Kerry Beal

Almond Buttercrunch starts on page 6 of the confectionery course - here.

A thought on the Genin Caramels - where you add the fruit puree determines whether they will taste more caramel or more fruit. Cooking the caramel first then adding the puree and recooking gives more caramel flavour. Linking to the final notes I have in my cookbook here Fruit Flavoured Caramels 300 grams glucose375 grams sugar75 grams water50 grams butter50 grams honey500 grams cream200 grams fruit puree 140 g passion fruit/60 g mango1 teaspoon vanilla1.Follow the usual directions, bring to 118 degrees C, then add fruit puree and bring back to 123 C. Test to see if firm enough in cold water.2.Other option was 200 g cream, 150 grams each of mango and passion fruit, all added as for cream. Again bring to 123 C. Not sure who would be the best fudge expert here on eG - perhaps Chocolot might be able to jump in with some ideas?

How thinly did you spread the applesauce? Like the idea of 'apple crackers'.

Trader Joe's crystallized ginger. Freeze dried pear slices. Bark with freeze dried peach puree and freeze dried Liberte greek yogurt with honey.

Wonderfully tender lamb, peas and steam roasted potatoes in duck fat with dutch aardappel.

Quite wonderful having the Death & Company book here - but lacking most of the ingredients. We decided tonight to make one of the Multiple Choice cocktails - A Little Kingdom. We of course still had to vary from the plan - using genever as the main and not having brandied cherries.

Molasses.

That which made it home.

Shhh... buzzards (old joke).

A few stops on the way home - first the store in Kagawong that takes back liquor bottles - in hopes of finding a few more lids for Absolut bottles - one was found - a bunch of other lids that will fit but aren't as attractive were also obtained. A stop in Mindamoya to visit the hardware store, the grocery store and the thrift store. And to take pictures of a couple of colourful houses.

"Hi, I'm Copper, I'll be your greeter today" Max had a nice collection of squash. Gratuitous farm pictures.

Every place in town we considered going to get a bit of take out before heading out was closed for the season! So very, very sad poutine from the family restaurant. I think however the potatoes were thoroughly retrograded.

Looks pretty darn good for a first time and using an egg tray in place of a mold. Looks like you got fairly reasonable temper which is defiantly the first trick to master. Don't be surprised if your next attempts are more disappointing - it often happens that way - but persistence pays off.

Occasionally I have to do something just because I can. I have no need of little tea sandwiches - however at the grocery store the other day we noticed again this pullman loaf cut lengthwise that President's Choice produces. Of course that dragged my memory back to all the little tea sandwiches that my mother and I used to put together for various church and social functions when I was a kid. There happened to be roasted garlic whipped cream cheese on for half price in the dairy case and they had this jar of mammoth olives (the remainder of which will not go to waste - instead to waist). So this morning I was making olive cream cheese rolled sandwiches. It's not the same without wax paper to roll them in. So that's another thing you need wax paper for - tea sandwiches. I'll get a picture of them cut later - as I recall they need to mellow a bit first. Don't know if they will mellow properly without the wax paper. I would wrap in wax paper, twist the ends, then wrap that in damp paper towel.

Yes I did! It was wonderful. The remainder that I took to work the last time they called me in - was more than half gone by the time I left - and there were only two nurses in the room! The light up here is very different than in southern Ontario. You see these amazing sunrises and sunsets and the range of colours is phenomenal.

No higher than 300 F. Try less soda perhaps?

Sudden weird light outside. Reminded me it's time to haul out the garbage and recycling.

The pear almond cake. The piece that hit the floor.

Almond Buttercrunch is one I like when I'm thinking candy instead of cookies, also pretzel rods in caramel, pecans and drizzled with milk chocolate. Pate de fruit. Chocolate caramels. Meringue coated nuts. Nougat. Meltaways. Sponge toffee. Turkish delight.

Dinner tonight - chicken dopiaza and steamed broccoli.

Made the Pear and Almond cake discussed previously before I left for work this am. There will be some for Anna and I for dinner and the rest will head off to work this afternoon. Probably won't bother with the powdered sugar.

Not a pretty lunch - but a tasty one - toasted bacon, cheese and tomato again!

Playing with my freeze dried cream cheese over here.

Fiddling with my freeze dried cream cheese to make a cheese cake filling - reported on it over here.

Last night I started fiddling with my freeze dried cream cheese to see if I could come up with a half way decent first try at a cheese cake filling for a bonbon. Way too much strawberry - used some jam mixed with freeze dried strawberries - should have processed it more finely and piped just a tiny bit into the bottom of the shell instead of using a spoon (lazy often wins). Alternately some strawberry PDF processed with some booze to loosen it up and The cheesecake part has potential - this morning I took the remains and added some of Darcy O'Neill's lactart to boost the cream cheesy flavour - works a treat. The crumbs were graham crumbs, butter and cocoa butter rolled between a couple of pieces of parchment then cut out to fit the top of the mold under the back. Needs a bit of work as well. Not sure if I should try moulding in white or dark chocolate - the milk chocolate does mute the other flavours.