mrose

Chris Truffles owe their name to the wild mushrooms, they are not perfectly round & very irregular in shape. I doubt people who handroll truffles can get them all perfectly round (I have never tried). That gives them character. The ones you see that are perfectly round are usually piped into shells. Yours look great. Most people strive to have the shells as thin as possible so they can at least be handled enough to get them to their mouth without crushing. I got the same response from my wife about all the trials & experiments I have worked on. Mark

It probably is a custom made computer (controller) board specifically made for that machine. You might ask them if they could send you a board (if it is under warranty). It shouldn't be hard to replace it iof the person has repaired computers or other electrical equipment. I agree with Art they are very helpful & nice to work with. It would be better to call them & see if something can be arranged. I have worked with them before & had 2 older machines repaired by them. That white triangle's purpose is to prevent the chunks of chocolate before melting from riding up over the side. It is wobbly on mine too. You could fix the problem by getting a nylon screw & wingnut & securing it to the baffle. This configuration will make cleaning a bit easier. If you happen to have their hopper for loading chocolate, this is a good solution for the pins they use on the side to keep the pieces together (I always had trouble with these). Both of these are minor problems & I have really liked their temperers.

It sounds like a problem with the computer board that controls the machine. If the machine is under warranty, you only pay for shipping 1 way (at least domestically), if that is any consolation. If it is not under warranty, you can purchase 1 for $100 for a year. They will then overhaul the machine. They are pretty nice people to work with.

For short term storage I use these handy Tupperware containers my wife spotted at a mall kiosk: They meaure 11"x6.75"x1.75" and stack nicely. For long term storage I now freeze using the new Reynolds vaccum bags. ← David I like these containers for storage, I have been using tortilla storage containers for truffles. The round shape works very well & holds about 55-60. Is there a number that identifies the container (can't find them on tupperware site), & what did they cost? Thanks

What is the name of the book by Wybauw?

Yeah, I saw that in a catalog, but the shipping makes it ridiculous for one small bag. There's a card store/gift shop in town with a food section that might have it and a chocolate shop that I can also check. Other than those, I'm either going to play with "process chocolate until I can mold it" idea (which sounds really cool) or maybe just buy a small box of good chocolate and re-wrap it with a new label. Not sure I have time for a lot of experimentation when I only need a few pieces of chocolate anyway. I'm still trying to figure out WHAT that candy in that picture is, though. It just says "double crisp". ← The candy in the picture looks like a molded chocolate colored black. The shape seems to be geodesic dome.

Sorry it's a Badger Hair Brush. Go Bucky. They cost between $40 - 60.

You are looking for a boar's bristle brush. It gets used on the bar.

How wide are bars cut?

To deviate a bit. How would you coat marshmellows with caramel? Do you just dip them?

I'm a twister, too! ← Twisting is enough of a job when doing a lot. I can't imaging folding the ends. It would make me pull out the little hair I have left.

It's amazing for such a rinky dink city Battle Creek library is excellent for books on tape. You should also check out Audible. You have to buy these but if you buy a subscription it costs under $10 a book. Vast selection

I listen to a lot of books on tape since I always work alone & a session is at least 4 - 5 hours

Lior Since you don't have the exact altitude the boiling point will only be an approximation anyway. Also according to the formula, it would change everytime you work since it asks for the barometric pressure. You also have to account for the accuracy (+/- %) of thermometer & gauges on all the equipment used. It seems like a lot of work for maybe 1/2 a degree varience. I'm impressed by your tenacity. Mark

You could also add some Frangelico instead of some of the butter, it would make the taste a bit more complex with some depth. Not sure of a good substitution ratio.

You could check the Polder at the low end by putting it in water with ice cubes & see if it accurately reads 0c. This would assure you that it is a reading correctly. Put water in the Mol d"Art & set it for 30c & 45c, the check the temp with the Polder. You would then know what temp the dial setting actually gives you.

Which end of the range is most important to be able to capture?

Besides eating it. I made them the other day & decided to just cut them in squares so I wouldn't have that problem. Did you find them sweet?

I have one of these cutters, but I am amazed that you can actually use it to cut all the way through caramel. You would have to be well above the caramel & press down extremely hard to get it to cut. The slabs I have been making are about 3/4" thick. How thick is your caramel? I use it mostly for marking the caramel for a consistent size. I then come back & cut it with a chefs knife. It is easier. I would like to do the cutting with this cutter. I would be interested in your technique. Since you can make the first cut, you would probaly need something or someone to hold the rows of caramel together so it is a slab as before first cut. Make a pass to mark your line. Then try starting to cut outward from the center making the groove deeper until you are through. Even in Greweling's book (page 189), it looks like he is using it portion out the slab of caramel. If you look at the picture on page 208, the caramels are square but the edges are a bit rounded Let us know if you can get it to work & the technique you are using.

Mix a couple of tbsps of buttermilk into 2 cups of creme. Let it sit overnight on the counter until it thickens. When ready put in frig for 4 - 6 hours until cold.

Creme faiche is very easy to make, you just have to plan ahead for truffles. It gives them a "twangy" taste.

You can also get ground vanilla from the Arizona Vanilla Company. Or if you have some older dried beans, do your own.

Mazipan is almond paste with a lot of extra confectioner's sugar added. You could add approximate an equal volume of confectioner's sugar to almond paste along with a couple of egg whites. Instructions from Carole Blum (truffles, candies & confections): dust board with sugar, make a mound with almond paste (~2,5 cups), with a well in center. Put in egg whites & 1 cup sugar, knead(about 5 min). Add sugar as needed to make a pliabe texture about consistency of pie dough.

The recipe I have for darker chewy caramel has you take half the sugar and brown it with a bit of water, then add the remaining sugar and glucose and cook as normal. So the finish temperature wouldn't change, but I'd probably check it in cold water when it reaches temperature to make sure it's as chewy as you expect. ← I make a caramel sauce about the same way Kerry suggested. In it I caramelize the sugar & glucose to a desired color & then add the rest of the ingrediants (fairly warm). Then bring to usual temp. The finished product is a bit darker than the caramelized sugar.

I want to make the Hot Chocolates, I have bars cut to make 1/2 the recipe. I have very little experinece making marshmellows. Do you just cut the amount of gelatin in half as with the other ingrediants