pastrygirl

@curls I did see Notter's thanksgiving showpiece, it's fantastic! Instagram, for whenever I need to feel inadequate But my 3 year old nephew was pretty excited to eat a chocolate tail feather and turkey eye so that's what counts, right?

Mix it with Dulcey. Or half Dulcey and half milk. Oh, so that's why they make Caramelia

My (American) Thanksgiving turkey: I'm no Ewald Notter Plus pecan marzipan with maldon salt and honey-walnut-cardamom marzipan with candied lemon, both dipped in 60% dark chocolate.

I think this is the heating pad I got: https://smile.amazon.com/Sunbeam-756-500-Heating-Pad-UltraHeatTechnology/dp/B00006IV4N/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1479946467&sr=8-4&keywords=heating%2Bpad&th=1 I don't use it for melting, just for keeping things warm. I love to buy kitchen toys as much as anyone, but I would have a hard time justifying a $6-700 melter for a few pounds a few times a year. And the 6 kg might be a little big if you are only using 1-2 kg at a time, that's why I don't use mine as much as I thought I would, I don't bother with it unless it will be at least half full (3kg). That's the problem with chocolate equipment, it's often either too big or too small and frequently expensive! Do you do more molding or dipping or something else?

Does it say "heavy"? Or say what the fat percentage is? I wouldn't really call adding milk to cream adulterated since both products start out as one, but I suppose they might add milk to thin the cream down to a certain fat level. I usually buy 40% manufacturing cream for my professional use but what I see in the grocery store is 36% or 30%. So maybe when they separate the cream out it is all 40% and they add milk for different consumer products. As for the pure designation, I think that is one of those terms that isn't really regulated and gets stretched. Pure, natural, artisan ... Or small enough amounts don't count, like how they can round down fat grams so 0.45 turns to 0. Just guessing. So I take it you'll be reading the label more thoroughly next time?

I only have the Mol d' Art 6 kg so can't comment on the other brand but I'll share my experience. It is a good size for molding, big enough to dump chocolate back in without too much mess. Yes, it does melt fairly slowly so if you can plan ahead and leave it to melt overnight that's best. Right now mine is full of Santa scrap to be made into more Santas in the morning! Kerry is right, you can get a very thick over-crystallized layer on top of the chocolate if it sits for a while at working temp. If I'm between tasks, I'll turn the melter up to 35 or 40C to prevent that. Or melt it out with a hair dryer as needed. But honestly, I don't use it as much as I thought I would when I bought it. I often end up melting chocolate in a large bowl over hot water and just working out of that. Sometimes I'll melt the chocolate over a bain marie then pour it into the melter to temper and work from. I recently got a $20 heating pad that is almost as good. Since it's not a tempering machine, you're always going to have to check and adjust temper & temperature, so don't expect worry-free chocolate making. How much chocolate do you usually temper & use at once?

If you watch the internal temp carefully they should be fine, you just wouldn't want to leave the meats in the hot oven too long. Searing will warm them considerably, it shouldn't take too much more heat to get them warmed through to the middle.

What's wrong with their pistachio praline? I do like Dulcey but Caramelia is too sweet for me. I'm sure there are lots of pastry chefs who appreciate the time saving and consistency of some of the new blends.

Yes, more non-cocoa butter fats in the mix make it softer, whether that is milk fat, hazelnut oil, or others such as coconut oil for meltaways or browned butter for deliciousness. Speaking of gianduja, has anyone tried Valrhona Azelia? I keep seeing posts on instagram describing it as "the first chocolate in the world to combine the indulgence of hazelnuts with milk chocolate" and I wonder what the heck they're talking about since milk chocolate gianduja already exists. Maybe they define gianduja as a different proportion and the Azelia is more chocolate? http://valrhonaprofessionals.com/azelia.html

The food processor doesn't get it perfectly smooth, but the chinoise does! (Did I mention being slightly obsessive? ) I make my own. 60/40 hazelnuts to powdered sugar plus a bit of salt, then about 60/40 dark milk chocolate (49%) to hazelnut paste. It does take quite some time in the food processor, but it gets close to smooth if you let it go to liquid.

