gfron1

Here's an article about this process with RECIPE

In general I feel like people are wearing less and less body scents, but it does still happen. And out on the streets I kind of like it. But like an ages ago rant about wine tastings HERE, I wish people would be more considerate about the impact on the dining experience of not only themselves but others. Maybe this is just my issue since there were no other threads about this on eG based on my search. I just think that smell is so critical to taste, and if you're going out to dinner you might want to taste your food not the acridity of perfume. What do you all think?

This truly is the last picture. Seeing the book laid out made it very simple to see what needed fixing. One thing was noticing that the beer I used in the sumac shandy recipe was way too dark. I love how simple and beautiful this pic came out. Now it's off to the proofreader. I'm submitting my index in the morning. Back cover blurbs are starting to be returned. Once back from the proofreader I get one more read on it. Then DONE!

And here we are in our final Tour of the Gila. The race has grown (record professional entrants this year). We've certainly grown (no need to blah blah toot my horn). And I've simply switched to doing my thing. There are three types of races - Sponsored with money. Scrubs just trying to get by. And Masters with a real job that affords them the time and money to travel and spend. All three appreciate food from scratch. For some its a splurge and others no big deal. Either way offering a fancy foraged tasting dinner has been a hit every year. We were sold out weeks ago, and I've spent the better part of the week having riders thank me for feeding them all these past years. My last one.

Latest update. I've reviewed the 1st press pass (digital full version of the final book) and the whole thing really looks amazing. I was able to offer comments for the revision. My biggest was to tone down the bold colors, which is funny since they did exactly what I said. It just felt too much. We also now see how the pics look in the layout and are going to redo a few pics on Monday (portrait v. landscape). Next up - the proof reader will go through it next week. After that they will let me make small changes as long as they don't influence the page layout. I've been keeping notes of small changes (for example the note about the ginger discussed a few weeks ago). Back cover blurbs/quotes have been invited and we're waiting for feedback. The editor says within two weeks the final files will be sent off for printing. Sooooo...close now!

wish I could help but I've seen prices range so wildly that I have no idea. Maybe go about it from the perspective of what you feel your time is worth. For example, maybe you have the recipes already and just need to make minor modifications. Or maybe its a bit of research to develop new ones. For my cookbook the average price on recipe testing was $35-40 per recipe, again with prices ranging wildly. If I were in your shoes, and already had the contract (which I doubt since you haven't talked money), I would put the question back to them and say "the level of my involvement can really vary so it would be helpful to know your budget." Their response then gives you guidance on how much work you put in, and how you then charge. Hope that helps even a tiny bit, and I hope you share what you end up doing since no one else has offered an answer yet.

1. Pony up for decent polycarbs. They should last a lifetime. 2. I shut down my operations from May through October because my building doesn't stay cool enough. Others have tips for making it work but its just not worth it for me. 3. Absolutely go volunteer (stage pron: stahghz). Be up front that you know very little and are happy to wash dishes and polish molds. Someone will take you.

My 2 cents after agreeing with all above. 1. as a new chocolate maker restrain yourself from buying all sorts of stuff unless you absolutely have to. It seems many, many of us have ultimately sold off or given away gear and supplies that we didn't need as we advanced. The biggest thing is molds. So many of of us bought one each of a gazillion different molds ultimately realizing that we ultimately wanted a gazillion of one style of mold. 2. Follow your interest. If you don't have the time to commit to a set curriculum then pick a book or a blog or something where you can work your way through the recipes. Everyone has their favorite so it really has to be which one excites you. For me, in chocolate, it was Paul Young's Adventures in Chocolate, but for many others it was some of the books that you've already red. But has to be something fun and exciting to you. From your comments I think what might be restraining you a bit is funds. Based on your comments my guess is that you could start selling some to friends which will allow you to play even more. And finally, post pics of successes and failures here so we can help and support. I'm sure you've seen the various threads on Confections, Showpieces chocolates and troubleshooting. If not, say so and we'll point you there.

Thanks for pointing that out. This was just a design test, and I've confirmed that the manuscript is correct and there will be no confusion over the ginger in the final proof. I have flagged it for me to double check...just in case.

