still lots of areas unfinished were chocolate cooling tunnels were been delivered (Hope to add to this photo gallery soon).

After my tour of the new factory it was off to the Demonstration room this started with a marathon tasting session of the Cold confit range. (This will be launched in the UK this year dates and product information to follow). Some of which included -
Fruits in syrup
Concentrated fruit pulp
Tatin (caramelised fruit in butter & sugar
Gelee
chutney
Here are a few shots of my favourite & defonatley products to look out for….

Demonstration held today by Chef Oscar Fernandez Albiñana
Here are a few of the recipes & items made. I’m not going to run through them all as some will be shown in the new few demonstrations I have lined up in the next two months…

SOSA Whip – used for very light foams & meringues (Egg free)

Foamy Milk – reminded me of a shaving foam texture, (Probebly not the best discription) it held up for about 15mins but can be re whipped) can be flavoured with Sosa aromas & oils.

  • 250g Milk
  • 2g Sosa Whip
  • 50g Sugar
  • 3g Sosa Gelespessa
  • 2g SOSA Milk powder 1%
  1. Mix all the ingredients & whip/whisk for 5 Minutes at stage 3 in a thurmomix (with no heat & paddle attachment) or Kitchen aid until foamy texture.
  2. This can then be flavoured with Sosa Aromas/oils/extracts. (we made a toffee one)

I would say makes an interesting textured sause for a sweet or savoury dish or to top a Hot Chocolate. To watch video on SOSA Whip:-

Foamy milk  

Fruit Meringue  

Yogurt Foam  

other Sosa products I got to use:-

  • Inulin
  • Fresh
  • Manitol
  • Kuzu – ProMochi
  • Dracula moving colours – Colour changing under different ph
  • Lombarda Moving colours – Colour Changing under different ph
  • Aromas – Flavouring baked goods, Frostings
  • Freeze dried powders
  • Chicken Fond
  • Fruit compounds
  • Wet proof crispy
  • Whip
  • Gelespessa
  • SOSA Natural Liquid Colours

Actually I did use alot more too….

If you want to read about my last trip to SOSA in Spain – The Old factory in 2011

A List of UK SOSA Supliers

Posted in Alphabet of flavours, cakes, Chef Consultant, Dessert, Equipment, Freeze Drying, Home Chocolate Factory, Michelle Gillott, Modern Gastronomy, Recipes, SOSA | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Filming Live at The Ideal home shopping – introduction to chocolate making

Posted on January 31, 2013 by

Well I had an Excitting day yesterday, I was Live on TV as a guest on the Ideal Home Shopping – Creaft & Create Channel 10am until 11am. presenting three new chocolate making kits from the Home Chocolate Factory.

Features - Hints & Tips

  • How to temper your chocolate
  • How to use the moulds
  • Makeing easter Eggs
  • Making Chocolate lollipops & cup cake toppers
  • Techniqunes  on finishing touches (Marbeling, Piping, painting with the chocolate).
  • wrapping individual chocolates in gold foils ready to be gift wrapped (all part of the Kits.

Here are a few shots from behind the scenes in the studio while I was setting up! (Had a few butterflys in my tummy I can tell you.

Filming Jewellery making live While I was setting up.

Filming Jewellery making live While I was setting up.

The team helping me set up my kitchen ready for the show

The team helping me set up my kitchen ready for the show

Think I am set ready to go Live

Think I am set ready to go Live

If you missed the Show or fancy buying one of the Kits featured on the show please Follow the Link.

THEN CLICK WATCH VIDEO at the top left to see me in action….

http://www.createandcraft.tv/Introduction_to_Chocolate_Making_Kit_-_8_Elements_268780.aspx?fh_location=%2F%2Fcreateandcraft%2Fen_GB%2F%24s%3D268780

I hope to get the full version to post very soon… (As it was live I still haven`t seen it myself)

Also If you did see the Show hope you enjoyed it & Welcome to my Blog!

Please take the Time to brows my Gallery for Ideas & Insperation. But more important if you want more advice with the Chocolates & recipes see my Recipes for cakes & home at the top of the page. you will find lots of tutorial….

Will keep you posted on more show dates….. (There is more to come).

Want to say thanks to everyone at the studio for making me feel at home as well as a big thanks to Julia & team at Elaje hair & Beauty on Hills road cambridge for doing a wonderfull job on my hair.

Posted in Chocolate, Equipment, Home Chocolate Factory, Michelle Gillott, Recipes, Tutorial | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment