lebowits

I'm sorry that you won't be able to make it. I hope things work out and that you CAN join us. The door is always open!

Do you have a sample formula you would be willing to post? What's the shelf life of this type of center? Do you mean the buttercream? yes

Do you have a sample formula you would be willing to post? What's the shelf life of this type of center?

Metropolitan tea sells the fruit - you have to powder it yourself. But I have a lovely big bag of raspberry powder - thanks to Lebowitz - that he brought to me from Albert Uster. I've been working my way through some samples I got at the PMCA (gotta buy pallet loads - so samples is all I'll ever have). Whole foods carries some freeze dried stuff as well - a little pricey though. Actually, the raspberry powder was from L'Epicerie. They have a nice selection of freeze dried fruit powders in small quantities.

We took a big step today and placed a $500 deposit on the kitchen/classroom we'll be using. Looking forward to seeing you all in April!

Wonderful Art. Can't wait to see you guys. Of course I could always just wander over and visit! I second Kerry's comment. It will be wonderful to see you both.

Bob - I received a message yesterday from the person you gave my name to. I'll call her back today. Thanks for passing it along.

Has anyone flavored fondant with fruit purees for this type of piece? I'm curious as to how much puree to 1 kg of fondant you might use.

Would you be willing to share your formulas?

I use a commercial pastry fondant which during preparation of the center I "warm" to 160F. I suspected that the acid might invert the sugar. The thing with this flavor is that the lemon juice gives the center a really nice tart taste and cuts the sweetness of the fondant. The trick is to figure out how to get it to form a "skin" so that the center doesn't heave up when capping the mold. My first batch still heaved a bit after sitting overnight. I'm going to do another batch tonight and might add a few grams of melted white chocolate to provide some stiffness. Hopefully it won't mess with the flavor too much. Do you have to? Could you could try the technique of spraying cocoa butter on the back before backing (technique I learned on this forum!). Could you try the technique of piping in the backings? Does this technique work, have not tried it myself. Would be interesting in learning the uses and limitations of these two techniques. I would imagine that spraying a film of cocoa butter would work well, but I have neither a spray can of the stuff or an airbrush right now. I'm going to work more on my process and not thin the fondant quite so much and use invertase to soften it for me after capping and curing. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

Induction burners work EXTREMELY well for sugar (e.g. caramel) because they are capable of heating the pan so quickly. Of course this depends somewhat on WHICH induction burner you get. The higher wattage devices will heat more rapidly.

I can imagine you would have two fundamental problems. First, packaging the products so that they arrive both intact and unmelted from whatever temps they encounter along the way. From what I've seen, this can be solved by the appropriate application of money. The second, and likely more frustrating problem would be to understand the issues with shipping internationally with regards to the customs regulations when it comes to "food". I've heard horror stories of shipments being held up for long periods when arriving in the destination country. Your best bet here would be to enlist the help of your potential customer to research the cutoms regulations documentation requirements. Best of luck!

Truly, I never quite got back to it. I just got some new molds and am thinking of changing the formulation to focus on the lemon zest, and maybe a bit of lemon oil if the flavor isn't strong enough. I would also thin out the fondant either with something like limoncello, or maybe add a bit of invertase. Thanks for asking. I've been thinking about what I may offer differently this year. Fruit flavors should sell well. Mint flavors too. Maybe a lemon mint would be nice.

For those asking about paying the fee for the workshop, I offer two options: 1) hold on to your money until you arrive in April 2) if you want to pay now, send me a personal message, and I'll give you my address Any monies received before April will be used to pay for supplies we may need, deposits on facilities, etc. Thank you for asking, and I look forward to seeing you all in April. If you haven't signed up yet, there's still time. Hotel reservations need to be completed by March 12, 2010 in order to get the group rate.

Attendees as of 20 January 2010 Yes lebowits beacheschef David J. chocoera Marmish Kerry Beal RobertM psantucc tammylc pringle007 Linda S curls Desperately wanting to Darienne Lior Maybe Beth Wilson Desiderio brokenscale ChrisHennes +1 ejw50

Glad to have you interested and hope you will join us. We will certainly need a few people to bring equipment. I have a Chocovision X3210 tempering machine, molds, caramel bars, etc., but having another melter or two will certainly be useful. The kitchen we are using will have all of the standard equipment including bowls, spatulas, etc.

