John DePaula

Alternatively, you could always add more plain cocoa butter to make it thin as you like. Can still be tempered in the normal way.

I suppose I could simply do the experiment myself - it's only the cost of some fat and flour! I've never even seen a Thermomix before, so take these comments with a grain of salt... Seems like making a roux would be really difficult, now that I think about it. Roux is one of those things that you have to watch like a hawk, like burnt caramel - so easy to overshoot. Can you actually * see * the mixture while it's cooking and, therefore, stop it when it gets to the right place? Though I suppose with a little experimentation, you could nail the time & temperature down pretty closely.

It's almost 2 inches in diameter though - hence my question about the size of the PB cups. I don't have one right in front of me but I'd estimate it's roughly 43mm Ø, possibly up to 50mm Ø but I think that's a bit too large.

Wow, that would be so awesome if it will make a roux, too. Can't wait to see the answer to this question.

I don't have the book but let me know if I can help, Kerry.

Candyfreak is, indeed, a good read. Not at all what I expected, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was this book that led me to try, umm... purchase these examples from the Boise Candy Co:

Lisa, I'm curious as a candy noob, is it better to not use corn syrup? If so, what additional precautions should be taken, and/or how would you adjust a recipe calling for corn syrup (ie, how much sugar should replace it?). I tried my hand at the method involving baking soda and vanilla - so far so good. I'm letting it cool now. I'll probably dip them in the morning. Here's a few pics! This is just as I added the peanut butter, baking soda, and vanilla. Love that smell! ... This is cooling, just about to score it for later: I'll be back with the results! Please do! Can't wait to hear how you'd judge the texture and flavor.

I've always been fairly pleased ordering from sites like amazon.fr or alapage.com with the following caveat: be aware the the phrase 'En stock' means little and if you, like me, try to order more than one item to make the most of your postage costs they'll simply drop the out of stock item and send you the remaining one with no notice until it has shipped.

This morning, pancakes with very very thinly sliced quince, a dash of cinnamon and allspice, cooked slowly, served with butter and quince syrup. Beautiful!

Here's a recipe I "collected" a couple of years ago, specifically for using up the quince pulp left over from making jam. http://www.abc.net.au/tasmania/stories/s1362914.htm I have not similarly "collected" this one. Sounds good. "I have *now* similarly collected this one," is what I meant to say.

Here's a recipe I "collected" a couple of years ago, specifically for using up the quince pulp left over from making jam. http://www.abc.net.au/tasmania/stories/s1362914.htm I have not similarly "collected" this one. Sounds good.

I think quince leather would work well.

The results turned out so well that I have since prepared the "smoked" version and people (especially my daughter and her family) love it. I am planning on preparing a batch for canning to include in my holiday gift baskets. I have also used the same process with fig jam and that too has been a hit. I canned 21 half-pints of smoky fig jam - made with brown turkey figs - last month. That's a fantastic idea! I love the smokiness of Lapsang souchong so this goes to the top of my "to try" list. Thanks.

Mmmm... love membrillo. I checked online and no extra pectin is needed.

Quince. I love quince and had a bumper crop this year. I’ve been making all sorts of things with them: quince purée (for use in my chocolate business), quince jelly* (from making the purée), sliced quince for use in Apple-Quince pies, Poached Quince and Quince Tarte Tatin from David Lebovitz’ site. Can’t get enough! After making puree with the food mill**, I had a moderate amount of pulp remaining that is not at all unpleasant. Any suggestions for using the leftover pulp? Or favorite uses for quince? *I made 2 batches of jelly: one with peels and cores and fruit, and one without peels and cores. I think the one with peels and cores actually came out better, to my surprise. Do you use peels and cores when you make jelly? **I followed Kerry Beal’s suggestion and got a Rosle food mill – really excellent.

I agree, very nice indeed!

You read this in Wybauw. I believe the number is 70C and it "loses its water sequestering ability."

yep.

