patris
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Posts posted by patris
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45 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:
It occurs to me that the dendritic technique could be used by those who wish to avoid colour cocoa butters.
I was thinking I might try it with white or caramelized white in this instance, as well as with colored cocoa butter. At the risk of getting scolded for being off topic I can tell you it works a treat on pottery with stoneware slip! (I imagine I will store or serve food of some type in this bowl once it is fired...)
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With so much gorgeousness in this thread I was hesitant to post anything, but i made these for a dinner party tonight (filled with Greweling’s flowing caramel) and they are among the nicest I have ever made. I had meant to try the dendritic technique but remembered too late that I should have molded a solid piece first, so simple finger swipes it was. Happily, it all worked out in the end!
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15 hours ago, Tri2Cook said:
I feel kinda dumb for not trying that. I had the CW1847 Button mold bookmarked on chocolat-chocolat but, as I said, hadn't convinced myself to take the leap yet. Guess I'll look at what I have and see what I think might work. For holding them while pouring, I was just going to stick golf tees in a block of Styrofoam or something.I got obsessed with those volcano chocolates the first time I saw them on @kriz6912's Instagram, so I bought that mold. I do like it, but it has its issues. It's super shallow, so it doesn't hold a whole lot of filling (and my shelling technique is doubleplusungood, so I consistently fail to maximize any mold's potential), and I find it very difficult to scrape excess off when it's filled and backed - the pieces want to slide right out. Makes a lovely bonbon, though.
Golf tees stuck in styrofoam do the trick for holding the piece while you drizzle the chocolate over - @kriz6912 posted video of the technique in some detail.
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Just now, Anna N said:
All your efforts look amazing but these ones really caught my eye. Bet they’d go over with the SIL’s Meeting peeps.
They are totally scrumptious. I gild the lily by sautéing the almonds in butter until the butter starts to brown, then salting them generously. They get devoured no matter where I take them.
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I am finding every excuse lately to be in the kitchen making sweets, but sadly forgetting to photograph and post anything. This weekend I managed to get my entire act together:
Not the best photo, but pretzel rods wrapped in thin strips of @Kerry Beal‘s recipe from the eG Confectionery Institute and then dipped in dark, milk, and caramelized white chocolate. The ones with sprinkles are wearing a layer of Greweling’s peanut butter meltaway under the chocolate. I have to say that Kerry’s caramel recipe is utter perfection - holds its shape pretty well, is decadently stretchy, and sticks only for a moment in the teeth before dissolving completely. Plus it tastes fantastic.
And of course I couldn’t let the excess meltaway go to waste! Dipped in half dark/half milk. I realized that despite my cool tools - handmade dipping bowl, bespoke dipping fork and EZTemper - my hand dipping skills are abominable.
Last effort for the weekend was almond joy cookies from this recipe - a favorite recipe and far and away the best macaroons I have ever made. Some of these will go with me to the pottery studio on Tuesday as a pre-birthday treat for my pottery mentor and friend, and the rest will go to our monthly staff lunch along with some butterscotch blondies which I will get around to making as soon as I can find a good recipe.
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8 hours ago, curls said:
I am pretty sure the payday has changed or we are having a shared hallucination of how they used to be. I had one a few months ago and it was off from what I remembered -- it was missing that sweet, salty, chewy, crunchy thing it used to have. :-(
Any chance you and @Tri2Cook are conflating Paydays and Salted Nut Rolls in your memories? I had the same recollection and realized this is what I was actually remembering.
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8 hours ago, ChocoMom said:
Reading about the requests for certain foods while in nursing homes brought back some funny memories. I never felt guilty-not one little bit -for what I did for my Gran. This was my Dad's mother, born in 1898, who taught high school chemistry, physics and math, sharp as a tack right up until the end. She taught me how to make fudge, how to bake bread/cakes/pies/cookies, how to make stock - how to cook pretty much anything. She was amazing, hilarious, brilliant.....and stubborn as a mule. She went into the convalescence center when she was 93. She had broken her hip, and trying to hobble around on a walker was getting dangerous.
I used to work at that center, doing clinical work for music therapy, so I knew most of the staff. I visited often, and she'd ask me to sneak in a bag of my chocolate chip cookies for her to nibble on. The food wasn't horrible there, but she wanted some homemade sweets. Right or wrong, I figured at that age- she can have whatever the hell she wants, and I'd bring her the cookies. She was so cute about eating them. As we sat there, chatting, she'd pull the blankets up close to her chin, bite the cookie, smile, wink, and hide it under the blanket so no one else could see. After she finished her "contraband". she would promptly brush her teeth. When she died at age 96 1/2, she still had all her original teeth. And, as heartbroken as I was- losing my best friend, confidant and mentor, I was comforted by the fact that I made her last few years on earth a little happier.