I've not set a registration deadline, but there is a deadline of March 12 to reserve accommodation at our group rates. Given our space, I'm figuring that 20 - 24 will be our absolute max. We're not anywhere near that yet. I'm hoping we'll get a few more committed registrants soon so that we can effectively cover costs.

I don't know - what do you think makes the most sense? How about we make it a part of the 2nd day morning agenda. The topic is decoration, and this certainly falls into that. We could have a general discussion about decorations in the first 45 minutes or so, and then you could demo making the transfer sheets. Anyone else have a comment?

Attendees as of 15 January 2010 Yes lebowits beacheschef David J. chocoera Marmish Kerry Beal RobertM psantucc tammylc pringle007 Linda S curls Desperately wanting to Darienne Lior Maybe Beth Wilson Desiderio brokenscale ChrisHennes +1

Kerry - Do you want dedicated time or to setup a 2nd "track" item on the agenda for day 2?

Aalst makes some nice chocolates in Singapore. That is probably a bit closer.

Event Update Updated attendee list as of 10 Jan 2010. Desperately seeking feedback on the agenda and looking for volunteers to teach/lead discussions. Event Information Event: 2010 Candy & Confectionery Workshop Dates: Friday, 16 April 2010 - Sunday, 18 April 2010 Location: L'Academie de Cuisine, 16006 Industrial Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 2087 USA [map] Note: This event is not sponsored or endorsed by L'Academie de Cuisine. Fee: USD $150.00 This fee is intended to cover all facility rental, required staff labor, and materials (edible or otherwise) for the event. Any leftover funds at the end of the event will be donated to the eGullet Society. Accommodation Reservations should be made by Friday, 12 March 2010 in order to guarantee the group rate. Links have been provided for each hotel below. The links to the first 2 hotels will take you directly to the hotel web site with the appropriate group code. Springhill Suites - USD $64 - $104 including breakfast [map] Courtyard by Marriott - USD $64 [map] Homestead Studio Suites - USD $69.99 (kitchenette) [map] Call the hotel directly at +1-301-987-9100 and ask for the "eGullet Workshop" group block when making a reservation. Agenda (tentative as of 12 November 2009) Friday, 16 April 2010 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Albert Uster Imports with Corporate Pastry Chef Drew Long Albert Uster Imports is a provider of pastry and chocolate products for the professional chef. They are located next door to L'Academie de Cuisine and have a long history with the school. Chef Logan and his staff will spend seveal hours with us discussing and demonstrating a topic as yet to be determined but which I believe will be fun and educational for us all. Chef Logan assumed his position at AUI in November 2009 after leading teams at a number of 4 and 5 start resorts. 7:00 - ??? Evening Social & Chocolate Tasting Show off your work! Bring a little something to share. We'll find a nosh or two and some wine and drinks and spend a little time getting to know each other better. Saturday, 17 April 2010 8:00 - 8:30 Breakfast and Introductions 8:30 - 10:00 "Bean to Bar" - Grinding Cacao and Nuts @ Home - Andal Balu of Inno Concepts/CocaoTown 10:00 - 10:15 Break 10:15 - 11:45 Introductory Chocolate Techniques (tempering, ganaches, molding, etc.) - Kerry Beal a.k.a. "The Chocolate Doctor" 10:15 - 11:45 Flavor Dynamics - A discussion crafting and combining flavors into your products - Leader TBD 11:45 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Lab Work - Putting Theory into Practice 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Cleanup 7:00 pm Group Dinner - Proposed Roundtable Discussion - Starting a Business - Lessons Learned (All) Sunday, 18 April 2010 8:30 am Breakfast 9:00 am - 10:30 "Decorating your Products, Color, Texture, Fluffy Bits on Top" - Either open discussion or speaker TBD 10:30 - 10:45 Break 10:45 - 12:00 Lab Work - Continuation from Saturday & Decoration Techniques 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm Lab Work - Continued 3:30 - 4:30 Final Cleanup Attendees as of 10 January 2010 Yes lebowits beacheschef David J. chocoera Marmish Kerry Beal RobertM psantucc tammylc pringle007 Linda S curls Desperately wanting to Darienne Lior Maybe emmalish Beth Wilson Desiderio cmflick MelissaH brokenscale ChrisHennes +1

