Kerry Beal

A delightful young man who was baking his product at the Cake Collective kitchen today left us a box of his product to try when he rushed out today. One of the products that Kriss Harvey organized for us - along with Boiron Purees - was vanilla from a company called Prova. They are represented in Canada by AB Embulluxe in Quebec. They sent us samples of nice fat vanilla beans, some paste and a new product - this Fusion Vanilla, Fusion Rhum and Fusion Cafe. These are strong extractions of flavour in a cocoa butter base so they can be added directly to chocolate and other fat based products without adding any water. I put them in the EZtemper to soften up to make them easier to incorporate. I did a small experiment with some milk chocolate leftover from a dipping session - I added the Vanilla Fusion to it, along with some crushed Trader Joes Vanilla cookies. I forgot to take them out of the fridge before I left - so there might be some condensation in the morning.

And it begins - starting the first morning with a demo by Daniel Stubbe - a German trained konditorei (?sp) who has a lovely little shop here in Toronto who is showing a couple of his recipes with a long shelf life and talking business at the same time. Notice the Or Noir - exclusive chocolate designed by Daniel and made in France at the academy - one of the things that Barry Callebaut is able to do for chocolatiers.

If I haven’t put it here before - address today is 1021 Meyerside - unit 2

Plan seems to be if you are at the hotel to meet at 8 in lobby - with plan to get to the Cake Collective at 8:30.

Not me sadly - haven't eaten out since 2020.

Distillery district a bit touristy - Rodney likes a mexican place there El Catrin Destileria

Fabulous!

Turns out that we only have power for one Selmi - so we will run dark chocolate. We will have the enrobing line on it. Rodney is going to have to rewire the plug tomorrow evening. I’ll bring melters for white and milk.

You still driving that lovely little sports car?

We were there today to determine just that. There are scales, bowls, spatulas, two microwaves. Totally agree you'll want your own recipes, mold scrapers, dipping fork, and empty containers. Bring molds - there are none. Apron or chef coat or both. We will start to get there at 8 to eat Rodney's treats - then start up around 9 on Friday. With last minute drop outs and additions we are around 22. This is a shared kitchen so there might be a customer or two in there doing their thing while we are working.

Not looking like it's available anywhere here.

I'll add tahini to the list! What is the brand you prefer?

About all I can add to this is the running back and forth and packing all sorts of stuff in my car. If I drop a load off today then fill the car up again - I'm starting to wonder how I'm going to get it all home again on Sunday! Setting up with all the amazing donations we received from our sponsors - Barry Callebaut provided us with pretty much all the chocolate we will use for the this weekend along with a bucket of Cara Crackine which will be fought over I'm sure. The Selmi's will be getting filled. Around 5 melters will have milk and white, some Ruby to use for ganaches etc. Also some wonderful nut pastes from Rodney's good friend 'The Gelato Guy'. There's a lot of moving things into place then tucking them away somewhere - it's a shame we don't have a nice clear shelf to put all our ingredients on, where everything can be easily seen and all left there through the entire event.

I have had my eG family since 2006 and my eG chocolate and confections family since 2009 - so by now you all know I'm like a dog with a bone. So yesterday morning - after taking care of some family stuff - I ran out to Brampton to pick up some soapwort from a place called Botanic Planet. There is apparently a store in Burlington (where I live) called Botanic Universe - but I was unable to locate it at the given address and the answering machine instructs you to leave a number - so that was out. I didn't know if they had it anyway. So driving home from Brampton I saw Rana's message about the bitterness and panicked a bit with my 1 lb of soapwort on the seat beside me. I licked the bag and only detected a hint of bitterness so hope still remained! (I didn't really lick the bag - I licked my finger and picked up some of the powder on the outside of the bag) Last night I took 25 grams and put it in a pan with water and started it boiling, then started reading which said to rinse it well before cooking - so dumped that batch, and started again with a fresh (now clean) 25 grams and about 500 ml of water. Didn't take long to boil it down to around 75ml. Tasted for bitterness - only a hint - so feeling hopeful. I popped that in the fridge overnight and this morning before work I made the natef - 400 grams of sugar with 200 grams water, a 1/4 tsp of citric acid, cooked to 115º C, then added 125 grams of honey that I had heated in the nuke and brought to 121º C. I drizzled that into the beating soapwort solution (most of it - lots ended up on the counter) - need a pan with a spout. Tasted the natef - again only a hint of bitterness. Heated 500 grams of tahini to around 60º C, put into a short, wide stainless bowl I have (riffing off the pans they were using in the video) and mixed everything together using a flat silicone spatula. Pressed into a silicone bread pan - flattened as best I could - I think the video said 18 hours was the ideal time for unmolding - but I suspect it will be either 12 or 24 for me. Forgot to add any vanilla - and did add one drop of citrus flower essential oil (my rose water and orange flower water didn't smell that good - the new ones I bought for the workshop were in the car). All this to say - I think we will be able to continue the experiments at the workshop using this source of soapwort!

Today is last call for orders from Chocolat-Chocolat.

How much so soapwort did you use? With how much water?

As far as I could determine you are making a meringue with the soapwort and glucose +/- sugar syrup, then working in the tahini.

Rana - have you got any soapwort root? Bring it along - we can try.

Halvah TMX version 2 Candy, Thermomix Difficulty: Easy Source: Me INGREDIENTS 500 grams tahini 400 grams sugar 200 grams water 125 grams honey chocolate DIRECTIONS Bring 500 g of tahini to 50ºC in Thermomix at about speed 2. Boil the sugar and water to about 115ºC - meanwhile heat honey in microwave - add to syrup and bring to 121ºC. Add to tahini, reverse at speed 3 for about 1 or 2 minutes. When you see it start to thicken, pour into prepared loaf pan. With chocolate, add about half, sprinkle the callets, add other half. Swirl.

I suspect you'll find it in one of our Manitoulin trips.

Nope - just with a honey/sugar syrup in my thermomix

I use buttermilk culture for cultured butter as per New England Cheese Making supply Co - here

Just in discussion with Bhavani around melangers, etc. Have a look at Melangers.com I'm going to get him to send some good video of his new small winnower so we can admire it (and covet it)! What do you need him to send up? Unfortunately he isn't going to be able to attend this year.

Renee says "'They can order online and choose pick up' (that would be the US orders) or order by email and pay by e-transfer when I bring it to them (that would be the Canadians)."

Pretty sure we can convince Rodney to bring one over - not sure about the spray booth!