gap

When I've coloured isomalt, I've used powdered colours - not sure if that helps with manitol or not

It is hard with just a bowl and hairdryer - you spend most of your time trying to keep the chocolate at the right heat. I use a warming tank to keep the chocolate at the right temperature and a heat gun every 30 mins or so to melt the temper a little. You could try and replacate this with a heat source on your bowl - say an electric blanket wrapped around. Othersise if you're doing a lot of chocolate work, some type of warming tank would help.

We're lucky in Australia in that respect - it doesn't seem to be that common

They look great. Passionfruit is one of my favourites

Are you stirring the whole time with a whisk?

I'm lucky enough to be going along to the book launch of Kirsten Tibballs "Chocolate to Savour" today. After watching this video, I wont be having lunch beforehand . . . http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/chocoholics-set-to-demolish-edible-garden-20120820-24ilm.html

Yes, I'd like to see pics please. Love the dragon and frog.

I have. Goes without saying to check carefully for scratches, but i haven't had any issues with the second hand moulds i bought.

I have pre-ordered both Chocolate to Savour (I am a big fan of Kirsten's) and Zumbarons (which seems just ridiculously cheap for what it offers)

I've just signed up. Only just started but it looks well done and quite professional.

Buche Noel for Christmas in July. Made with gingerbread mousse and a chocolate cremeux insert on almond dacquoise.

Kerry - when you make your own purees for PDF, do you add 10% sugar like, say, Boiron purees tend to have (I think they normally have invert sugar but not sure on that). Also, do you just "wing it" when trying to adjust for the natural pectin level of the fresh fruit you have picked?

Their white is very good. They have a good high % milk as well.

That sounds like the same price I pay at Culina

Thanks - that is a good description of the consistency I am achieving now.

Couverture is not ideal for chocolate chip cookies - the extra cocoa butter doesn't hold its shape as well as supermarket chocolate. ChrisZ - Felchlin is distributed in Australia (well, Melbourne at least) by Culina (http://www.culina.com.au/). If you use a bit of it and really do like the taste, it might be worth getting some delivered (or splitting a larger order with other Sydney chocolate lovers you know). They do have a retail store in Melbourne even though their website comes across as more wholesale.

That is very odd. The Matisse was within useby? If so, I think you must be right Kerry and it must have something additional to the pectin added

Butter is often added to ganache for truffles and chocolates centres in general. It provides dairy fat without as much water as cream, which can help extend shelf life. It also aids the mouthfeel and texture of the final product. Invert sugar can assist texture and shelf life as well. I personally use both in my ganache formulae for chocolates.

Are you using an immersion blender? I've been told (and do) always use an immersion blender for dark ganache to ensure it is properly emulsified.

I agree with pastrygirl that there might have been added acid in your jam. I often boil raspberry puree with milk/cream without an issue. Were you using a homemade jam with added lemon juice maybe? Either way it looks like you've found a good workaround.

I use Amerigel colours which seem to maintain a stable colour when baked. They are colour pastes/gels so quite thick. I always use the strongest version they have of whatever colour I'm after so that I use the minimum amount of additional liquid to get my colour. As someone else mentioned, don't go for light/pastel olours as they will brown slightly. I've added the colour at botht he TPT/egg white stage when making a paste and also added the colour to the Italian meringue while it's cooling and haven't had an issue either way. I have also used powder colourings but they are more expensive and I've never had a problem with the pastes before. But, if you had some powders on hand and not the gels, you could use them.

What's a laminated centre? Or do i need to buy the book?

Just bumping this up. You can now create a user/password on their website to view all back issues on line http://pastryna.com/

They will be time consuming to clean as well before use (ie., with cotton and cotton buds into the angles/lines).

I agree completely with Kerry on defrosting technique - I do it quite often for finished chocolates and it has no impact on shine or the ganache filling. The only thing I would add is I give the chocolates 24 hours in the fridge before they go in the freezer so there is no sudden change in temperature. Same procedure for defrosting/