pastrygirl

I wonder if some people might prefer letting the pastry cream soften the crust overnight so it melds together and is easier to cut. I appreciate a crisp dry crust as much as anyone, but you have to admit, getting nice slices of a crisp-crusted tart can be a challenge.

Was it Gateau Basque? Some recipes add cherries or cherry jam to the usual almond pastry and custard filling.

I guess those people probably don't have a chamber vacuum sealer either I vacuum pack dried fruit with a splash of liqueur before adding it to baked goods, works nicely.

When I make it, I use it as a layer in a dessert that is then refrigerated, haven't tried leaving it at room temp for long. Seems like too much oil would separate eventually, like natural peanut butter. Maybe lecithin is better when you have a fat and a liquid that you want to not separate, rather than fat and solids. What do they use to make other peanut butters homogeneous?

Depends on the apple. Some hold their shape better than others, though I can never remember which do what. IIRC, granny smith fall apart fairly readily, while honeycrisp can be caramelized in a saute pan and hold their shape.

Butter will make it firmer at room temperature than oil will. If there is already butter in the cookies, adding oil will soften the mixture. I make a few forms of liquid sable - either butter cookies and a little oil or graham cracker crumbs and more browned butter. They are quite firm at refrigerator temperature, more like raw cookie dough at room temp. After several minutes in the food processor, everything heats up and liquefies. Some sandy texture remains, so if you're OK with that, I'd recommend just going longer in the food processor rather than dirtying the blender too. Then I think your texture is just dependent on oil content. Peanut butter is about 50% fat, after all. You may want to add a little lecithin to help emulsify.

Are the molded shells filled with anything?

Cute! Those bunny molds are on my wish list.

Inspired by Enric Rovira! Charge extra! http://www.gastronomista.com/2011/01/enric-roviras-incredible-edible-eggs.html#.UzSkGl7Y2H0

Yes. I got two pairs, so I can make complete hollow eggs, was hoping to fill them. I'll play around.

Shoot, I have these molds, no halves about it. - http://www.jbprince.com/chocolate-and-sugarwork/egg-12-cavitiesities-1-piece.asp Oh well.

Kerry, how do you get the filling into the eggs? Melt a tiny hole, pipe, and re-seal, or something else? I recently bought some hollow egg molds, I did a trial run on the molding, which came out fine, now I'd like to tackle filling. Thanks!

You could forget the log and just roll and cut. Slice and bake is supposed to be easier, not more aggravating!

Thanks! I have a couple of those, was just trying to figure out the material. Guess I'll have to go visit the custom plastics store in person for my little project

Did you get them from Savour? Do you have any idea what kind of plastic those are? Thanks.

How large is large? I usually make a 9" square and get 90 pieces. I've used honey, glucose syrup, cane syrup, and golden syrup, all adding their own flavors. I've infused citrus zest and spices into the cream then strained them out. It depends on how you make your caramels, but it seems like as long as spices are not being cooked past 250-260F they shouldn't burn.

Dark chocolate lime leaf, 'green gold' decor powder on crocodile texture sheet.

There is very little water to boil off. I think if you measure the sugar and water as directed, the syrup will be heavy enough that by the time it comes to a boil, it is the desired temperature & density.

I have a Dedy guitar and the D&R frames. Comparing my usual PdF recipe with the Boiron chart, looks like about 1.25x the Boiron recipe yields a 336 x 336 x 15mm frame (the size I make). The pictures on the chart look thinner than mine, so I would guess that their recipes yield one 336 x 336 x 10 or 12mm frame. 12 would fit my 1.25x theory...

Egg whites give the custard a firmer set than yolks do, at least when cooked conventionally.

For most cookies, the batter or dough will insulate the nuts enough that they will not toast significantly further. A drop cookie such as chocolate chip bakes for 10-15 minutes and the internal temperature probably doesn't reach above 200F, and only for a few minutes at that. Very well-done shortbread may get toasty all the way through, but most people tend to bake shortbread fairly light. Nuts in biscotti will get a little toastier during the second bake, but I still roast my hazelnuts before mixing them into biscotti (hazelnuts are one that I MUCH prefer toasted). So unless you generally bake your cookies very "well done", go ahead and toast the nuts first if you want that flavor.

If you have an iSi/whipped cream charger, you should be able to put most creme anglaises in it and make a light mousse.

That's why I wasn't sure about dragee. I do usually caramelize nuts before coating, but that might not count.

Thanks. I forgot to check Greweling while I was at work. Notter and Wybauw were inconclusive.

Chocojones is pretty clever! And while there are some people to whom I might describe them as my salty chocolate balls (and probably did last time I made them) that's not quite the feeling I'm going for... looking for something a few notches more upscale. I'm getting some packaging made for chocolate bars, bonbons, truffles, caramels, pate de fruits, and chocolate covered nuts. To me the nuts sound awkward, so I was wondering if there was an established confectionery term for them that sounded better. I kind of like rochers, meaning rocks. Ciottoli, Italian for pebbles, would be apt, because they are more pebbles than rocks and it sounds cute, plus the name of my company is Italian, though the Italian thing is a pretty minimal influence. Oh, and something more vague to allow non-nut enrobed items would be a plus - the general term will be printed on the boxes, with room to write in more details. Salted hazelnut rochers? Rosemary almond ciottoli? Candied olive enrobees? And while we're at it, should it be pate or pates de fruits to describe a dozen pieces of the candy? Thanks!