Kerry Beal

I am having nothing but trouble trying to get zoom links for meet ups. I think I’m going to be sitting here for an hour with my thumb up my bum right now and nobody is going to be joining me because I don’t think the link is actually working.

I’m at the frustrated stage now!

There are lots of standard hotel pan sized perforated pans - I suspect if we knew measurements we could find easily.

Canned talk finally in the can! Biggest issue trying to figure out how to edit out the part where the video looked at the empty room and the false starts. Since my computer got updated to Catalina - iMovie disappeared and I can't figure out if there is a way to get it back. Anxious to see what tomorrow brings and see how/if this is going to work. I've had around 8 people pick up a coupon so far - so even if I make a couple of sales I'll be ahead of the game. Oh fer christ's sake - just looked at the canned talk - and the edited out part is still there! So if they have to use it - they need to start part way in.

Had the remaining bridie this morning Great flaky pastry - filling perfectly seasoned.

Well - usually this would be where I post a picture of my passport and ticket for Dallas - and show you some pictures of what I'm eating at the airport lounge. But that is not to be. I've spent the last number of days putting together a virtual trade show for this weekend. @Alleguede and we have made 4 - 10 min or so videos on how to use the EZtemper to temper chocolate, temper coloured cocoa butter, temper gianduja and temper ganache. So I've learned a lot about virtual voice over! I'll be doing a tempering talk on Sunday from 2-3 Dallas time (3-4 my time) and I spent a bit of time today video taping the presentation just in case there are technical difficulties on Sunday. It's been an interesting (and occasionally frustrating) experience so far. The platform it is on has some significant limitations (you can't make an HTML hyperlink with the title of your video) and you can only upload a single video into the spot for videos. So I've had to do a bit of work around to accomplish what I needed to do. I learned how to make a slide show on my Mac today and export it to be my intro video - and hope that that will lead people to the YouTube videos that I've embedded (not actually embedded - they are right out there for all to see) in my business description for people to click on and watch. The platform (it's called Whova) allows you to offer a 'coupon' so I can offer the promo pricing I have provided at trade shows in the past and when someone picks up a coupon I get an e-mail address and name so I can send out my usual promo e-mail. The Dallas Chocolate Festival this year is themed "The World of Chocolate in a Box" and there were 500 boxes shipped out fairly locally to Dallas. They contain samples of products being sold, tasting samples for those offering tasting sessions - in my case I made a post card with tempering temperatures on it so people can follow along my talk and will have it as a reference in the future (of course if they decide to buy an EZtemper - they'll never need it again!) One challenge is going to be figuring out the virtual meetups with people - how to talk to them one on one. I haven't quite sorted that one yet. Also how do I keep track of questions during my talk. I suspect I'll need iPad to videotape, computer beside me to watch for questions and phone to watch the coupon action (which I'll then need my computer to send out the promo e-mail). I need an assistant! The cost to sign up for the trade show now that the boxes have all been sold is only $5 - so it will be interesting to see how many people attend. Probably the least expensive trade show ever at that price. Another challenge is going to be how to have you guys follow along - it's not like I can take pictures of stuff and post it. Perhaps screenshots? Here's the link to the show in case anyone wants to virtually attend - Dallas Chocolate Festival 2020

Marian Burros Plum Torte- but it uses whole plums

Indeed - no goo at all. Must the the beef sausage!

if you only eat the pastry you'll be happy!

I will as long as you promise to try the beef sausage roll.

Nope she took it home for the child - but I'll bring it back tomorrow if you'd like. Here's the beef sausage roll from Opies. 10 min at 325º F (kid doesn't like things too hot) Lots of lovely flakes. You have one of these in your freezer!

Plum jam in my world.

@Douglas K - curious to know what mold you are using for that. I assume it's a floppy plastic one rather than a polycarbonate - making the scraping of the back challenging?

I prefer an attached cord - lose too many otherwise.

