John DePaula

OMG, that sounds too good to eat... almost. ETA: Well, now I'm jealous and want to buy the F. Bau books!!!

Try Chicken and Mushroom Roulades in Julia Child's The Way to Cook. FANTASTIC! I usu. add fresh spinach to the mix, but be sure to cook the *! out of it.

I think that what’s already been said is good advice. The only other thing I can think of is, possibly, to add some cocoa butter. It should have a positive effect on mouth-feel and the desired reduction in sweetness. I’ve never tried it before but it may work. By the way, for what it’s worth, taste is quite subjective. One person’s “too sweet” is another’s “too bitter.” Don’t forget, "too many chefs spoil the soup."

I use that too, just make sure it doesn't have flecks of cotton seeds (which some of the natural cotton battings do) that will scratch your molds.

According to J.B. Prince Shipping Policy, they will ship to countries other than the U.S. and Canada. You might give them a try. Good selection and good customer service.

Oh, that one drip of caramel down the side... PERFECT!

Demo: Transfer Sheets on Chocolate Bonbons, Using Magnetic Chocolate Molds Yes, it's horribly time consuming and as you all know, this business is all about volume which is why I can't do this very much anymore. To answer your question, Yes the red swirls are filled in by hand with a palette knife, then covered with white chocolate. I love the effect but it just takes too much time.

Hi Alana, There is leakage sometimes but usually, any leakage snaps off cleanly and the chocolates look pretty good. I thought it’d be a big problem with the Arabesque structure sheet, but actually I have more problems with the Braid (tresse) one. As with all molded chocolates, good temper is key. By the way, as in the demo with transfer sheets I am painting-in the chocolate for structure sheets so I minimize bubbles and get maximim detail from the pattern. In another thread, folks were talking about having problems with the transfer sheets not transferring. I was getting this problem on and off, too, and finally I decided to warm up my chocolate just a tiny bit more than I would consider “safe” i.e. still in temper - 34°C. Voila! Good solid transfers every time now. Hope this answers your question. (let me know, if not)

Yes, Vanessa, you can certainly cut them. I do so to fit my magnetic chocolate molds. And yes, you can reuse them. I just pop them into the dishwasher, after rinsing, with some dish washing liquid (not the abrasive dish detergent stuff). And finally, no, it's not a silly question! So what shapes did you buy? Can't wait to see your newest work.

Taking a longer time isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The first time I made caramel, I cooked it to the proper temperature but it was very blond and too soft. After doing a bit of research, I found the book ‘Candymaking’ by Kendrick & Atkinson. They pointed out that if you cook it too fast, the sugars don’t have a chance to properly caramelize. You also increase the chance of scorching. The next time I made it, I turned the temp down a bit and voila! the caramel came out just right. Took longer but the flavor / texture was much improved.

Oh Mette, you are marvelous! Your chocolates look wonderful and your friend is very lucky indeed to have such an artisan as you at his/her disposal. Bravo!

Gorgeous, Kerry. Nice and glossy! P.S. I'm making LOTS of chocolate this summer, crazy as that is...

Caramel Rulers and Confectionary Frames are used by confectioners to obtain an end product of uniform thickness. Used for the production of Caramel, Chocolate Ganache, etc.

So, rather than cooking to specific temperatures and adding the pectin/sugar mix later in the process, he brings the whole thing up to a boil and then stops cooking. The pictures show very clear and bright fruit creams, which is the desired effect. p.s. great mice, and... Have you worked with chocolate bar molds without filling them? Just curious because of the larger volume of chocolate if you'd have to refrigerate the mold, etc. in order to keep in temper. ← Alana, That sounds great. I'd love to see the actual recipe. I do find the pates de fruit way too sweet and it takes a second or two before the flavour comes through. I'll have to check out abebooks and see if I can pick it up inexpensively. I have made solid bars as well as filled. I haven't had too much trouble with the temper. I have a variety of bar molds, both metal and polycarbonate. The larger metal molds sometimes get a mark in the middle which may relate to slow cooling, but the 500 g polycarbonate mold works perfectly almost every time. ← I'd like to 2nd what Kerry said, Alana: I'd love to see the recipe. I checked to see if I could find the Paco T. book and if I found the right one, it's VERY expensive and difficult to find.

I must say that I'm really enjoying this thread! Some very interesting things that I've not seen before. Glad to be learning about Dutch cooking, Chufi.

Thanks John. Liking the new look of your website BTW. I really love that mold you use in your avatar. Thanks! Kerry, are the bars difficult to use? Anyway, they came out lookin' great! BTW, I'm a fan of the (almond) barks, too. Sometimes the simpler things are just what the doctor ordered!

Wow, Kerry, I LOVE that! Those mice are great and the bars look very elegant.

Kerry, you're amazing! What I don't understand is why this is happening. I know that I'm cleaning the spatulas well, in soapy water then through the dishwasher. They should be completely clear of any fat from chocolate work. Hmmm...

I've got about a million cheap silicone spatulas and I have noticed this a lot. A greasy film. The dishwasher takes it off well, so does a quick wipe. I think it might be cocoa butter around my house. ← Hi Kerry, thanks for replying. I work with chocolate as well, but I'm pretty sure I've noticed this before I opened my business. It's curious...

I recently purchased a Zyliss Heat Resistant Silicone Spatula. I’ve noticed that after it sits for several days, a cloudy film appears on the surface. Has anyone else noticed this? What’s going on here? I know it’s clean so what could it be?

A friend of mine recently ate at The Bistro @ BoDo in Boise. He had the Seared Elk Medallions and said that it was one of the best meals he's had in a long time. Have you eaten there? Are there any new recommendations for Boise?

And since you'll be staying in the 15th...

Well, the romance of France... and, of course, the skill level that you're exposed to on a daily basis. For me, it wasn't just about the education but also the experience of living abroad. That made it an easy decision for me.

That's a very good suggestion, alanamoana. I'd forgotten about The French Pastry School in Chicago. Yeah, they have a great reputation. I'll tell her about it.