Kerry Beal

Try, try again!

Welcome Marion. It does look easy - but remember - chocolate is always the boss. 1. If you don't use it all - you will need to temper it again. 2. Once you melt any 'real' chocolate - it will have to be tempered before you use it for anything that requires tempering.

Should be fine.

CSO on steam bake did an excellent job of taking a frozen tortiere given to me by @Alleguede and browning it into this lovely thing. Served to the nurses with turkey gravy. This evening I managed to throw together this steamed pudding - sort of self saucing with lemon juice and golden syrup in the bowl first with a batter behind. Looks much better in the pictures.

Yes - deep in one of the side tunnels - apparently the diver who went after it died just after handing it off to the people above when one of the traps collapsed on him!

Make sure the last of your seed is just melting out when you get down to working temperature. Do you have a reliable thermometer?

I found the egg bites puffed a whole lot more in the IP than they do sous vide. I did my first batch in jars - blew the lids off.

Indeed!

Hubby got me this new Oxo kettle to replace my old one. I suspect it's as much for him as for me as he's tired of burning his hand on the handle of the old one - it hasn't given up the ghost entirely yet but of course he uses it more than me making me my tea in the am). I realize he isn't aware of the replacement I already have waiting in the wings for when it really does pack it in (it's been the closet for a couple of years now). He did the research and apparently decided that this version was better than the other Oxo version (the one I have in the closet). See - not dead yet - but I guess I'll have to bin it now.

If you just stir the fat soluble powders into the melted cocoa butter - they don't mix well and you get little lumps of color when you are working with it. The immersion blender allows good mixing of color into the cocoa butter.

Good idea

Ah yes - I know naught about glazes - just cocoa butter stuff. @pastrygirl - what would you paint on fondant with?

No sweetening required - a deodorized cocoa butter will add no flavour - since the cake is chocolate the non deodorized cocoa butter should be fine. If the pigments are powdered and miscible with fat then an emulsifier shouldn’t be required.

Yup - big fork!

I need to show you the greatest fork in the world for stirring large batches of mashed potatoes after adding the milk and butter. It's a beauty - solid and heavy. My mother used it for the same purpose.

My ex husband was from St Stephen - he had fond memories of Ganong. I must have been a chocolate snob even before I was a chocolatier. But it’s probably the creams vs ganache thing and the excessive sweetness.

Wasn't a particularly productive holiday season for chocolate this year. Time taken up writing a paper (not a skill set I possess). Did manage to make chocolates for teachers, educational assistants and bus drivers as well as for neighbors. Threw together a few Santas, barks, dipped cookies, etc for friends and family and to take to work for the only shift I have before Christmas.

Tothenge

Dense indeed - fairly moist but still need the gobs of sauce.

making steamed cranberry pudding for Christmas dinner in IP - decided work might like one

No rules yet - it has reached the ‘let’s consult the public’ stage.

There are no pictures on the page if that's what's happening - law doesn't allow it. If you ask she will send you pictures. Corrected the link - you'll have to scroll half way down.

I was discussing custom molds with the owner of Chocolat-Chocolat when we were in Paris. In anticipation of the legalization of edibles in Canada in October of this year she had two molds made by Chocolate World. She also had packaging made to go with. Here. scroll down about half way - laws don't allow her to show pics on the website - but will send on request.

For sure! IP does a beautiful job on this sort of thing. Oops - I see that Janet has already weighed in.

I cannot get the girl I buy corn from at the farmer's market to bring me any. She won't touch it.