@Douglas K - welcome to eG. He is a cutie - much cuter than the fruit flies that seem to have taken over my chocolate room.

Two recent toys - Incubator Chefman hot plate - you can hold this at less than 40º C - it's a beautiful thing. Mold sitting on top because I sent a picture to @Chocolot to show her the size and convince her she needed one!

Yesterday I ran out to Georgetown on my way into Toronto to look at some lease properties for @Alleguede. Needed a quick lunch and Anna would not allow me to have MacDonald's fries one more time. There was a nice looking European bakery in the plaza that I needed to stop at so I grabbed a couple of sausage rolls. Had to tear it in half because I didn't have a knife in the car. Nice sausage - pastry could have been a little flakier - but flavor was good.

Just ran down to check the temperature of my room - IR thermometer tells me it's around 22.5º C. Humidity in the house is around 47% I couldn't make it splatter yet - thought I might be able to like the Fuji by turning down the intake but no joy there. I need to pull out that other little piece we got to see if I can get that to work. I must say that I like it a lot with the set up I have now. I'm using 60 PSI - haven't experimented with any other pressures - perhaps it might splatter with a lower pressure? I got a rather large cup to go with it - I've got 3 sizes of cup - I think the biggest might be 90 ml but I don't see it on the website. (nope - it's the 50 ml) Did you get the commercial spray booth? Do they make a washable filter?

Got a few new toys. When I was in Vegas for the IBIE last September - I got friendly with the folks from Grex and brought home the Tritium T5 brush. I've been attempting to use it with my sucky little 1/5 horsepower compressor that works nicely with my Paasch brushes - so not a lot of joy. All this discussion above led me to the Rolair compressor which is made in the US and had the numbers I needed for the Grex. It lives in the elevator closet so I really don't hear it cycling much and it's only 60 DB so pretty quiet for a compressor. Friday this little baby showed up - it's a lab incubator - just a tiny one - I have a larger one on order so it can hold the Fuji as well - but I picked up this one for a song so I couldn't resist. I can't believe how much easier it is to have all your tools warm (and not too hot) when you start and the ability to tuck the airbrush back in there between changes to keep it warm. I can even close the door with the Paasch air hose attached to the brush. My new cardboard box replacing spray booth is a work in progress. I spent the evening with the guys cutting it out from plexiglas as their first design idea didn't work. Unfortunately neither did their second really - so tomorrow morning I take the parts back and we redesign. But leaning some of the pieces of Plexiglas here and there against this and that, with a piece of paper on the top to replace the piece that can't be tucked where it needs to be tucked and I was at least able to play. I had a complete brain fart when I tried to put a piece of paper up on the side of the plexiglas to test spray on - two magnets repel each other - DUH. Need a piece of steel on one side and a magnet on the other. Discovered that the crying elves I got in kindergarten for my inability to draw straight lines has not not changed. No more straight lines!

Actually if you put peaches on a perforated pan with a cotton cloth over top - they will be perfect in a day or two.

Bespoke sausage rolls. Asked @Alleguede if he made them and he said he had been thinking about it after recently making some sausage. First one - steam bake 425 for 30 minutes. Not cooked as I wanted. Second one - convection bake 425 for 10 min then 325 for 20 minutes. In the background we have a sausage roll procured this morning from Ernie's meat market - not quite what I was hoping for. Looks like they don't take the sausage out of the casing and the pastry is particularly parsimonious. @Alleguede's version needs to have a thinner layer of puff I suspect to make them perfect.

excellent suggestions

I spent many hours squeezing the margarine to incorporate the colour - loved that task - hated the margarine!

I was given this by Maggie our Covid swabbing nurse - she admired her apartment neighbors garden and the next thing you know... So I have instructions to make something with it and take a picture for Maggie. Thoughts?

I know when @Anna N and I were getting eggs up north - some would have very dark yolks, others light - the farmers we got them from said it was breed dependent. Apparently double yolks happen more in the early days of a young hen's laying life and tend to settle as the season progresses.