Kerry Beal

Just a reminder - last day to pay is Friday April 6. Here is the link to pay. Paypal.me link Beyond that date - if you haven't paid - you will be considered to be on the wait list and and will have to see if someone drops out and wants to sell you their space. As in previous years - there are no refunds - you can sell your space to someone who is interested in coming but missed the deadline. In that case payment will have to be arranged between yourselves. Also last day for hotel room booking - Tuesday April 17th - Copying the information from the previous post - Phone number for Hilton Garden Inn - 905 984 4200 address 500 York Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario The rates are accessed but identifying yourself as part of the EGullet Chocolate Conference - booking code is ECB18 It is a long weekend in Canada so the rates aren't as good as other years - the suggestion that we change our dates to get better rates was not entertained by me! There are taxes on top of the quoted rates Tuesday 15th, wed 16th, Thurs 17th - $119 Friday, Sat and Sun 18-20 - $189

Haven't cut the second one yet - but the tastes of it I've had I think I like it better. But it may not be the texture as much as that I used tartaric acid rather than citric in this one. I think it argues that you can make perfectly great turkish delight with regular corn starch. I just have to figure out the perfect way to pour it out - cause it sticks even worse to parchment!

So start by getting a copy of Candymaking - by eG's own @Chocolot. It will explain making fondant and how to make basic creams.

If you want small quantities at a reasonable price - check you local Trader Joe's if you are in the US. You can grind the fruit to a powder as required.

Welcome Esther. There is a whole lot of chocolate information here on eG. If you start here in the Pastry and Baking Index assembled by our own @gfron1 it will give you a jumping off point into the chocolate topics. Big fan of Peter Greweling's Chocolates and Confections - and a search will bring up a whole thread about our favorite chocolate books.

By cream filled chocolates do you mean 'creams' i.e. fondant filled chocolates like these?

Hot Cross Bread

Nice chocolaty looking Pain Chocolat! And lovely pottery.

Batch two under construction. This is regular corn starch. A lot thicker and slightly more difficult to work with. I did discover however that if you cook it to the same temperature as batch one you will have 77 to 78% solids. That is far better than the instructions that read cook for 20 to 25 minutes until smooth and clear. My patience runs out before that – I am better to have a temperature goal so I won't quit.

Line with plastic wrap they said - what where they thinking? Batch one cut and ready to go (some to Anna's house).

sourdough sous vide pork - instant pot and CSO green beans

It was a sample from a starch company that I got via the PMCA.

First experimental batch of Turkish Delight. This one uses the thin boiling starch. Flavored with a bit of vanilla and 1 drop of rose otto.

They may not be parbaked - just take them home, freeze and give a few minutes in the CSO or whatever you have

Is it bigger than a breadbox?

I will let Rodney know. He does parbaked baguette and sells them frozen I believe. PM me numbers wanted - he say $2.50 per baguette and $3.50 per Kouign Aman.

He will bring pastry and bread for sure.

He still got that under construction

You are right - doesn't look like it's ever been cracked open.

Here's what I found when Anna and I were out and about yesterday. I know that @rotuts will be proud of my good eye!

I've found that confectionary types (at least in North America) seem less snobby than other areas of the food scene. Perhaps it is different in Oz? There is certainly the snobbery around those who feel that only one manufacturer's chocolate is worthwhile - but I suspect that that snobbery is often rewarded by the chocolate company that supports them as an ambassador or providing free product. But I've also met ambassadors of one chocolate company who are thrilled to taste an interesting chocolate from another company and you can watch the wheels turning as they imagine how best they could use it. I don't think anyone here is attempting to 'give a beating' to Greweling or Wybauw. I, for one, am a huge fan of both - they are both absolutely delightful individuals - warm and fuzzy and endlessly helpful. I recommend Greweling's book on average once a week. I am more likely to recommend Wybauw's books to students who are further along and looking for more shelf life information. Objections to his book seem to be that folks don't want to add a lot of 'ol's' to their bonbons (sorbitol, glycerol). They want the shelf life - but they want to be perceived as having a clean label. The textbooks of Lees, Minifie, Richmond - which came out in the 80's and 90's - were highly industry supported and in a lot of cases were documentation of recipes that had been in use for decades. Some updates to add things like brand name invert sugars and fats clearly when I look at the early editions vs the newer editions. They were written for industry - not for artisan confectioners - a term that I suspect didn't exist back then (at least not the way it is used today). But if you think they were never criticized or that the scientists that present their papers are never criticized, you have clearly never been to one of the annual scientific events. They support their students to the ends of the earth - but they can be quite hard on each other. But they sure know their stuff! I think social media can be a godsend to some and very hard on others, as you note a few vocal critics can do serious damage to a reputation. And it is interesting that you note that it is often the people who announce themselves as having worked in a kitchen before. As if spending a bit of time in a kitchen means we know it all. I, for one, feel that I am always learning, and if I ever find myself not learning - it's time to give it up. You are certainly welcome here on eG - the chocolate and confectionary types on this forum tend to be very supportive of each other - and love to help trouble shoot and teach each other. We aren't big on being told we don't know anything or that we are snobs so you might want to dial that back a bit. We'd love to see pictures of your work - successes for sure - but don't be afraid to show us your failures (there's a dedicated thread for that here). If you want help, don't hesitate to ask. If you want to help, eG thrives on that. We try to be tactful when we offer help. Some of us are better at that than others. Perhaps we should try to get this thread back on track. The OP was identifying as a problem poor editing and translation of the compilation of Wybauw's books. Maybe we can identify the missing ingredients and poor translations and check in the original volumes to see if the information is there so that @minas6907 and others can make corrections in their books.

Are you a confectioner yourself or are you selling confectionary made by others? I'm trying to interpret 'selling confectionery as a business owner' in that light. Where are you noticing snobbery?

They seem more likely to disappear and I have to make another batch!

At Marilu's market in Burlington today I noticed a sign on top of the meat case - "sous vide meats" - apparently they sous vide for you - you buy in the premade meal case and finish them at home.

I tasted it at the Fancy Food show - tastes quite wonderfully pistachio.