alanamoana

yes, but it only comes in 10 oz cans. edited to add: chefs' warehouse has large cans probably, if you look at links in threads about high quality chocolate, you'll find sources for almond paste as well.

i wish i had known that before i bought my second which is a "professional 5 plus" which just means that my older model five quart bowl lift bowls and attachments aren't compatible. but it came with a free extra bowl and was on sale cheap, so i had to get it . again, the "5 plus" doesn't seem to like the heavy work as much as my older model standard 5 quart bowl lift...darn it. it's good to know they updated the gears on the 600 Pros...maybe there will be one of those in my future!

hey sote23, i was just down there...i don't think there's too much going on, but i'll let the locals chime in. that's a bit of a spread from long beach down to laguna hills so there may be something i don't know about. i usually just go for good asian food!

some marshmallow recipes are made using egg whites almost like an italian meringue base. i have a feeling the soy protein is used to imitate the egg whites in a vegan version. maybe it helps fluff?! don't know which products will allow for aeration. good luck and let us know how it goes.

hey klary, i know you're in amsterdam and all, but let's go easy on sniffing the "spices" okay?

k8, i've definitely seen your hobart on the floor in some of your photos!! , pampered indeed.

edited to remove my stupidity...wait, I can't do that ... some of your ideas sound great klary. i like the idea of poaching the quinces in a plain poaching syrup flavored with some of the speculaas spices (whole spices). then you can use the quinces in a type of "upside down" cake something with alcohol... ice cream with speculaas crunchies inside... lots of whipped cream... man, it is just endless...

not necessarily true , but then again a thousand+ year cooking (and baking) history doesn't necessarily include the use of electric mixers from what i understand, newer model kitchen aids are made with plastic parts in the motor and that is why they break down. if you are lucky enough to have an older model kitchen aid that was made when hobart was making the mixers, you'll have a machine that will last forever. however, i have two kitchen aid stand mixers and have been pleased with both (the older one really is better than my newer one and they are only about 6 years apart in age but slightly different models). vanessa, i wouldn't get it. you definitely get what you pay for in mixers. also, don't get a viking. they stink.

from what i understand, pectin needs heat and an acid to cause it to set. you might be better off making pate de fruit (fruit pastes or fruit jellies) for your friends rather than messing around with marshmallows. they are fun, but i don't know how well pectin would work.

ouch gary! what a day... well, i had some similar baking fun ( ) today....i was invited to a holiday cookie exchange. there was some pressure because i'm in the biz and everyone there would be in the biz. i made a batch of cookies, forgot to add the butter! didn't matter too much because it is a chocolate "decadence" type cookie and they still came out okay. but just in case, i made another batch... the second batch did not come out attractively at all. looked like little piles of puppy poo , so i made sure to wrap the cookies in cello and placed the rather large recipe card right in front...hiding the cookies! to add insult to injury one of the guests was none other than Flo Braker (author of "The Simple art of Perfect Baking). another guest was pastry chef Janet Rikala (very well known in San Francisco) you can imagine the performance anxiety (can women have that?!) i was going through today... glad to see it wasn't just me.

are you kidding me? your recent meringue creations are amazing to look at and probably just as delicious to eat! i saw the huge production of spekulaas you made recently, so at least you have one foot through the door of the challenge. i have full confidence in your abilities and can't wait to see what you produce...good luck klary and get baking

rarerollingobject, thanks for the great descriptions, recipe, step-by-step instructions, etc.! great post. what a wonderful way to grow up! i went to hkis for one year 1986-87...had an australian friend there. i don't think she had the same nanny situation . susan, my mom recently mentioned to me that when making dumpling wrappers, she's now doing the part boiling water, part cold water. but she doesn't make two separate doughs, just adds about 1/3 of the amount of the total water as cold water. this is just for general use dumplings, not xlb. and i've seen your potstickers. pretty amazing for a white girl . i only make three pleats per side...i think yours have about ten! i still want to make xlb. i'm just too lazy.

looks delish kerry.

depends on how many you need and how fast you need them. this company is good and relatively fast. they have a minimum purchase amount, but they'll go below it for a small charge. with the larger companies, the more you buy, the more you save. i just bought two cases of cello bags (different sizes, one gussetted, the other flat) to keep around. they don't go bad. other than that, you can get them at michael's craft store as well.

anyone have an opinion on any of the carole bloom candy books?

nice marshmallows sss! it could be that you just put too much water in with the sugar when cooking the syurp. the temperature is an indication of how much water is left in the solution...less water=higher temperature. i usually don't measure the water when i know i'm making a syrup (soft ball, etc). rather, i put a little bit of water in the pot (always water first!) then put the sugar in, making sure not to splash any crystals on the side of the pot and just make sure that all the sugar has been moistened. i look for a "wet sand" consistency. then, i put the pot on high (so that the flames, if you have a gas stove, come up the side to melt down any stray crystals) and DON'T TOUCH IT until it reaches the proper temp. it takes less time with less water (less to evaporate). good luck with future batches! looks like you're off to a running start

yes

Hey Donbert, I love the photo of the dulche'd scm! Amazing experiment, can't wait to find out what the favorites are. Here's something you might want to try in some eggnog: I used it in my eG Pastry Challenge dessert after learning about it from a former boss of mine. It is pretty fiery stuff straight, but really enhances food when a little bit is used. More of a butterscotch-y flavor than rum-like. Blog-on!

Pallee, do you mean 240F? That would be soft ball which is what the sugar syrup should be when you add it to the rest of the marshmallow ingredients. Abra, your marshmallows don't look too far off the mark. I think they will always be a bit sticky on the cut sides until you dust them with your starch mixture. Usually, I do a 50/50 blend of powdered sugar and corn starch.

i think the most likely causes are a) overwhipped cream or b) as SweetSide mentioned, the cream being too cold and having the chocolate set up before becoming fully incorporated, causing little chocolate "chips" in the mousse whenever you're folding something into whipped cream, it is better to whip it a little less because when you start folding it agitates it some more which can cause it to "overwhip" when whipping cream and egg whites, it is fine to put everything in the mixing bowl at one time, but whip (relatively) slowly to end up with a nice, small, even network of air bubbles=smooth cream or meringue, regardless of soft or firm peak.

Thanks Owen!

most bakeries make a raisin walnut bread. try the "il fornaio baking book" or nancy silverton's "bread from the la brea bakery" book. any recipe for loaves of bread can be made into rolls. the bread turns purple from the walnut skins. edited to add: change your google search from rolls to: walnut raisin "bread" recipe, and you should get the results you're looking for.

prasantrin, there's a prettycommon ingredient available at japanese markets which you might consider using on top of your caramels. i don't know the japanese name but it is kuro-goma(?) (black sesame seeds) with coarse salt. sort of like furikake but just salt and seeds to sprinkle on rice, etc. suddenly you mentioning japan and seeing the pictures of your beautiful caramels made me think of that. it just sounds good.

i remember seeing this in several cookbooks, but the only one i can remember at the moment is in an issue of art culinaire. shouldn't matter if you have a crust or not. use your common sense with the baking. make sure the cheesecake is chilled or frozen to remove from the pan and just warm it up quickly with a torch or some hot water. Yeah, I'll have to get them all prep before hand. As the the mold, I'm not so worry about the sticking as I'm worry that not having a crust may somehow affect the recipe. Thanks everyone for your input. ←

Rather than marshmallow fluff, you can make actual marshmallow. Just stop mixing before the marshmallow gets too firm, then you can pipe or spread it onto your cake. It might make it a bit more difficult to cut through, but I think it would work for the look you are going for.