merstar

Good advice. Which chocolates do you usually blend together?

You know, it's funny about Ghirardelli - I'm don't like eating their chocolates out of hand (I much prefer several others, such as Chocovic Guaranda 71%, Santander Columbian 70%, Fiori Sera 65%, etc), but when they're baked or used in a ganache, the weak properties disappear and the strong properties come through, yielding a good, deep, dark taste and a smooth texture.

I agree with Ruth about Ghirardelli. Their baking bars are excellent (I mostly use their semi-sweet and bittersweet 60%). They're way above Hershey's and Nestle's, both in taste and texture, and I've had 100% great results in all my baking, plus ganaches, etc. Callebaut is a good all-purpose chocolate, but I prefer the taste of Ghirardelli. Have never liked E. Guittard.

If so, how are the recipes? I'm mainly interested in the vegetarian, fish, and dessert recipes. http://www.amazon.com/Isabels-Cantina-Flav...95371904&sr=8-1

Whey Low is supposed to be excellent, and taste and bake just like sugar. You may have to adjust the baking times slightly, but you can get that info on their site: http://www.wheylow.com/

Bumping this up. Has anyone tried these side by side?

These are very decadent and sturdy - they should hold up well when shipped: Mocha Truffle Cookies http://www.edining.ca/viewrecipe.asp?ID=985

Thanks, Sebastian, I'm just looking for a small supply for home use, and don't know if my source will be able to provide me with this information. I've emailed them, and will see. As far as 22/24, if you're referring to the fat content, it appears both cocoas contain that amount: http://www.chocosphere.com/Html/Products/callebaut.html

Although Cacao Barry is the French Division of Callebaut, is there any noticeable difference in taste between the two cocoas? Has anyone compared them side by side?

"My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people." - Orson Welles "Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. They probably get jet-lagged, just like people." ~Elizabeth Berry "Strength is the capacity to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the pieces." --Judith Viorst "In the beginning, the Lord created chocolate, and he saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the dark, and it was better." -Unknown "Researchers have discovered that chocolate produces some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana. The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two but can't remember what they are." - Matt Lauer (on NBC's Today Show).

Well, I'm going to go against the grain, and say that Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet (haven't tried their 70%), and semi-sweet baking bars are my first choice for baked goods, ganaches, ice cream, etc. They melt like a dream and are very easy to work with, plus yield a deep, dark chocolate taste. I've used Callebaut, Scharffen Berger, Lindt, El Rey (my least favorite), etc., and still prefer Ghirardelli for most applications. I do like Scharffen Berger 70%, however, and have baked with it occasionally. I dislike all types of Valrhona, other than their Lactee, so I've never considered baking with any of them. Santander Columbian 70% is a great chocolate and melts beautifully - it's also delicious eating out of hand. Some other great ones are Fiori Sera 65% and Chocovic Guaranda, although I've only tried them out of hand, so I don't know how they melt.

Last night I made a simple Deep Dish Apple Crisp with Jonagold apples. Delicious.

You are absolutely correct. In the U.S., chili powder is a blend of spices, whereas cayenne pepper is ground cayenne chiles.

Some other ideas: White Chocolate-Basil Mousse and Strawberry Parfait http://www.chocolate.com/recipes/white-cho...ry-parfait.html Strawberry Basil Sorbet http://www.recipezaar.com/92408

This sounds really good, although basil is not the main ingredient: Lemon Parfait in Basil Tuile Cups http://www.ablithepalate.com/2006/05/lemon_parfait_i.html

I just made these and they're very good. I used almonds instead of macadamias, reduced the sugar by 25%, and cut down the salt: Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Coconut Cookies http://www.recipezaar.com/76580

I agree - I've made quite a few things from this book and they have been good! ← You know, you were one of the people I thought of when I suggested this book. I read your blog often, and noticed a lot of your recipes came from or were adapted from this book. And... your recipes always sound great, not to mention your beautiful photos!

I just made these last night and they're really good. They were a little too sweet for me right out of the oven, (I cut the salt in half, so that probably affected it), but after storing overnight, the sweetness mellowed. Out of the oven, they had crispy edges and chewy centers. After being stored in an airtight container overnight, they became chewy all the way through. (I added about 2-4 extra Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips). ADDICTIVE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES http://bakingbites.com/2005/08/addictive-c...e-chip-cookies/

This book from King Arthur Flour is supposed to be very good: http://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Flour-Whole-G...g/dp/0881507199

Here's a thread with some recipes and ideas to check out. I'm linking you to page 4 (there are 5 pages), so you can see the more recent posts first: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...2entry1290222

I mix a little water into the slightly warm or cooled leftover pasta, separate the pieces, let the excess water drain off, then store in the refrigerator.

I found Honey Crisps to be bland also. I like Pink Lady and Jonagolds.

This is fantastic! I used 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, more garlic, etc: Yellow Pepper Soup http://www.recipezaar.com/22104 Another good one - I increased the amounts of ground ginger and fresh ginger, plus I added some ground cardamom and curry powder: Carrot Soup With Spinach Chiffonade http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/248

This is supposed to be excellent: Raspberry-Chipotle Sauce http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp...8877.2&search=y

Here's one from Bon Appetit you might want to check out - Ginger-Squash Cake with White Chocolate Frosting. A review is posted on the following blog: http://www.cookiemadness.net/ Direct link to recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/240095