aguynamedrobert

Hey Everbody, Well I have just been informed that "Askinosie Chocolate" is now open! You can find them at www.askinosie.com. They have one bar available at the moment from Ecuador and are going to have a chocolate from Mexico pretty soon as well...these guys look like the real deal so check them out and order some chocolate. I am receiving samples pretty soon so I would love to chat with you guys about their bars once you receive them.... www.askinosie.com http://chocolateguild.com/vb/showthread.php?p=941#post941

I made those for school when I went to Western Culinary Institute in Portland. Those are the tastiest little things you will ever try. I am a HUGE fan of almond cake and with everything else in those they turn out very tastey....

Hello Everyone, I was pondering a question today and wanted to get a concensus. What category are you all in, out of these two? Do you like "Eating Chocolates" or do you like "Chocolate desserts" and things made with chocolate? I would love to hear some answers to this...I know a lot of people that buy by the bar and buy single origins but I also know people who don't do that at all and only use chocolate in their recipes and really like their chocolate that way.... What is your preference for chocolate consumption? Help me out!

The Glaze of all Glaze....I got this recipe from my chef in Culinary school and it will give you a brilliant shine everytime...it's thinner than most other ganaches but its shine is great.... 12 oz. Butter 2 oz. Corn Syrup 1 Pound Chocolate Dont tell anyone

Good point. The reason I would argue for vanilla to be in chocolate and not other flavorings is that vanilla estabilshed itself as a fundamental ingredient in chocolate for a multitude of years.... What lindt is doing is trying to add "flavor" where they have a lack of it (in my opinion)...they add the flavors they add so it tastes more "fruity" or just better flavor without having to start with better beans...

Thanks for the reminder Art. Art is right that this is a time where the government actually WANTS to hear your voice to make their decision....so take this opportunity to tell the FDA that you don't want your chocolate changing! We have one of the best rule outlines for chocolate in the USA and we need to keep our food top quality and REAL.... Write into the FDA at either web site... www.dontmesswithourchocolate.com http://www.amanochocolate.com/frankenchocolate/ Have a great day everybody...

It's amazing how much difference in chocolates there are in the marketplace these days. Many people think because Bakers Chocolate has been around a while that it is good chocolate but really it is just a chocolate that gives a big bold chocolate flavor without all the nuances that true high quality chocolate has. I am glad to see companies like Scharffen Berger, Guittard, Valrhona, and a few more appearing in fine food stores....those are all companies that make the best chocolate that can be made. Thanks for the study...I love to see these side by side things so thanks for taking the time to share it with us! I would love to see a side by side with the companies mentioned above Have a great day everybody...

Um...cornbread...good choice! What exactly is a popover?...I've never had one and can't recall what they are like.

Well I found myself(at 10:00 at night) deciding to make a big batch of scones and then I will give most away tomorrow morning...I am a big scone fan but was wondering..... What is everyone's favorite quick bread for whatever time of day or meal? Look forward to hearing everyone's favorites...

Perfect...Yeah I'm in the Bay Area(San Francisco Area)...so all those are great...I am going to look into each one right now and maybe go check some out...thanks for all the suggestions...

Also, do you think that the big chains like starbucks, coffee bean and tea leaf, peets, caribou, dunn brothers, timothy's, etc. can have equall or greater quality coffee than the smaller guys?

Is it really only 18,000? Well to anyone out there who thinks that looks like a big number then don't...good culinary schools are charging an average of probably 28-30,000 for their baking and pastry degree's right now...so 18,000 is fantastic, especially for the quality of the instructors that work at that school...

Well I was waiting for Notter School to jump into longer full courses. I am glad they are too...I think they are going to begin to work their way up to an extremely highly respected Pastry School.....I am excited to see how it goes...

Wow thanks for alll your help so far...I am learning a lot just by the one post. I am very intersted in learning so I'm gonna ask a few more questions while I have you here... What is most important in a quality cup of coffee? Growth, Harvest, Drying, Roasting, Grinding, Brewing? and why? Could you also tell me a little about the process of how a coffee bean gets from the cherry(on the tree) form to a cup of coffee? I would also love to hear any other great coffee roasters/shops on the west coast that you know of(where I'm from). Thanks again for all your help...I am completely new to this and am trying to soak up as much as I can... Have a great day,

Hello to all the Coffee Lovers out there, I have a question for you from someone(me) that doesn't know a lot about high quality coffee... What kind of quality do the larger coffee chains have? poor, ok, good, or great quality coffee products... I'm interested in the chain stores like starbucks, coffee bean and tea leaf, peets coffee, etc.... I would love to hear your opinions on who is the best out of those three or other big chains and why... Thank you for your help in advance,

Hello Everyone, Well I am usually in the Baking and Pastry forum but I decided to jump the gap so we could discuss something....I am a chocolate expert and actually do pairings...yet most of the time that involves wine and chocolate. I really think the coffee and chocolate were made for each other when it comes to eating/drinking together or pairing. I was hoping to meet some coffee connoisseurs in here and learn a little bit about coffee and maybe try to match up some different origins of coffee and chocolate...I hope to learn some more about coffee and how it could go with chocolate...

Here is a Canadian place that you can order a few different types of chocolate... http://www.atasteforchocolate.com/catalogue.html

Has anyone tried Guittard's new Grand Cacao Drinking Chocolate? I just saw that it was added to their site and was wondering if there were any opinions yet... http://guittard-online.stores.yahoo.net/bakingproducts.html

How would you rank Chris' chocolates in the USA and what makes his different? I have never had his but have only heard good things so far...

Well has anyone seen Hersheys new website? www.allchocolate.com? It looks like they have put a lot of work into it and I think it is going to promote their business a ton...what do you guys think?

Good News...the FDA has seen how many people have written in to them and how much of a concern we showed that they are extending the commenting period another month...Everyone can still write in, who hasn't already, to the FDA until May 25th! So keep spreading the word... www.dontmesswithourchocolate.com

I know my chef in culinary school used to prepare his own cherry's for cherry cordials...just take fresh blueberrys and soke them in a simple syrup(50%water/50% sugar, that has been boiled to disolved the sugar and then cooled) for like 2 weeks and then use them as normal... Those actually sound very interesting...

90% of the time I like a good dark chocolate bar. But for 10% of the time I do love to sink my teeth into a nice truffle or any other boxed chocolate. For the most part I love striaght dark chocolate...um ummmmm

Just 2 more days to write into the FDA! So if you haven't and you still want to then now is the time... www.dontmesswithourchocolate.com

Good point...lets say that the chocolate bar and the boxed chocolates are both the best you can get...