Wow that was a most excellent reply, LRunkle! Some great expertise here on eGullet. Whether it's tongue or skin, I reach for an ice cube as quickly as possible. Works pretty well if you don't delay more than a few seconds.

Wow, that a beauty! You could also make marzipan or gianduja, any kind of smooth nut pastes.

I loaded up the French version and compared the two; turns out it's just a translation error. The first set, "fruit ganaches," are for slabbing. The second set, "Chocolate Molded Sweets," are for molded bonbons. Here's a link to the French language version: Boiron Chocolatier PDF. Hope this helps.

Recently, a board member sent to me a list of questions about ESCF Ferrandi. Although I feel my information is now quite dated, (I attended Ferrandi in 2003/4), it was requested that I post the answers here since others may find the info helpful. Here you go: 1) Is it really difficult for an American who knows NO French to make it through the program? ( I’m going to try to be accepted to next year's Baking and Pastry certificate program) (Which from this point on I am going to purchase Rosetta Stone or do something to teach me the basics anyways so I have a little time to learn something of the language!!) That really depends on you. There was only one person in our class who spoke no French and he had a bad time of it, sort of. I mean, he did OK but it was very frustrating for him at times. For learning French, I have found the absolute easiest way is from Pierre Capretz' French in Action series. Check out your local community college. Here in Portland, they teach from Capretz' books and videos, which may be available at your public library. The info is occasionally a bit dated (you NEVER say 'garçon' when trying to get the waiter's attention), but by-and-large you'll learn the vocabulary needed to function in everyday life. The books are essential, but you can view the videos for free at Learner.org French in Action . 2) I have NO professional experience and I don’t have much knowledge or even really know the basics of baking. Some might just think I’m curious or a hobbyist but its way more then that. I have wanted to bake for the longest time, I just have been hiding and running from it because I think I was part afraid of what people would think and also I always figured it was more of a women's thing! I don’t feel that way anymore. So, my question is (lol) if I have little to no experience am I stepping into a death trap (putting myself in position to basically fail)?? Baking is definitely NOT considered a "women's thing" in France. In fact, most chefs in France are men, though this is changing. My class was the first, I believe, where the women outnumbered the men by quite a bit - I was one of only two guys in the class. Prior professional experience can help or hinder, depending on your attitude. Being open to learning and able to follow instruction are perhaps your most important attributes. They will really respect you if you work hard. Even if you're not the best in the class. 3) Obviously depending where I live would measure the distance to school, but I was more curious on the overall getting around the city. Is it pretty easy? Or does it take a good long while to figure it out? I’m assuming (which I definitely could be wrong) that you didn’t purchase or rent a car during your time there. It's VERY easy to get around Paris. Such a beautiful city. I was quite happy to NOT own a car while living there. (Trust me, you do not want a car in Paris). You'll have the metro figured out in no time. Unless there's a strike (not an idle threat) you'll be fine. I used a couple of sites to locate an apartment: Sabbatical Homes and de Particulier-à-Particulier realtors , new listings out every Thursday morning. Completely in French, if I recall. But you have the advantage of being able to peruse the site from home with Google translate nearby... (just now saw that they have some English version which may be useful) My apartment was in the 15th but only took about 15 minutes to walk to the school in the 6th. 4) I know there are a bunch of other programs going on at the school, but from your opinion when it came to the "cooking or baking" side what was the general age? I am 24 and although I am not going there for other people it would definitely be nice to be able to relate to people my age. No, you're right on track for the age thing. I was the oldest in my class and I felt fine. We had folks as young as 21 with the average being around 24 or 25, I'd guess. 5) Is there a good amount of International students like I would be? Or are mostly people from France and surrounding areas? In my class, we had students from all over: U.S., Mexico, India, Brazil, Japan, Israel, etc. We all spoke English best. Not any French students there since it is ostensibly a class for foreigners. But lots of French kids around in the vocational programs going on all over the school. 6) They already tell you what amount of hours you will be in class a week, but I know a lot of the times things don’t go as listed. Obviously no one would complain about a few minutes here and there but are they pretty well structured and stick to the agenda? Things can be a bit disorganized. No doubt about it. But there'll be plenty of class time. And they'll give you a good foundation. One of my classmates wanted to take on extra projects and was allowed to do that. If you're really motivated, then you can get a lot out of the program. 7) Also I noticed we have to work on the campus restaurant? Is it the equal amount of time we spend in there for cuisine students as pastry students? Do the time we spend there count as the hours they outlined or is that "extra" time we have to come in when we would really be off campus? How often are we required to work there? When I was there, we didn't work in the restaurant, per se. Rather, stuff that we made during class, and there was a lot of it, would be used to supplement the meals made by the restaurant staff, outsourced to the lowest-bidder catering company. 8) Just like regular school back home we make friends in the class and on campus, but what was your experience with meeting other people outside of the school? I know a lot depends on your personality and how out going you are, and I am that type, but I was just curious how hard it was to meet people out there? Paris is a big city. And a lot depends on your attitude. There are cultural differences between Americans and the French. You know, I think that at your age it won't be too difficult to meet others. People are a lot less formal, esp. in their 20s, than you may have been led to believe. 