pastrygirl

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 ...

Wait until it sets and contracts, then fill in the gaps.

I always do an extra ‘beauty coat” or two to (try to) get my bottoms perfect. I won’t claim that my bonbons never leak, but another coat to fill in any thin spots may help.

Are you sure you doubled all the ingredients? In my experience, a given ratio of cream to sugar to butter to etc behaves consistently whether a single batch or a quadruple.

None of the above. I use a silpat and peel it off once the ganache has solidified, and before cutting.

some good ideas for clothed bunnies here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/CacaoBarry.us/photos/?tab=album&album_id=378819265469574

If flocking is too fragile, I still think the Jackson Pollock would work, but colors flung all over are a look I would do anyway (and have done, many people enjoy it). You don't have to do full coverage, you could go for more of a 'messy painter bunny', even add a chocolate painter's palette to sell the look. Carefully drip over the cracks then add a few more drips and spatters but leave the shiny, nice parts as-is. You could even have it standing on a white chocolate drop cloth with more spills or splatters.

Then I wonder if freeze spray would work to cool the bunny surface section by section, since it is too big for the freezer. Freeze a little, flock a little ...

Back to flocking ... I have done the 50/50 chocolate/CB on frozen things, though not since circa 2002. BUT I question if freezing is 100% necessary, or if it just gives a better flocked effect, or if that was before we all started doing so much with colored cocoa butter. I can't imagine Kate Weiser freezing the entire Carl army before spraying with white ...

Meh.

@Kerry Beal dark chocolate on the backside of a silpat, if you have a cheap one you can sacrifice for “gauze”

Sone sort of fine plastic mesh, like window screen or needlepoint/crossstitch backing, depending on whether the hardware store or the craft supply store is closer. or rough it up after with a stiff brush or towel.

Or, since you're a doctor, put him in a full body cast 😂

Instead of flocking, you could fling colors all over it and Jackson Pollack the whole thing. Some drips might have to be more strategic than others. The Ladies' Auxiliary might not be the right audience, but you could make an Easter mummy - spread white chocolate on strips of acetate and wrap around.