Death By Chocolate-Part II

I finagled an invitation to the chocolate dipping event again this year.

It was wonderful, times two.

This was my station, during the morning session,

I was in charge of sprinkling the peppermint truffles with

crushed candy cane, after being dipped in white chocolate.

These are the shelves, specially made to hold all the dipped

chocolates, they're empty now. . . . . 

This is the amazing lady in charge, she has this down to

a science and has been doing it for years.

Now she's got the entire family involved, even Adam Sandler :)

These are just a few of the flavors.  There is strawberry, olympian cream, 

vanilla, coconut, mint.

They make the fondant several weeks before the dipping ever begins.

They set up at the institute with two long tables 

and several dipping stations per table.

Sister Dahl was explaining water fondant and the proper way

 to make cherries.

First you enrobe the cherries in the water fondant, then gently dip

them, after a few days the fondant turns to liquid. 

Yum!

These are mine, they have to be just right.

Notice the little circles on the papers, made before the 

chocolates are dipped, these are called foots. 

They dot the paper with chocolate then place the dipped fondants

on the foots, that way they won't leak after they've set.

When the tray is filled, the group calls "tray".  They give them a new

tray and take the filled tray back to the table.  At the table, they are

labeled, counted and entered into the computer, that's right, they keep

track on the computer.

The shelves are slowly filling with beautiful morsels of

decadent wonderfulness.

The groups were getting very clever with calling "tray" this year.

Some were singing it, others making up rhymes, it was very fun.

Round two, new table covering, fresh chocolate, new fondant

flavors, clean plates.  It starts all over again.

Strawberry, dipped in chocolate covered peanuts, amazing.

I've graduated from topping the chocolates to dipping.  During the

second session with a little help and instruction I was able to dip

turkish delights.  Sister Dahl said these and the caramels are the easiest to dip

because they don't weep, if you don't get the fondant completely covered

with chocolate the fondant leaks out and that's a big no no.  But according to 

everyone else, the caramels and delights are the hardest. 

 I didn't seem to have any trouble.

Some more of the counted and completed product.

These are mine, all mine.  I dipped each one of these, and didn't

do half bad, if I do say so myself.  I even had the little swirly

 going on top.

I was dipping next to three teenage girls, they said I did ok too.

They all voted and chose the top middle as one of my best looking.

Coconut

No clue, they are putting an almond on top, if

that means anything.

From top to bottom, peanut butter truffles, 

cookies'n cream and cherry

They exceded last years total by 800 chocolates.

Last year they dipped 8,000 chocolates, this year, grand total

8,800 phenomenal chocolates.

Again, thank you Chris, Cindy and family for letting me be a part.