John DePaula

Hey, Cool! I'm going to be in the March class at The French Pastry School in Chicago. It'll be a pleasure to meet you guys!

Hi Mette, Great to hear from you! About this... I can still get some leaks even using the painting in; however, it usually works pretty well. Mostly, it depends on the structure sheet pattern you're using and/or the strength of the magnets in your mould. In the latest ones I bought, the magnets were so strong they nearly snapped my fingers off! O.k....slight exaggeration, but they sure did pinch me! Have fun and watch out for those undomesticated chocolate molds!

And one minor thing to add, if it hasn't already been mentioned, is that you can use a cosmetics brush ( I think it's a big "poofy" blush brush ) to smooth out the transfer square once it's applied. Hope this helps. --John

Hearts of Passion by Jacques Torres You can also make one with nothing more than passion fruit puree or juice and chocolate but you'll have to play around with ratios to get it to set. Personally, I'd not omit the apricot since it tends to mellow the sharpness of the passion fruit without getting in the way. Hope this helps, Vanessa.

There isn't going to be a very big difference between a drum sieve and a regular fine mesh sieve. Perhaps the biggest difference is that a drum sieve will be a bit easier to use, but the regular fine sieve that you already have should be just fine. P.S. For what it's worth, I have a drum sieve and I actually prefer it to the standard hand crank sifter to which we Americans are accustomed.

Sospiri e Désirs (Sighs and Desires) The sesame seed cookie recipe is all over the web. This one looks pretty good: Italian Sesame Seed Cookies

Thanks, Alana. I thought you might know the skinny on this!

Ah... the ones I tried were a mix of different types. Tasty but not that shapely. Good luck, Tammy.

Sicilian Christmas Cookies Sesame Cookies Sospiri e Désirs (Sighs and Desires)

I thought they were pretty good to have as a staple in the freezer - nice quick addition of flavor to soups and stews. And I think they'd make a nice duxelle. For garnish, however, I think you'd be hard pressed to find nice enough looking ones. HTH, Tammy.

Here are two confections that I made for Christmas gifts: Sicilian Sesame Seed Cookies And Sospiri e Désirs (Sighs and Desires) << I just love that name... From the book Bitter Almonds by Simeti & Grammatico These are both very simple to make, yet very pretty and satisfying.

Sospiri e Désirs (Sighs and Desires) Serves 20 as Dessert. This is a Sicilian almond pastry simple, beautiful and delicious. The recipe is from the book Bitter Almonds by Mary Taylor Simeti and Maria Grammatico, who owns a pastry shop in the hilltop town of Erice in Western Sicily. 20 whole blanched almonds, reserved for decoration 450 g whole blanched almonds 450 g granulated sugar 3 egg whites 1 T honey 1 tsp almond extract (optional) 1-1/2 tsp grated lemon zest Grind the almonds together with the sugar in a food processor. Be careful: you're not trying to make almond butter here. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the egg whites, honey, almond extract (if using) and the zest. Using a paddle attachment, mix on low until if forms a smooth mass forms around the paddle. Wrap in film and refrigerate until ready to use. Dough can be made up to 3 days prior to use. (and I think it could be frozen until needed as well). Preheat oven to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas Mark 5. Line baking sheets with parchment or a silpat. Set aside a small amount of dough - about 5 cm in diameter. Now, begin rolling a small "cookie sized" amount of dough into a ball; roll in sugar and then flatten slightly into a patty. Place on the baking tray. Bake for about 12 minutes or until golden. These are the Sospiri. The Désirs are made in the same way with the following addition: take the reserved dough and add water by drops just until you can pipe it from a pastry bag fitted with an open star tip (~1cm). Pipe a star atop each patty and add a whole blanched almond. Bake as before. Cool briefly then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 40 cookies. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cookie, Italian ( RG1904 )

I use the Kee-Seal bags, too, and I noticed that their web site has online sales (www.keeseal.com) for bags that cost a fraction of what you’ll pay at a retail store; though you have to buy a case to get that price. So my question is: has anyone used their Economy line? I use the disposables to fill chocolates with ganache and if the Economy line will do, I can save some bucks. Thanks in advance.

Have you read the Kendrick & Atkinson book Candymaking. It's a great reference and covers many of the basics of candymaking. I learned many good things from this book, especially about caramel making. 1) Don't cook the caramel too quickly. (med-hi temp is probably fine) 2) Be sure to mix in your fat well or otherwise it will separate out. 3) DON'T SCRAPE THE BOWL to get the late little bit out when you pour; otherwise, you'll get crystallization. Hope this helps.

Sorry for the delay, Patrick. I'm just getting back to eGullet after a harrowing week filling orders for chocolate! I 2nd Kerry's recommendation for the Kendrick & Atkinson book Candymaking. It's a great reference and covers many of the basics of candymaking. I learned many good things from this book. The Chocolate Bible by Teubner is also pretty good; and I also like Belgian Chocolates by Geerts.

I just received an order as well. Wow, these are gorgeous beans! I've been too busy making chocolate to try them out yet, but they look to be at the very top in quality. I also sent a nice variety to my brother for Christmas.

Looks LUMINOUS, Vanessa!

I don't suppose you could spray the gelee onto a chilled pear?

I think that a heating pad can help to keep chocolate warm but the line is fine and, depending on the heating pad, it could easily go too hot in places. Before I got my Mol d'art melter, I used a large volume of warm water kept just at the right temp. I could keep a mass of chocolate in temper for quite a long time that way. Obviously, you have to be plenty careful not to get any water in your chocolate. ETA: You really need to be vigilant about stirring, as well. It's necessary to keep the crystals evenly dispersed throughout the chocolate.

More info on seizing chocolate and the various causes: Chocolate Seize on Baking911

Sorry... I retrieved the name from my credit card records and sometimes the name on the statement doesn't match the actual name. I think that you may be correct. I checked some of the guidebooks that I was using at the time, and although 'Osteria Di Venere' isn't listed, there it is, plain as day, penciled-in in the notes section for Erice in my handwriting. So it must have been a local recommendation. I thought it was a good value. As an aside, the night we were there the owner's daughter, about 3 years old, was playing with the telephone and having a VERY animated imaginary conversation - holding the phone with one hand and gesturing wildly with the other - very cute.

I was just about to say: a stop at Maria's is essential in Erice. You cannot go wrong with anything you buy there. See here: Sicilian Pastries from Shop of Maria Grammatico It has been a while, but it seems like the place we enjoyed for dinner was RISTORANTE OSTERIA DI ERICE. It was not that expensive: only about $46 for 2 people. There is also a good thread here: Sicily, Erice, Agrigento, Cefalu, Palermo recs? ETA: link to posts about Maria Grammatico's shop.

Oh how wonderful. Thanks, Abra, I always enjoy your posts. My brother and I have been looking for Yellow Eye beans for several years and I see that Rancho Gordo is now carrying them. Guess what my brother is getting for Christmas! Along with some of those Christmas Limas. BTW, the Yellow Eye beans are great fixed with the Mora Vegetarian Bouillon (no-salt) cubes + a little bit of tarragon & salt to taste.

Very cute, Kerry. If he's having trouble "pitching forward," what if you glued him to a square of chocolate at the base for stability?

Well, David, like everyone else I'm just floored by this informative post. Thanks so much!