lebowits

Sadly, I'm not going to make it this year.

That being said, I've also had the chance to talk with Rick Jordan and he's also an extraordinary talent.

Just had another thought. Susan Notter became a brand ambassador for Felchlin this year. Perhaps AUI/Felchlin would be willing to sponsor her to teach a master class.

I would suggest reaching out to Nathaniel Reed. He's an extraordinary talent and a good teacher.

I've had the pleasure of spending time with both Rick and Nathaniel. Both are great people and would be fun to work with.

Sorry to hear that you won't be there Ruth. We'll all miss you.

Sorry that I haven't been active in the conversation. Life has simply been a bit overly busy recently. That said, I'm happy to be attending and look forward to NOT spending the entire weekend in bed with bronchitis like I did last year. No deathly pallor for me! I'm arriving late afternoon on Thursday. Would anyone care to meet for dinner? Inquiring minds want to know!

I'd like to attend this year as well. Please add me to both master classes and the dinner on Saturday. Steve

You'll have to ask Melissa Coppel! *** Apple Carré ***

I'm in this year and looking forward to seeing you all!

I agree. I expect that you would only need to worry if the new ingredient was going to add 1) moisture/water 2) appreciable fat or sugar. They may be other things to look out for, but these are the 2 I think about first.

I started working on my first production run for "fall" sales. These are rosemary caramels. I was very happy with the shine on these. This is also the first time that I've used Valrhona (Ivoire) for molding.

I've seen this done a couple of times. I would need to go back and review the formula & method for making the pipeable marshmallow. That being said, it needs to be the first element piped into the molded shell. It will not lay completely flat. Piping another element (e.g. ganache) on top should give you a flatter surface to seal over.

After I cook the sugar to caramel and quench it with the cream, I bring it back to a boil just to make sure that there aren't any lumps. I then take it off the fire and add butter and then pour the entire mass into a bowl with the bit of milk chocolate. Alternately, the butter can be added later after the mass has cooled to 90F and you'll get a firmer texture. and then pour the entire mass into a bowl with the bit of milk chocolate. I don't know that the little bit of chocolate included makes much of a difference to the texture, but it does seem to add a vague hint to the flavor.

Sorry to be coming late to this party and much has been said already! I make to types of caramel. One is a slab that I cut and hand dip. This is cooked to what is referred to as "firm ball" (approximately 238F). I use Greweling's formula using sweetened condensed milk though there are 2 others that work just as well. It's a matter of preference. The second caramel I make is a soft, pipable caramel. These are a "traditional" dry caramel that I cook to color before adding warm cream. I often infuse the cream with a flavor (e.g. rosemary) or add salt at the end. Butter is added once the sugar and caramel are combined and taken off the fire. I also add a bit of milk chocolate to the mixture (a tip given by a friend) that I believe adds a nice texture and flavor note, but this is optional.