pastrygirl

If it seems like it holds together and has mass, I don't think I'd eat it because it might be something growing. If it breaks apart and dissipates, I'd hope it was just fine sediment that settled after sitting on the shelf for too long, and would probably use it as long as it seemed normal in other ways.

I'm interested! I haven't been to a conference before because I've been stuck working full time. Now that I'm self-employed, hopefully by next spring business will be good enough that I can afford to go, but not so good that I can't get a weekend off Sugar work is not a huge interest of mine, but I would still go to a demo or class. Definitely interested in a master class, and especially using any enrobing or panning equipment that might be available.

Hi Joel, Yes of course you can make your own pralines! Chocolate needs to be handled in very specific ways in order to crystallize the fats and allow you to dip and mold, all you need is understanding of the process and a little practice. Your example of a truffle with liquid inside, surrounded by a ball of white chocolate might have used truffles shells: http://www.callebaut.com/usen/products/decoration/truffle-shells The one with the salted pistachio was probably hand-dipped or enrobed by machine, those methods allow you to add garnish on top. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kcline/3633788812/ Using chocolate molds will give you a shinier surface and sharper edges than dipping. Molds come in thousands of designs, and can also be decorated with color or sparkle. http://www.jbprince.com/chocolate-and-sugar-work/chocolate-molds.asp I'm not familiar with the book you linked to, so I can't comment on it. I like Peter Greweling's Chocolates and Confections, he explains how things work and what might have gone wrong. If expense and technicality are not a concern, try Jean-Pierre Wybauw's books.

250F is only firm-hard ball, shouldn't be coloring much less burning. Is there some hypersensitive ingredient that you could be adding later in the process instead of cooking with the sugar? Sometimes I get some scorching on the bubbled up sugar on the sides of the pan, but I figure that is due to the gas flame coming up the sides and shouldn't happen on electric. Hmmm.

I don't know that you need thicker layers. I prefer more, thinner layers of cake so the filling can moisten them better, and when I make layer cakes often end up splitting the layers, which can be a bit of a pain. It also depends somewhat on your cake recipe. I find something like a nice moist sour cream cake fine in a thicker layer, but genoise tends to be a drier cake, so I like thinner layers of genoise with more filling. Whatever pan you use, the cake is not going to be taller than the pan. Most baking pans are 2-3" tall, but finding large enough ones for a cake for 40 might be a challenge. But it also depends on what size pieces you want to serve. If there will be a lot of other food and your audience are not big eaters, you could plan on wedding cake sized pieces (something like 1" x 2" x 4"). Wilton has a guide to help you figure out how much cake you actually need: http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/baking-serving-guide.cfm

Equipment-wise, you should be fine. A stand mixer and sheet pans, then you just need something big enough to put the cake on, whether it's a platter or a couple layers of cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil. You can make a lemon buttercream, I use Italian meringue buttercream and just add lemon curd to taste, along with maybe a TB of fresh lemon juice or lemon liqueur to brighten it up. Sheet pans don't make very thick layers, so depending on how fluffy your filling is, consider 3 or 4 layers of cake - 4 with just a thin layer of lemon curd in between, or 3 if you make a fluffier mousse. Cake is not too hard to scale up, even with a stand mixer you'll probably need to make 2 batches of batter. But the good news is that cake, buttercream, and lemon curd all freeze very well, so if you have freezer space, you could certainly make the cake layers and lemon curd a week or two ahead, then assemble the whole thing the day of or before the event.

Compared to 10 years ago (just to pick a time span)... Far less alcohol - finally realized how bad it makes me feel. More meat - got more practice cooking it and less squeamish about it. Fewer restaurant meals, especially fine dining - BTDT, would rather spend the money on something else. Lower tolerance for sweets - familiarity breeds contempt. Less starchy food - not going totally low-carb, but after nutrition sessions w/ my fitness trainer it seems that there might be better choices.

This boggles my mind. People go to a restaurant, order hot food, receive hot food, sit there with hot food in front of them not eating it, then once the food is cold, ask for it to be reheated? I can't imagine doing that. Maybe servers should swing by and offer a to go box when they see people not eating.

Kerry, your flan looks beautiful. No bubbles!

Use the food processor. Blenders usually need more liquid to keep thing moving and are better for purees, processors are better for chopping drier components.