9) How was the cafeteria food they provide? Nasty. Kinda ironic, eh? But that's not a reflection on the level of instruction you will receive. It's about the external catering company being the low bidder. It was explained to me that the students could not be expected to turn out the amount of food needed to run a cafeteria on a daily basis. The cafeteria people were by far the rudest folks I encountered in France. If I had to serve food like that, I'd be grouchy and mean, too! 10) The certificate I would achieve on successful completion of the program is it the same as the one I would get from any other baking school in America? Is it recognizable here? Or is it more of just a good thing to have in France if I decided I wanted to stay out there? Don't really know the answer to that one. If you decide to stay in France, however, you'll have to go a LOT further and pass language tests, etc. CAP or BEP? I forget. For the U.S., I think it’s mostly about what you can do in the kitchen. I know that there are some degreed programs here that will do absolutely nothing as far as getting a job; in fact, some may even be a detriment to finding employment... 11) During the internship do we get paid at all? And do they treat you as a "slave" because they know you are in and out in a certain amount of months, or do you really learn more? And does it help your career? Yes, they treat you like a slave. No, you do not get paid (usually). Yes, they're quite QUITE rude. There's a lot of histrionics involved. (Being really fluent in French can be greatly useful here, allowing you to react with humor and diffuse a bad situation, possibly, rather than just be dumped on). But, I think the stage (internship) is essential. You will learn SO MUCH. You will learn how to do it, how to do it perfectly, how to do it FAST. That can only help your career. 12) I know they provide you with ideas or connections on housing out there. My question is did you use their resources or did you end up trying to find something on your own? Everyone standards are different but what was your experience renting? They give suggestions of a basic amount of money you would spend, from 500, to 800, to 1000 Euros. If it’s not too personal what did you choose? And how was it? And what would you recommend? I looked at several things suggested by the school but none were, ummm, places that I'd want to live. I'm a bit older and perhaps not quite as flexible... You can try http://www.pap.fr or even http://sabbaticalhomes.com/ (see above) which turned up a 1 BR apt. for about 1000euro/mo. I had a roommate, so that worked out fine. Check with the school and they may be able to pair you up with someone. By the way, if you can afford it I would highly recommend finding a place with a view (even a partial view) of the Eiffel Tower. My apt. didn’t have a view and I do regret that! 13) Did you decide to stay out there for a whole or did you come back to the United States right away? I traveled quite a bit while in Paris. It's very easy to do since Paris is very centrally located - a real hub. I traveled a bit before, during and after the program was over. Some of my classmates stayed longer to do extra stages. It was really tempting to stay longer, but I returned to Portland, which is also a very nice city. 14) Besides obvious tourists locations the Eiffel Tower, cathedrals and things of that nature, in your free time was there a lot of stuff to do? Like out here tons of malls, movie theatres, sporting events, clubs, etc… TONS of stuff to do in Paris. You'll only be able to do a small fraction of what's available. All kinds of stuff. Club and bars and restaurants? Certainly. Movies, of course. Do you roller blade? Want to join several thousand others on Friday night to roll around Paris streets? There's a group for that. In Paris, no one is without the current issue of Pariscope. For shopping, Paris Pas Cher (in French) is indispensable. But you probably won’t have time for any of that since you’ll be trying to figure out that multi-page contract you just signed to get a cell phone...( ). 15) And speaking of free time was there much of it? Or was there always A LOT of homework? Just curious if you get to keep a healthy medium between work and play. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed with things and it’s nice to know hey I’ll have the weekend off or just have time to unwind a little. Very little homework to speak of. The school provided us with a "deal" on some reference books published by a couple of the schools professors back in the 80s. Very little has changed and I still use the books a lot today. There are 4 volumes. Here's a link to French Professional Pastry Series Vol 1: Doughs, Batters and Meringues. 16) If you could make your decisions all over again knowing what you know, would you do it? I would have done it a lot sooner... 17) What was your experience with baking before actually going to the school? Just a home baker. 18) Based on the little bit that you know about me now as far as experience, and what not, do you think I could make it out there? Or am I way over my head and I’m better off attending something out here? Seriously, if I could do it, anyone can. But you understand that I'm not a professional baker, right. I'm just into chocolates and confections. I mainly took the class because I wanted to fully explore the possibility of being a pastry chef. I enjoy baking but right now, it's chocolate. Le Notre has a very nice school about 1/2 hour outside of Paris, I hear, and that might be a possibility for you. And Bellouet Conseil (in the 15th), I've heard good things about. Probably many others. But I think you'd enjoy Ferrandi (ESCF) the most. Being in central Paris really is preferable, at least socially, than some of the other options. Keep in mind that they all offer short term classes as well. I don't think I expected the level of instruction at Ferrandi to be quite so high. They're really good and very well connected when you go to do your stage. They have the top contacts in Paris. Students in our class went to George V, Plaza Athenee, Mulot, Hotel de Crillon, Le Meurice, etc. In the U.S., you should look at The French Pastry School in Chicago. Excellent program, last time I looked; great facility, great city.