Tent weights are very important! Hopefully whomever you're borrowing the tent from will already have something, you want a good 20+# on each leg. I use concrete blocks and bungee cords.

Nice! They are limited on colors, I know I used a lot of red last year but that might have been discontinued. And I've seen a light green but not tree green. If you have a color printer, you can go that route. Or if you like extra work like I do, plain stickers or sticker sheets can be decorated with rubber stamps. I wanted to make my holiday labels a little more special so I'm stamping them with platinum snowflakes before printing.

Regarding labels, are you familiar with Paper Source? Looks like there is one in La Jolla... I use their printable sticker sheets for things like ingredient labels and small runs of holiday specials labels. I like the sheets because I don't have to worry about my printer getting pre-cut ones perfectly lined up (I print and then cut to size), but they should also have sheets of rectangular, round, and maybe oval stickers/labels, possibly even in holiday colors. Up here, a pack of five 8-1/2 x 11 sticker sheets is $6 + tax. http://shop.papersource.com/search#p=R&w=label&url=http%3a%2f%2fshop.papersource.com%2fsearch%3fw%3dprintable%20labels%26ts%3dajax&rk=3&uid=615411833&ts=rac&rt=racsug&rsc=U22JvMHMWo5HcdYA&asug=label&apelog=yes

I don't know what food vendors will be at the Fest so I'd bring lunch. Trader Joe's on upper QA Ave for snacks and Metropolitan Market at the base of the hill (South side, towards downtown) has a poke' bar and high quality prepared foods and groceries. Also upper QA, though opposite ends, Via Tribunali is excellent pizza and the Mezcaleria is pretty good Mexican food.

Can you find coconut milk without added starches or thickeners? Coconut milk heated on its own doesn't thicken into ropy gloop so I'm not so sure about purported starches, but so many things have added thickeners these days that who knows. How about some portion of liquid sugar to decrease stickiness? I'm thinking in the manner that glucose helps the texture of pate de fruits and other confections. Golden syrup is what I would use - I do use it in my chewy caramels that are cut and wrapped. Also, alcohol! As part of your liquid, that is.

Looks like cederberg tea house might be worth a look, it's new on upper Queen Anne. If you have time to get down to the (pike place) market, World Spice on Western should have a good selection of teas IIRC.

For tasting jam, coffee stir sticks are good and cheap. The wood ones about 1/4 inch wide. You can even cut them in half if too long.

I'm sure you meant 3%, not 3$. I'm a big fan of square, its easy to use and convenient for customers, especially if you'll have items costing more than a few dollars. Also a good way to track sales. Do people know to bring cash to the event? Also make sure to have lots of small bills for making change.

Eater 38 is always a reputable list. I wish I could help but don't really go out to restaurants much anymore except for the occasional pho or burrito. Where are are you staying? Anything in particular you can't get enough of at home? Will you have a car or relying on bus/taxi/uber?

Sounds too thick, try a little more liquid. Also consider cocoa butter as a way to add fat without coconut flavor.

Thanks for sharing! Those boxes do look handy.

http://blog.ideasinfood.com/ideas_in_food/2016/10/smart-cooling.html @smithy is right, ice and water transfers heat much more rapidly than ice and air. Also best to cool in a vessel that conducts heat well, do not cover, and stir occasionally. Stainless steel in an ice and water bath will cool rapidly. You can also spread it in a thinner layer to cool faster. Though that may not apply to pork shoulder unless it is already falling apart.

I'm skeptical, flour is pretty soft to the touch and doesn't seem like an effective abrasive. Did you actually do this in the course?

I'd eat it, too. I figure some cheeses are aged in caves or the equivalent for 2 years or more, so why not your fridge. Here's an old cheese story for you: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/17/nyregion/after-75-years-the-cheese-stands-alone.html?_r=0

How does grill brush end up in a braised dish?