pastrygirl

Funny you say that, I have some green curry simmering on the stove right now. I'm too lazy to make curry paste so I used some jarred Thai Kitchen product. It does not list cilantro on the ingredients, but I will be adding a generous amount to my bowl.

Coconut cream powder is one of my secret weapons! Even if you added pure coconut fat, it should firm up eventually and be temper-able. And if you did add pure fat then you don't have an emulsion, you have a fat-based gianduja. Adding water or coconut liquid might actually thicken it up if the fats are emulsified instead of free-flowing.

Feeling impulsive at Cash & Carry, I grabbed a pound of cilantro. I don't think I'll be able to eat it all fresh, what would be a good way to freeze or otherwise preserve it? Does pureeing with olive oil make sense? I think my mom used to do that with basil ... Any favorite cilantro chutney or pesto recipes I should know about?

Oh, that’s odd then.

You added all the water from the coconut milk and little of the fat. It might be a little firmer if you had stirred the coconut milk all together. For now, I’d just add more white chocolate to the desired thickness. Next time, emulsify your coconut milk first, then add the liquid a little at a time so you have more control over the consistency.

It doesn't sound like a big difference, but the size of the hole is double - calculate the area of a circle (Pi times R2) and its 0.096 mm2 vs 0.196mm2 I switched from a 3 to a 5 on my Grex and was glad I did. Not critical. If your molds are clean and your CB is at appropriate temp I don't think it matters how strong your compressor is, as long as it’s matched to the volume you want to spray. My compressor is 1/5 hp, works for small batches with the 0.5 nozzle but i could stand an upgrade overall.

Very sad. But I have to say the chocolate itself looks pretty rough. If that is dark chocolate, it looks like the chocolate may be out of temper. Did they contract and pop out nicely except for the cb or did the molds take a beating to get the pieces out?

You should still be able to temper it, just strain out those hard bits (as long as it doesn’t taste burnt)

I have seen it at the West Seattle TJ, though I can't say exactly how recently.

well yeah, that's who started the topic ... I appreciate Tosi's statement that the mission is to spread joy and offending people is contrary to that. Just curious what the tipping point was. Maybe she's older and wiser, maybe the hijinks of those early restaurant days have lost their shine, maybe she just got tired of hearing about it ... or maybe she struck a deal with (walmart/target/costco) and they made her do it? 🤔 Btw, I have not tried the pie either. I had Tosi's Milk Bar cookbook for a while but little in it appealed to me so I sold it.

I'm only surprised that it took so long. That pie has been around for what, 10 or 15 years already?

Did you add extra red, or is it the lighting? That's actually a decent color! (I'm not a fan of pink)

If you're having trouble getting a thin enough layer, you can add cocoa butter to your chocolate. William Curley adds 1 part CB to 2 parts dark chocolate by weight and brushes it on with a paintbrush, on both the bottom and top of the ganache slab. https://www.amazon.com/Couture-Chocolate-Masterclass-William-Curley/dp/1906417598

Even lower tech: put the box in a ziplock bag, zip most of the way, suck the air out with your lungs, zip the last bit.

I used my reduced milk from yesterday plus more whole milk so there were plenty of solids and boy did they settle and scorch! I haven’t spun the base yet but it tasted ok. Tonight I rest assured I can still burn things when I want to, but I already doubt this will become a regular flavor due to the pot scrubbing alone. And scorched milk really stunk up the kitchen. I’ll spin it later in the week, I still want to see how the texture is compared to my usual high-fat ice creams. I think the recipe could be interesting as part of a composed dessert if only I could erase frustrating days at work re-making pastry cream after scorching it. I can’t dissociate the smell of burnt milk from failure.😖😂

@Tri2Cook thanks! And just a regular pot on high heat? Honestly, I was just going to use his ratio and not follow the recipe but the story about the guy in Mexico creating these wonderful and un-intentionally avant garde flavors sold me. Now I'm on a quest, I'll go to the thrift store and buy a crappy thin pot if it will help 😂

Don't think so. The full recipe calls for 4.5 kg of milk, cook to some degree of browning on the bottom of the pot, reserve 3.5 kg. Obviously some water will boil off but the milk is still the main liquid in the gelato. edited to add - @Tri2Cook, do you remember making the burnt milk gelato recipe?

Here's one ... how to burn milk? I was looking for inspiration in Francisco Migoya's Frozen Desserts and found a recipe for burnt milk gelato with a story so charming I had to try it. I feel like I've scorched milk plenty of times in the past making pastry cream or ice cream, but this time all I achieved was a non-burnt milk reduction. Was my nice heavy bottomed pot too heavy and I need a thinner or cheaper one? I guess I only had a medium flame, maybe full power or pre-heat the pot then add milk?

You’re welcome. Many if not most dark couvertures do not contain milk but are made on shared equipment. Vegan whites are less common.

Vegan white chocolate or any vegan chocolate? You could have some fun with the Valrhona Inspirations line but I don't know if anyone is making a mass market vegan white chocolate. Maybe some of the small artisan makers like Raaka or Soma. With the severe allergy, best to contact the maker about shared equipment. Perhaps her family or fiance can tell you of a chocolate brand she already knows & trusts.

Where are you again? Someplace that celebrates Orthodox Easter more than Western Easter, apparently? Regardless, it's all a "live & learn & take notes for next year" situation. If you sell out, make more. If you don't sell much, look at your marketing strategy/reach and how it can be improved. Consider your website, product and packaging and how they could be more appealing. Repeat forever ... or as long as you're in business. Easter's a weird one. It's my favorite candy-making holiday but not as busy as I'd like. Non-Christians celebrate Christmas and give gifts, but Easter is more for practicing Christians and children. Like Halloween, there is a ton of cheap holiday candy out there that most people are perfectly happy with. I don't know if the Orthodox market is any different from the Western market but for me, only half of my retailers are carrying Easter eggs and I'm worried I've made too many. Good luck, let us know how it goes.

How about simply putting a label over the window? Labels are much less expensive than custom boxes. I think custom is worth it above 5-10k units. There are usually price breaks the higher you go but you have to factor in your custom printing and cutting dies. Digital printing can be inexpensive for labels and stickers in standard sizes but a cutting die can cost several hundred dollars.

I do have the kitchenaid attachment. I tried it a handful of times a few years ago but never really got the hang of it and lost interest. But I blame myself, not the pan. There is a whole panning discussion somewhere ...

Do you already know how to use it? If you're looking to start really small or learn the process before committing to a large, expensive machine, there's this one that attaches to a kitchenaid : https://www.dr.ca/confectionery-coating-pan-attachment.html

eggs & bunnies ...