I made some Gianduja yesterday using Greweling's recipe of 1 : 1.25 : 1 (nuts : milk chocolate : confectioner's sugar). I roasted the nuts really well and threw them hot into my food processor with 25% of the sugar. The recipe says that you just can't process the mixture too much at this point. My first stop was a very nice nut flour. (Nice to know.) But I was going for gianduja, so I continued. Took longer than I thought but finally condensed into a liquid. Whirred a bit more and I added about 50% of the remaining sugar and the milk chocolate, processing just enough to mix. It's got a delicious nutty taste and is surprisingly smooth, just a touch of graininess which I do not find off-putting at all. Surprisingly soft, not sure why it didn't get hard when refrigerated. The consistency is a little bit stiff for piping (though still possible) and a little too soft for dipping (though, again, with an added foot, this would be possible). I used quite a bit less sugar than the classic ratio specified by Greweling; though, he does say it's just a starting point. Overall, I'm pleased with it. It'll be interesting to see how this batch mellows over the next few days. I think I'll put it into a dark chocolate shell or maybe add some coffee to it for a marriage made in heaven.

From the Portland entries in your list above, I'd recommend Broder for breakfast. I haven't been to dinner there yet, but the breakfast I had was unique and excellent. Other places not to be missed in Portland: Toro Bravo for really excellent tapas (doesn't take reservations but I think they have a lounge upstairs (Secret Society Lounge?) while you wait) Sel Gris for fine dining (reservations recommended) Teardrop for great cocktails Ten01 for good food and cocktails - new chef but so far so good New kid on the block: Beaker & Flask - great food and drinks

Cause it would be a bitch to enrobe in chocolate! ← why? cool buttercream is solid, give them a pre coating, let them come up to room temp to avoid expansion and dip. ← when it hits the warm chocolate, it's going to make a (hmmm... to expletive or not...) mess...