Do you have a food processor? They don't whip air into things the way blenders do*. Puree fruit in food processor then add almond milk to loosen to desired consistency. *they also don't puree as well as blenders do, so only try the food processor if you don't mind little bits of texture.

These two sources suggest acrylic is OK for food: http://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/cake_circles/cake_circle_acrylic/602 http://www.shopchefrubber.com/Tube-Set-18-Thin-Wall-Acrylic/

Could you corn it, like corned beef? The chefs I knew in the Himalayas made corned yak...

Thanks! I put the dough in a ganache frame between two sheets of parchment, rolled smooth, then chilled before cutting. The dough needs to be pretty solid before you can pick it up. I made lemon-lime polvorones the same way. my guitar.

Little chocolate cookies. Cocoa sable - these have chipotle and smoked salt - cut on the guitar and rolled in sugar before baking. I'm thinking 8 in a bag for the street food festival next month.

Thanks, Jeanne! I'll try just starch next time, or shake the excess off better tomorrow and see how they toast. I like a dark marshmallow, but I also want them to toast up evenly like a commercial marshmallow.

Some friends have been bugging me to make artisan s'more kits, so today I made graham crackers, limoncello marshmallows, and tempered some 60-70% dark chocolate scraps and cut them to size. Delicious gooey mess! For those of you who make marshmallows, do you dust them in straight cornstarch, or powdered sugar, or a mix? I did a mix, but the powdered sugar seemed to burn before the whole thing was toasted. Toasting over a gas burner rather than hot coals may have contributed

I have recycled ugly bonbons into more ganache by melting them with a little extra cream and flavoring to compensate for the additional chocolate from the shells. If the percentages of the filling and shells aren't too far off, I'd go for it, but mixing white and dark might be odd. I know I've seen the 'ganache graveyard' recipe you mention, I think it is in Peter Greweling's Chocolates & Confections. I'll try to remember to look tomorrow if no one answers before then. It was something like everything except mint and marzipan, cooked into fudge. edited to add: I think you're looking for Wybauw's recipe for 'black devils' in Fine Chocolates Great Experience. You cook the chocolates with water, sugar, corn syrup, baking soda, and butter to about 230F. It's a little unclear how to determine how much sugar and butter to add, but I can PM you the recipe if you like.

Would barley malt syrup work? I've used it in baking, it is sweet and malty. http://www.edenfoods.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=104050

NewFoodie, you say you don't cook, but do you shop? Go to the grocery store and just check everything out. Go to both the fancy gourmet shops and the Asian and Hispanic Markets. Try a new chocolate bar, note what meats are available and ask your friend if she knows how to cook them. Have you tried rabbit, quail, wild boar, lamb? Is there a good cheese shop in your area? You can often get just a few ounces of cheese, so if you try it and it's too strong, not much wasted. Have you tried tamarind or fresh passion fruit? Try new restaurants in your area. I think you just have to start with what is available to you, and gift your friend some cookbooks if you find a cuisine you both want to explore. Go to Philly for a weekend and explore eater.com's essential 38 and heatmaps for the city. Look at menus online. If something sounds interesting, eat it. If it's really too weird, stop eating it I've given natto and durian a few tries and am now comfortable avoiding them, its OK to have limits. But I will tell you that a nicely cooked sweetbread is like the best chicken nugget ever, you should try them!

Cremodan 30 and 64 are reputable ice cream and sorbet stabilizers, each being a blend of gums. You can make your own blend, but Cremodan is handy and works. http://www.pastrychef.com/ICE-CREAM-SORBET-STABILIZERS_p_761.html

Maybe, or use less fat. Sounds like it was just starting to break and turn to butter. Those machines do spin very quickly, I used one in CA that spun 3 quarts in 7 minutes. You have to be vigilant.

Coffee wine + chocolate chip cookie sparkling water = mocha wine cookie spritzer!!! Since when is coffee a sweet flavor? Is this Starbucks' contribution to the culinary apocalypse? I'm not saying that not-sweet coffee flavored wine would be good, but maybe slightly less horrible sounding.

That's a sign that you got lots of nice distinct layers and loft, be proud! Would a recipe with less butter rise less and not come apart? Thinner layers of butter, less powerful rise?

Definitely, thanks!