Tweety69bird

Rosewater has a very distinctive smell, just like roses. I can't really describe it better than that, except to use my better half's description - just like a funeral parlor. My grandmother used to give me a shot glass or so of the stuff mixed with some sugar (so I could get it down) when I had a stomach ache. You could always give it a try, maybe that would help you use of some of it... Also, I made some rosewater sugar cookies a while back, and they really had a nice flavour. I found that recipe on the net somewhere... I would say that you should use a very little amount in whatever you are adding it to so you aren't overwhelmed with the rose scent. Just a hint of it is kinda nice. You could also put a bit into fruit salads, if you make them.

Thanks for the backup Sugarella! I had thought of Wedding Cakes - A design Source also but thought that I would still purchase that magazine so that I could have it in hand. It's a great mag to show people when they are looking for ideas, so I didn't think that having that one on the computer would really benefit me... but it deffinately wouldn't hurt. And for the time and ink that it would take to print out that mag, I would prefer to buy the physical copy. And doesn't it figure that I can find the mag that comes all the way from England....

Hi, I am very excited about your website and I think that I would subscribe on a regular basis. Living in Canada, I'm finding it quite difficult to locate Pastry Art & Design on a regular basis, and this is not for lack of trying to find it. I have been searching for a copy since the beginning of the year, and still haven't found one. As for the suggestion of getting myself a subscription to be delivered to my home, well, if I could get the professional rate from Pastry Art & Design, I would still be paying 45$ USD for 6 copies per year which would work out to be (once conversions have been considered) at least 1$ per issue more than what I would pay in the store, which doesn't impress me at all. I won't even do the math for the regular rate of 65$ USD I would be more than happy to pay 4$ USD per copy to make sure that I have the current issue and don't have to drive all over town to find it. As for other magazines that I would like to see available on your site, Cakes & Sugarcraft magazine from England would be one. I'm sure there are other mags from England that would be appropriate to be included on your site, but I don't know of any specifically.

Wow Ling, you look like you had a super time! Everything looked great! Thanks for taking all the pics and time to do this. Seeing as you enjoyed this experience so much, you must make the trek up to NYC for the Chocolate Show in November!! It's 3 whole days worth of chocolate overloading!

Chef Rubber has the best prices for pumps. Next least expensive, if you dont want to wait... is... are you ready.... your local sex shop. I got my pumps from Chef Rubber, but I do know people who bought them from sex shops and say they are the same thing... but 1/3 of the price. As for the little nibs that go on the end of the pump, you can also get them at Chef, or at the hardware store you can buy 1/4" copper pipe that will work well too. For the burner, I have a spirit burner that I put fondue fuel in, and that works nicely. Edited for spelling

Yes, powder to sheets is the same.

A spot of royal icing should hold the acetate in place nicely.... or chocolate - depending on whether you are using a yellow cake or chocolate. I think your idea will work... but you are going to have waste in between the circles, which I suppose you could give out as samples.

My bet is it's gelatin sheets that they are using. If you don't have them handy, you can replace powdered gelatin at 2g/sheet. For the sheets, you would soften them in water, and then melt them over very low heat, or add them into a mixture that is hot enough to melt them, hence the "melting". For the powder, just follow regular procedure, dissolve in water, and then melt over low heat and add it into the mix at the point that the recipe tells you to add the melted gelatin. Good luck.

Well, I have done marzipan eggs this way, and thought maybe I could do the ganache eggs the same way... And I thought it may be quicker to dip them than to do however many there are on the mold at a time and having to keep my chocolate in temper through the whole thing instead of just through the dipping phase.... but I do want it to work, so if I'm only going to give myself trouble with this technique, then traditional molding is the way to go...

They are clear plastic.. the bendy cheap kind... Do you think if I freeze them, they'll pop out of the mold?

I put my cookies in a tin on the counter. Muffins would be in a tupperware on the counter too. Actually, if I were freezing either, it would be in the same format.

Hi everyone, I'm thinking about Easter, and would like to do some egg shaped truffles. I have small egg molds, and my plan is to pipe the ganache into the molds, wait till the harden, remove them and hand dip. My concern is whether or not the gananche will release from the mold. Should I freeze them to ensure a release? Thanks in advance.

Would you mind sharing where you found the IR thermometer for $25? Thanks!!

I would replace the 2/3 c brown sugar with just a bit less of regular sugar (maybe 1 tbsp less)and about 1 tbsp of molasses. However, with the suggested replacements that you included in your post, perhaps you are looking for a non sugar replacement?

I use a $3 candy thermometer from my friendly Canadian Tire, and I buy them 2 at a time, since they break/crack easily enough and I like to have an extra one on hand. I calibrate them before I use them in boiling water, and they are easy to read. Also, I just bought a whisk from Williams Sonoma that has a thermometer in it, so that will make certain tasks easier once I receive it.

Well, I guess I'm going to have to scour the city to find myself a copy... Thanks for the info!

Just wondering if I'm the only one who has been looking for a new edition for a long time. The last edititon I saw/have is Aug/Sept 2005!!! That's even the cover their showing on their website as the current issue.

Just for clarity, I am referring to meringues on pies, not the slow baked meringues. I find that fresh whites whip up nicer, and on the occasions that I've used frozen whites, I've found that they leak. (Like on a lemon meringue pie). Plus, honestly, it's a mental thing also, the thought of eating meringue that was made from frozen whites just doesn't appeal to me very much. At least in a buttercream they're all mixed in, and the same goes for cakes or whatever other uses they will be used for.

Yup, you got it. As for preferrence, fresh would be the first choice, but after that I don't really have a preferrence between instant or dry active.

Good grief, I'm in too much of a rush to add my reply! Uses for whites that have been frozen would be for buttercream... um, basically anything that calls for whites with the exception of meringues. I would use fresh whites for meringues.

For your yeast question: Yeast: 3 Kinds. (1-2-3 rule) Fresh - 1 part – Always keep in the fridge, max 2 weeks. Dry Active - ½ part Instant - 1/3 part As for the whites, I add new whites onto the already frozen ones, because when I am going to use them, it's all of them (as opposed to 2 or 3 at a time), and they aren't in the freezer for a long time, but I date them too. Better safe than sorry. Edited to add: Oh, I don't mark the amount of whites in a container, I use weight to measure them out. 30g per white.

I totally second the Wilton vote, it tastes awful.

I would absolutely not want to push the 2 hour limit, and I honestly think that that's too much. Pastry cream is one of the things that is very susceptible to bacteria growth. and I just wouldn't want to take the risk with that product. It was drilled into our heads in school that as soon as the cream was ready you spread it out on a tray and got it into the fridge to cool.

Ha! How pathetic that I haven't found the time to try it... I actually thought this was a new thread until I saw my comments!! I will post once I've finally tried it. Has anyone else tried it?

I think room temp would be fine for the liquor.