Don't know if that's allowed. I've walked a fine line of not shilling my own book, but using the forum to let others learn as I learn. www.AcornsandCattails is my site for pre-orders with perks. Amazon has the no perk version for less.

I'm glad he had trouble getting them out of a mold too.

Whoa! What a shine!

Yes to pan fry, but also oven baked would work fine. I think of the Cooking Light recipes where they spray the panko coated food with cooking spray then bake. Crisps and browns.

This morning I had a craving for nougat so I pulled up the first recipe that google gave me, which was Ruhlman's on the Splendid Table website. I'm used to recipes that synch the timing of the boiling of the sugar and the honey and its always quite stressful. Ruhlman has you boil and set aside. I read and re-read the instructions thinking it was an error, but ploughed ahead with the recipe as written. It worked perfectly and of course it makes sense. Once the sugar and the honey are their respective temperatures they have done what they need to do. They are still plenty hot to cook the whites. And in the traditional method the sugars still need to cool while they are whipping the whites, so why no cool them slightly before they even go into the whites. Makes complete sense. Didn't shave much time off the process but it did eliminate the stress of the timing. On a side note, Planters now has a mix of nuts that is primarily pistachio with almond and cashew. It was perfect for the nougat.

A follow-up piece in Food Republic.

Today I'm doing administrative stuff. I set up a Mailchimp list for people who want to be notified of the release. This should have been done when we set up the sales website, so my helper is going to back and integrating it into the site, so I don't have to manual enter anymore emails. This is a good thing. Next I need to think about the best way to manage pre-sales so none get lost. I'm assuming there's something in Mailchimp for that too, but I need to make sure I can ultimately use the data to create mailing labels. BTW, galley proofs any day now.

And I know my nice filter was lowered on my post - I really do like it, just focusing on the criticisms for anyone else looking at it.

I'm working on a new candy bar - salted butter caramel, toasted pecans, malted nougat ground and set in 75% ganache. Later topped with coconut and dipped.

Actually all of my staff have been with me for a long time now and we're all ready for a break. One is heading off to be with her boyfriend at college. One is preparing to move when her boyfriend graduates and the other is just moving to a new job. All are very well trained at this point and can work where they want

A follow up. I ended up with the Breville Sous Chef. First, as was said - no 20% discount allowed on it unfortunately. Price was still okay. I'm happy with it but let me roll out my gripes/concerns. First, it has a slightly larger footprint than my previous and so its taking more space on my counter than I like. The bowl is sturdy - but its taking time to get use to aligning the top to make it close and operate. That's partly because it has a rubber gasket, which is a great thing for liquids, but I'm used to a cheaper to that's faster to put on. The smaller bowl insert allows things to fly out the top pretty easily unless there's a part I've missed. That's it on the negatives - most of which aren't negatives at all. On the positives. Great, easy to read markings on the side for volume measurements. Motor feels very sturdy...time will tell. All sorts of parts and attachments that I'll never use. I'm happy. Thanks for the suggestion.

The building hasn't sold yet, but an opportunity has come up that will allow us to make the transition. The Quat business will close...all potential buyers are looking at the building and furniture.

They're killing me with kindness on Facebook. I'm having to avoid it just so I can have time for myself right now.

The final day of the Curious Kumquat will be Saturday, June 4th. Final week schedule is posted on our website. St. Louis, here I come!

The other thing I wanted to share this morning is my hunt for blurbs...that's what the industry calls the back cover quotes. And while only a handful go on the cover, we want many more because they get used in other promotional material. In my case, because I am so isolated, I don't have strong connections with other chefs or authors so I only have a small handful of known names. A week or so ago I realized that I had connections who would know people, including some long-time eG friends. I'll hold back on saying who has agreed to write blurbs until we have them in hand, but its been really fun having chefs agree to do them. I think its part of my nature to assume that a stranger wouldn't want to help me but just the opposite - most are excited to get an advance copy of a book that maybe of interest to them. My editor send out official requests once I've made the initial contact, and I'm assuming her email includes legal stuff.

Here is my editor's response about the "1 inch" issue, but more importantly, a description of what is about to come: