chris sigur

Although I can make wonderful candied citrus (orange, lemon, kumquat), I've had no luck with cherries--and in the future strawberries and other non-citrus fruits. I've seen the latter in the best Paris chocolate shops and they are beautiful--red, round, luscious looking. Is the reason that they add ascorbic acid to the process? I've seen this on canned fruit ingredients: "ascorbic acid (to retain color)" on a can of peaches, for example. If this is what to do, can anyone tell me the amount needed, and where in the process it is added? Many thanks, Chris

Chris I am wondering if is the glucose with a low DE is denser( maybe some more sugar expert will pich in) I have found a great organic corn syrup at my local vitamine cottage, doesnt contain high fructose corn syrup and is very very thick , like the regular glucose you will buy for pastry use ( online for me ). ← Thanks Vanessa. Great idea about the organic corn syrup. If you were to try to carmelize this, would you just heat it to hard crack, or add any water, or sugar or anything? Chris ← Problem is I'm making this up as I go along. The recipe I have calls for 300 g of sugar, 266 g of water (one cup), carmelized, mixed with 90 g of toasted sesame. The product works fine, except if it is left at room temperature for a day or so, it gets sticky. So I'm trying to figure out if I either substitute all glucose for the sugar syrup, or mix the two is some way, I can carmelize it and get a product that will last a few more days before getting sticky. Need those sugar experts out there!!

Chris I am wondering if is the glucose with a low DE is denser( maybe some more sugar expert will pich in) I have found a great organic corn syrup at my local vitamine cottage, doesnt contain high fructose corn syrup and is very very thick , like the regular glucose you will buy for pastry use ( online for me ). ← Thanks Vanessa. Great idea about the organic corn syrup. If you were to try to carmelize this, would you just heat it to hard crack, or add any water, or sugar or anything? Chris

Does anyone know how to create a sesame or almond brittle that will not get sticky when left out at room temperature? I understand that working with glucose syrup with a low DE has low hygroscopy (this is from Wybauw's book), and is thus suitable for this kind of thing. But I have found no way to tell whether the glucose syrup has a low or high DE. They don't seem to be labeled this way. I have also been told that those who work in sugar use isomalt instead of sucrose for this same reason. Any thoughts on this?? Thanks, Chris

This has been a great series since I also have been asked by vegan friends to see if it is possible to make truffles without dairy. Experimenting with ganache, the best results I've had are with a ratio of 2 oz of coconut milk (a brand that lists guar gum as an emulsifier), 2 oz of semisweet (61%) E. Guittard chocolate, 1 oz of almond praline, and a small amount of corn syrup. The praline adds a bit more fat and body to the ganache. I am very pleased with the stability and shelf life as well--over a week now at room temperature and the ganache is still creamy, nice mouth feel. Other variations, leaving out the praline, bringing the chocolate up to 3 oz. and adding 1 oz. of coconut butter, produced a much stronger coconut flavor and an odd graniness. Soy milk was much too low fat to produce a good ganache. Initially it tasted fine, but began to break down within two days, and completely broke down into a grainy mess within 5.