Rhubarb

Infusing cream--particularly for long periods of time--draws a lot of moisture out of the cream, and the resulting truffle. Covering the pan while infusing will help, or you can use more spice and infuse for less time (I usually go about 4 min). Another option is to use whole milk (or half and half) instead of cream--after the infusion enough water will have evaporated the it will have the consistency of a thicker cream. A little experimentation should get something you like.

Yeah, most of those regulations and such are the same here in Massachusetts. State administration (and "interpretation") of federal guidelines, I guess. The Wybauw book is a great investment but I wouldn't get it if you're just concerned about water activity. He lists the water activity levels for each recipe, but unless you're making the exact same recipes, you wouldn't know for sure. The testing is to demonstrate that your product is "non potentially hazardous" and on the same level as a brownie or something. Leaving your product out for several weeks should give you an idea of whether or not it's prone to bacterial contamination. If it doesn't undergo major changes in taste/consistency within, say six weeks, it's probably in the ballpark. It's not super-expensive to get testing done, but you'd want to feel good about the formula before you do, so you don't end up doing it twice. I broke my recipes down into five categories (alcohol, no alcohol, infused, etc) and paid $40 each, I think. The local Dept. of Agriculture, or a state food safety website should be able to refer you to a lab. Interesting to note that at no time did the inspector ask to see my test results. I think a lot of people assume that if it's "candy" it's safe.

That fish mold is faan-tastic. I've picked up a few antique metal molds with fairly clean interiors, but haven't had much luck so far. Hoping a sheen of cocoa butter might help them to release. Any suggestions? I use a little pastry cutter to cut the hearts. Maybe next year I'll wire together a few of them so I can cut several at a time... But yes, I love to enrobe.

Good gracious...I think Valentine's production is finished... Now comes the real hard part...forcing myself back into the kitchen to come up with something for my girlfriend that she hasn't already seen...

Ooo, I love the hedgehog! I was thinking of getting that mold. adorable--

I definitely prefer enrobed pieces to molds--my current collection is 11 enrobed pieces and 1 molded--but I'm not dogmatic about it. The principal reason might just be that I prefer a firm, smooth ganache (and btw, Patrick Roger quietly blows my mind). To me, enrobed bonbons also represent a greater personal investment in each piece--working without an enrobing machine means I need to spend more time and attention to get professional results. Maybe every chocolatier develops their own "ideal"...? My mentor had nothing good to say about molds, but I feel molding is an important skill in any chocolatier's repertoire. While I avoid them in my everyday work, they're great for holidays, events, shows, etc. It only makes sense to take into account the market and your customers' tastes.

My experience with Kroese was not so awesome, but if I lived and worked in the EU (hmm...) I would definitely try and work something out. I don't think these boxes are their work, though; I would be very surprised if both companies don't have their boxes custom made. They can certainly afford it.

Heh heh; yes, I've already cannibalized my largest frame for strings, though I'm getting handier with the pliers. Most of the strings are looser now than when I got the cutter, but I'm hesitant to tighten them much more. And I don't know what this portends, but I noticed yesterday that as soon as the strings hit the ganache it gets curly, crumbly edges along the cut, which is a pain. Escry, I think you may be right and the ganache is too cold. Suggestions on gentle warming? I have a hair dryer; that might not get the center. Don't want it so soft that the pieces rejoin after cutting. I made the poor choice of warming the strings before cutting recently and found the pieces had melted together by the time I took them off the base.

OK, I recently splurged on a guitar cutter, thinking I would suddenly reap tons of free time and decrease my stress levels. It has worked very nicely. But sometimes I'd rather be using a hot knife and a ruler again. Right now I'm replacing strings like crazy and I don't really know why. There's some variance in the firmness/thickness of my ganaches but I know none of them are out-of-the-ordinary. I'm using the "economy" plastic base model (http://www.chefrubber.com/Shopping/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=311&cat=Economy+Single+Guitars), and have found the tightening bolts difficult to loosen initially, and difficult to use in general. (You have to sort of guess how much slack to feed in while the bolt's screwed down in to the frame, then screw it up and out to tighten.) The loops that hook on the other end are also outside my skill set. I end up fiddling with pliers and looking for band aids when I should be filling orders. I haven't had the benefit of regular use of a guitar at a previous job, and I'm kind of at a loss in terms of upkeep/maintenance. Any advice? Also, anyone have a reasonable source foor food-safe stainless steel wire? Chef Rubber must be fleecing me big time on that 30" length...

I recently heard tell of a small sized (table-top?) chocolate enrober--I didn't know such a thing existed, but it's exactly what I need. Anybody familiar with such a thing? Know any distributors?

I noticed the other day that Valrhona has introduced some new single-origin couvertures (as of Sept.). Alpaco and Tainori--anyone know of a distributor?

I'm looking for glassine pads and sheets, for chocolate packaging. The Revere Group carries some pads, but I don't like the gold/white color scheme--and they don't seem to have thin sheets of glassine at all. The company I used to work for has brown pads and brown sheets, but I haven't been able to find a source for these (and I doubt they have them custom made). Anyone have any leads?

Fave bar: Amedei's Chuao. Really outstanding. Valrhona's Palmira plantation bar is a close second. Sadly, Amedei has raised prices and reduced distribution on the Chuao bar--at least around here.

Wow, I would love to take in a Wybauw class; his book is an education. Amazing how--once you decide to make a career of the thng--so many tiny practical concerns come out o'the woodwork. Bound for the chocolate show in NYC, though last year I was underwhelmed. Hoping to make the trade morning. Anyone know what to expect from any of the presenters?

Good question! I think it must be as a seasoning, but I really couldn't say. I myself am using it in a line of chocolate bonbons--it's surprisingly sweet (maybe the saccharine at work?) and intensely flavorful.

I am looking--with increasing desperation--for powdered ume ("Japanese plum"). I don't know if it's dried ume, ground up, or whether it's a dehydrated form of juice or liquor or what. My girlfriend gave me some her parents got in Taiwan, but I haven't been able to find anything similar for sale online or in any of the local Asian groceries (I've gotten a lot of blank stares). Please help!