Thank you all so much for sharing your stories - as I read them I am finding myself mulling over some bittersweet memories as well. My mother was an outstanding cook - despite what as an adult I now understand to be our very limited means, every night we (Mom, Dad, and some combination of my 7 older siblings and I) would sit down together to an expertly prepared and well balanced meal - some kind of meat, usually a large roast of pork or beef with gravy; a starch; two vegetables; often a green salad; and a dessert, sometimes store-bought cookies but many times homemade. I may have taken it for granted when she prepared one of the very few meals I did not care for, but I recall finding most of what she made absolutely delicious. She took great pride in her cooking, though she did not particularly enjoy having to do it, and as she got older and frailer and less able or willing to cook for herself, she often bemoaned the lack of appropriate flavor development or seasoning in restaurant meals and even some of the dishes my sisters and I prepared for her in her later years.
She passed away 18 months ago at 85, and spent her final month between hospital and nursing home on a strict low sodium diet. She felt so lousy that she had little appetite, and though the food in the hospital was better prepared than the nursing home, it was all devoid of flavor and pleasure and it was nearly impossible to get her to eat very much, even with judicious use of the salt packets we hoarded and smuggled in for her - which only made her weaker and frailer. Further, specific dietary requests made at the nursing home (for example, please no meat of any kind on Friday, for religious reasons) were completely ignored and when alternate meals requested they either did not arrive or arrived stone cold. So much about it infuriated me - it was clear she did not have much longer, so why deny her decent food? Why be so careless about her nutrition when she so desperately needed calories? It all seemed so counterintuitive to caring for the whole person.
When I think back on that last awful month, there are three food-related things that stick out in my mind as... redeeming? Not sure of the right word, but moments of pleasure that she hadn't felt for a long time. First, since it was the holidays I made a massive basket of chocolate barks, clusters, and dipped pretzels for her to give out to the staff whom she particularly liked. She loved being in a position to share something handmade with people who showed her care and kindness, which seemed to give her a bit of joy she might not otherwise have experienced during her last Christmas and made her something of a temporary rockstar with the chocoholics on staff. Second, I made her some specialchocolate bark with ingredients I knew she loved, in hopes it would entice her to snack and get some calories in her. It did the trick, at least temporarily - she truly enjoyed it and I was able to replenish her stash a few times before her appetite went downhill completely. Finally, on the last day in the nursing home before the final hospital stay - the last day she was reasonably coherent - I was visiting when her lunch was delivered and since she was nearly too weak to feed herself, I ended up feeding her the cream of mushroom soup on her tray. This must have been delivered to her by mistake, as miraculously it was both hot and tasty to her. She ate most of it - more than I had seen her eat in weeks - and it ended up being the last real meal she ate before she died a few days later. When I think about those final days I often think about how that simple bowl of soup might have been the last pleasure she enjoyed, and my being there to feed it to her might have helped her enjoy it without what, in her condition, would have been a profound exertion if she had had to feed it to herself.
Whoa. Sorry for the wall of text. Food is such powerful medicine, in all kinds of ways, isn't it?
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11 hours ago, RobertM said:
I have some sad news to report.
Two of Patris’ bowls lived a good, but short life. They were beautiful, and kind, and they made people happy, because they held chocolate and allowed dippers to dip inside them, to explore and know what they truly were like down deep....
They were taken away, long before they should have been. They told me they looked forward to being handed down from generation to generation.....
they are survived by their blue and beige brother and sister. They had no known children
This breaks my heart!
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9 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:
Look at the shine on those babies!
Would you mind sharing who makes that mold and the mold number or other identifying info? The bar molds I have are flimsy and terrible.
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6 minutes ago, curls said:
Candy bar class coming up — some of the set up.
I don't know what that is, but I sure want some.
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2 hours ago, Shelby said:
I love RK treats and I can't make them. They always suck. Hard as hockey pucks.
I use this basic recipe, but add an extra cup or so of cereal and a whole lot more butter and marshmallow creme - I eyeball it but I would say maybe a couple extra ounces of fluff and maybe an ounce more of butter. They turn out super gooey and buttery every time, and keep well for at least a couple days if you wrap them well.
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7 hours ago, ChocolateMom said:
@patris - Kerry has said she will pay you for my bowl on the Thursday and I will pay her back in US cash. They look beautiful!
Got it - sorry I won't see you in person and thank you!
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3 minutes ago, curls said:
@patris they are gorgeous! Looking forward to using my bowls. Going to find some display space for them too! Thank you.
You’re welcome and thank you!
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@RobertM bubble wrap is a great idea...
The gang is finally all together! I hope you will indulge a final class photo along with a few remaining details.
With the exception of @Tri2Cook and @Sweet Impact Mama whose bowls will be shipped to them, I will meet the group toward the end of your Tomric visit on Thursday and will take payment at that time. Cash (USD) is preferred, but checks are ok if necessary. If you use Apple Pay or the Cash App, that would be fine too and we can handle that on delivery. If you will NOT be at Tomric, please send me a PM so we can sort out payment, and I will ask @Kerry Beal to bring your bowls to the workshop. @MelissaH - I know you will not be at Tomric and I think you have my details for sending a check.
One final comment about glaze behavior over time. A few of the glazes (hyacinth and forest green in particular) may develop very fine cracks or crazing. This is a feature of these glazes and does not affect their durability or safety, so don’t be alarmed if you see it happening. All the glazes are microwave and dishwasher safe.