Event Update Updated the attendee list as of Friday 9 January 2010. Still looking for comments and suggestions on the agenda. If anyone is interested in leading a discussion or teaching a topic, please let me know. Event Information Event: 2010 Candy & Confectionery Workshop Dates: Friday, 16 April 2010 - Sunday, 18 April 2010 Location: L'Academie de Cuisine, 16006 Industrial Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 2087 USA [map] Note: This event is not sponsored or endorsed by L'Academie de Cuisine. Fee: USD $150.00 This fee is intended to cover all facility rental, required staff labor, and materials (edible or otherwise) for the event. Any leftover funds at the end of the event will be donated to the eGullet Society. Accommodation Reservations should be made by Friday, 12 March 2010 in order to guarantee the group rate. Links have been provided for each hotel below. The links to the first 2 hotels will take you directly to the hotel web site with the appropriate group code. Springhill Suites - USD $64 - $104 including breakfast [map] Courtyard by Marriott - USD $64 [map] Homestead Studio Suites - USD $69.99 (kitchenette) [map] Call the hotel directly at +1-301-987-9100 and ask for the "eGullet Workshop" group block when making a reservation. Agenda (tentative as of 12 November 2009) Friday, 16 April 2010 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Albert Uster Imports with Corporate Pastry Chef Drew Long Albert Uster Imports is a provider of pastry and chocolate products for the professional chef. They are located next door to L'Academie de Cuisine and have a long history with the school. Chef Logan and his staff will spend seveal hours with us discussing and demonstrating a topic as yet to be determined but which I believe will be fun and educational for us all. Chef Logan assumed his position at AUI in November 2009 after leading teams at a number of 4 and 5 start resorts. 7:00 - ??? Evening Social & Chocolate Tasting Show off your work! Bring a little something to share. We'll find a nosh or two and some wine and drinks and spend a little time getting to know each other better. Saturday, 17 April 2010 8:00 - 8:30 Breakfast and Introductions 8:30 - 10:00 "Bean to Bar" - Grinding Cacao and Nuts @ Home - Andal Balu of Inno Concepts/CocaoTown 10:00 - 10:15 Break 10:15 - 11:45 Introductory Chocolate Techniques (tempering, ganaches, molding, etc.) - Kerry Beal a.k.a. "The Chocolate Doctor" 10:15 - 11:45 Flavor Dynamics - A discussion crafting and combining flavors into your products - Leader TBD 11:45 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Lab Work - Putting Theory into Practice 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Cleanup 7:00 pm Group Dinner - Proposed Roundtable Discussion - Starting a Business - Lessons Learned (All) Sunday, 18 April 2010 8:30 am Breakfast 9:00 am - 10:30 "Decorating your Products, Color, Texture, Fluffy Bits on Top" - Either open discussion or speaker TBD 10:30 - 10:45 Break 10:45 - 12:00 Lab Work - Continuation from Saturday & Decoration Techniques 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Lunch 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm Lab Work - Continued 3:30 - 4:30 Final Cleanup Attendees as of 9 January 2010 Yes lebowits beacheschef David J. chocoera Marmish Kerry Beal RobertM psantucc tammylc pringle007 Linda S curls Desperately wanting to Darienne Lior Maybe emmalish Beth Wilson Desiderio cmflick MelissaH brokenscale

Payments can be made to me in advance if you like. This will certainly help me in covering the up front costs. If you would rather pay on-site in April, that will be fine as well. All payments should be made is US Dollars (for those coming from outside the USA). Please send me a PM if you would like to arrange to pay in advance and I'll send you direct contact information. Steve

Heather - It is our intention to appeal to all skill levels. The "dual track" on the first day is to allow folks who need some help with fundamentals to be able to get that. Whether you just need some help with tempering, or you've never handled chocolate before, we'll do our best. The other sessions should be of interest to everyone on some level. Flavors and decoration are important to both the beginner and the pro. The goal is to learn from the speakers and each other. I hope you'll be able to join us. We had a great time last year and I'm hoping this year will be a hit as well. Steve