gfron1

Just checking in...

My very general rule of thumb is madagascar when I want to really taste the vanilla sweetness; Mexican when I make a savory or won't taste the flavor (like buried in a brownie); Tahitian when I want subtle but sweet. And for the record, I've been using a lot of Neilsen Massey's vanilla paste lately - very convenient for me.

I just flipped through Lebovitz's The Great Book of Chocolate and he has a couple of recipes. One is just a thin ganache, and one is a fancy ganache with honey.

Perk up little hummingbird its all about the journey for me. I'm gonna keep pluggin' away till I have a beautiful loaf.

I'm trying to get cassava root and ube (purple sweet potato). I'm not sure if its even legal to ship produce, but does anyone have a source in the US that they've used? Thanks.

Round #2 - Failed. I already have low bread self-esteem, and this isn't helping. So my second mound of dough didn't do anything either. But, there is hope. Like I said, I converted to a stiff starter, and have been feeding it 2x day. Today at lunch I took this picture. It had a soft crust on the top, and was gooey and bubbly underneath. That sure seems like a good sign. So I'll start a new loaf tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks for the advice and encouragement.

All joking and taunting aside, this is meant to be just plain, messy fun. Its not really a competition...think of it as an attempt to get in the Guiness Book of World Records for the most desserts made in a weekend by a group of friends. (And no, GTO, that wan't my way of running from the challenge!)

No rules - what are Fridays for?

GTO, you may not know this about me, but I run a mental health program, so I'm diagnosing you right now I see you projecting dessert ideas on to other people. We'll have to do something about this lack of commitment that you're demonstrating! We know what you can do - we've seen your posts! Come to think of it, maybe this is double secret reverse psychology and you're trying to trick us by diverting attention away from yourself. You're game is up! Now get in the kitchen before I have to have you medicated

No banning - no rules! I want to see the boards light up with chocolatey ecstasy! And for those of you afraid of weight gain - who say's desserts have to be fattening - think fruit! Remember the un-cake cake topic...lot's of possibilities.

Poor Mark has been buried in books and typing and writing for weeks, so my guess is his fingers are gnarled in pain and he won't be able to make more than a muffin. To steal a line from JohnnyD's blog - I pity the fool! I've been stockpiling ingredients for weeks...good things this is a friendly event I'm banking on a darkhorse...one of those lurkers who will come out of nowhere and throw so much at us that we'll hang our heads in shame.

They started roasting at our local stores this past weekend. I will wait a bit for mine. A friend served me roasted chiles stuffed with blue cheese on Saturday - wow!

Have your wife read this topic about corn syrup - very informative and not agenda motivated. You can substitute honey if you want - slight taste difference, but for what you're looking to do, I think its a fair substitute. I personally would never add syrup for a sauce, but for a cake glaze to add some shine, or my chocolates to add flexibility. As for sourcing there's countless topics about which cocoa powder, chocolate, etc. Readily available should be the hershey powder which got mostly positive, but mixed reviews in previous topics. And for chocolate, don't hesitate to get some good dark bars - WalMart carries Lindt typically which is a good everyday (aka no frills) bar. I am going to look in Fran's chocolate book to see what she has in hers - its a very popular sauce.

I know its odd, but I rarely eat my desserts - my friends are the ones gaining the weight.

Oh believe me - it all counts! And, BTW, I want to see those "long time lurkers" become "first time posters."

I questioned the use of flour too. I guess it depends on what you're looking for in a sauce. When I'm wanting a quick and easy sauce, I just make a lazy ganache - microwave my chocolate and add cream - enough to make it a sauce versus a thick spreadable. And I agree with John that the choice of chocolates becomes the most important factor.

Well, the vagina reference we'll just blame on my poor drawing skills, but my friends do work for a mental health agency, so you never know what's going on in their heads The leftovers ended up being taken to a local knitting circle where it was a huge hit - even in retrospect, it was too much for me. Tonight its near 90F so I went for something cooler - the espresso succès with espresso ice cream. Very fast and easy. I enjoyed it. This was my first succè, and I started a topic to learn more about them. My assumption is that, in general, they are intended more to be a platform for something else, rather than the focus of the dessert. I enjoyed the succè - almond and espresso. A friend that I shared it with said he much more enjoyed the ice cream, so he found the succè to be stronger than he would have preferred. The ice cream was a nice strong espresso flavor and very creamy. I have some extra that will probaby make an appearance next weekend.

Here's an Espresso Succès with espresso ice cream from Amernick's Art of the Dessert - perfect on this hot night.

Come on Tri2Cook! Take one for the team. Triathaletes should be disciplined. Where's your sense of competitiveness?! (Now that the guilting is done) We're looking forward to seeing a dessert or two

And we often feel that Mexican vanilla is watered down...not a good value, nor considered safe - and we eat almost anything from Mexico down here.

Since I keep getting PMs asking about "rules" and such...I thought I would just more clearly state - this isn't an event, its just an opportunity to do a lot of dessert making and share with each other - kind of an end of summer vacation/school's back celebration. So, no rules, just use lots of sugar!

How will I keep track?....(insert sinister laugh), you'll see. I have a plan!

The recipe I just made uses almond flour. The amount is less than what I've used by percentage in a dacquoise, and the texture is more meringue than dacquoise...so it seems to me that it has to do with percentage of nut meal/flour.

It all started as a friendly competition between myself and Jumanggy (Mark). Who could make the most desserts in one weekend. Then we thought, why not try and help the struggling flour farmers from across the globe! Or relieve the overworked chickens by taking some of their eggs. Who knows, with such a philanthropic endeavor, we could create universal peas and change the world one belly at a time! So Jumanggy and I are inviting all of you to do your duty to your countries' economic leader, and your local grocery stores/farmers markets, by joining us for the 2007 Dessert-athon. You make and post the desserts, I'll do the counting. Feel free to simply free-form create, or find a theme. I'm leaning toward one dessert from every cookbook that I have. No need to RSVP, just plan, bake and post! We're asking you to post in the obvious existing topics: What's for dessert? Ice Cream Recipes & Tips Chocolate Chip Cookies Yellow and White Cakes Showstopper Jello Desserts or any other existing topic. Are you game? Let's help the sugar growers reach their annual quota!

I'm making an espresso succès from Amernick's book right now, and I have never made these before. First, I would love a good pronunication for the word so I can stop calling them 'sucks.' Second, they seem like an in between on a dacquoise and meringue. What is the meaning of the word - success? I also saw madness listed on one website. What are the standards that people look for in succès? Shape, heights, texture, browning, etc.? They are very simple and seem like a classy addition to a dessert, so I'd love to know of any knock-out recipes. Thanks.