Looking forward to seeing many of you on Thursday - safe travels to all!
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First big batch of bowls out of the glaze kiln today!
Our glazes are mixed in-house, not purchased in liquid form, so there is always some variation, but some of the results on these are really striking. In particular the Castile blue and Hyacinth bowls, at the left of the photo, came out just beautiful, with a deeper color on the inside of the bowls and much lighter color on the outside - even some cool streaking and variations in the finish in certain areas, especially on the two Castile blue bowls.
The remainder of the bowls (17 in total!) came out of the bisque kiln this morning; I glazed them all and they’ll go in the next glaze firing. There are a couple more Castile bowls in that group - it has been mixed a little differently since the last firing so I can’t wait to see how they come out.
As they are fired, I am checking each one by filling them with water to measure capacity and they consistently hold 650 grams with about a half to three quarters of an inch of room at the top.
This is my first experience doing anything on this scale and I am learning so much - thanks to everyone for your interest. It is giving me a wonderful perspective on my own work going forward!
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20 hours ago, rotuts said:
I am having and Outstanding Sandwich for lunch :
there is TurkeyBreast SV, then lightly cold smoked this AM with a bit of the SV Jus added to the p smoked SV bag.
very tender , juicy and perfect
generic soft bread ( 19 grains ! from MarkeetBasket - not bing fooled myself )
brown bagged home ripened Tomatoe's on the Vine
and MBaske leaf lettuce
very very nice. !
for me
close to as good as it gets
BTW :
Guess What's for Dinner ?
[ed.: 73 F outside , 50 % humidity , No Mosquito's . all windows open etc ]
thinking about some M.R. soon !
P.S.:
I forgot:
I like 1/2 sour pickles or green tomatoes sliced thin on my sandwiches
Ive favored in the past :
however MarketBasket no longer carries them
but they and these :
ver very nice !
https://www.chowhound.com/post/sour-pickles-local-market-basket-968540
Wegmans carries Ba-Tampte pickles - at least the half sours - here in Buffalo (I think of you every time I notice them).
Not sure if your shiny new double decker Wegmans does, but it’s worth checking out!
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13 hours ago, curls said:
@patris what color # is that pretty blue? Thank you for the photos of the bowls at various stages — fun to see the process!
It’s #2. Glad you’re enjoying the photos!
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2 hours ago, Sweet Impact Mama said:
I'd love to change to the blue you used in that recent photo. It's gorgeous!
Done!
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11 hours ago, RobertM said:
No textures needed, but thank you. And I will let you choose the colors....the only one that I must specifically request is the previously mentioned color
THANK YOU
Got it - one in #1 (clear) and a 4-piece variety pack!
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Happily, @Sweet Impact Mama and @Tri2Cook, your bowls are among those in the pipeline. Not too late to change your color choice, @Sweet Impact Mama. And @Tri2Cook - forest will always be my favorite glaze!
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9 hours ago, RobertM said:
Is it to late to order one of my bowls in a #1 finish?
Not too late for your color choices! Let me know which glazes you’d like for all 5 - it will probably be a week or more before the final round is ready for glazing.
If you wanted either of the surface textures you’re likely out of luck this go around - those have to be done right after the trimming stage, so unless the ones I did yesterday are still damp enough when I get back to the studio Tuesday night I won’t be able to do anything more to them, texture-wise. I don’t think there is enough time at this point for me to throw any more and have them finished by the time the workshop rolls around.
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Dipping bowl update!
One has made it all the way through the process and last week it came out of the glaze kiln - @tikidoc, thank you for picking this glaze. I rarely use it in my own work but seeing it on your bowl has made me fall in love with it:
The last three were trimmed today and are resting on my studio shelf waiting for their final clean-up before their first firing:
All the rest have been at least thrown, trimmed and dried. Some await their first firing, and some were ready to glaze today. Hopefully they will be glaze fired in the next week or so. The photo below shows all the stages of production - thrown and untrimmed (left front), trimmed and bone dry (left rear), and glazed and ready for their final firing (right). The glazed bowls here belong to @curls, @tikidoc, @Diana, @MelissaH, @Chocolate mom, and @Eat.Choui. Hard to tell whose is whose as they look right now, as the color of most of our unfired glazes bears no resemblance to the color of the fired product. Anyway - just thought some might enjoy a peek into the process. Looking forward to delivering them!
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12 hours ago, chocoera said:
totally late to the party....but when using these, are you keeping your chocolate in temper just by a thermometer and heat gun?
They hold a relatively small quantity of chocolate (650 - 700 grams max) - I have used mine probably a dozen times and have never needed to warm up the chocolate. Melting in the microwave helps, as the bowl warms up and holds the heat fairly well for the time it takes to go through that smallish amount. Heat gun or short bursts of microwaving (the “wire” is a silicone rubber band, so microwave safe, and easily removable anyway) would do just fine to keep the chocolate in temper if needed.
Chocolates with that Showroom Finish, 2012 –
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
You are too kind ☺️