[Easter chocolates 2020]

So much art on one page... and all I've got on deck so far is the f'ing bunnies (not a commentary on bunnies, that's what they actually are... see below  ) I do every year. Better get my brain in gear, I suppose. 

[It's Fat Tuesday!]

Laziness and persistence from the kid regarding her preference won out. That and I just had Cajun recently. So pancakes with sausage (homemade) it was. Picture is pre-maple syrup. Didn't want it soaking in and getting everything soggy while I did the photo thing. 

[Ganache: Tips, Techniques & Troubleshooting]

Thinking about giving a lime ganache (key lime, I suppose but I'll be working with the regular ol' limes that are available where I live) a try. For some reason, I've never got around to that one. For those already doing it, are you using a cream ganache, a butter ganache or some other variation (water ganache, etc.)? I was just going to cobble something together and see what happens but I figured I could at least get in the ballpark of what works best by asking. Of course, existing recipes are welcome as well. I'm not determined to create my own recipe, just don't already have one. I'd prefer to base it on white chocolate. I want minimal chocolate flavor influence for this one.

[Unsolicited help for a budding chocolatier...]

41 minutes ago, keychris said:

Could be that flavour is what he prefers over the well-conched-ness of it. Flavour profile changes the longer something is conched as more volatile compounds evaporate out of the blend over time.

Yep, and sometimes for the better, sometimes not. But if he's using any type of commercially available refiner, he's going a really short time if there's still graininess. I have some chocolates I do for more time and some for less but I've rarely had one with noticeable graininess within about 10 - 12 hours after the last of the components were added. Possibly even less than that, I usually start my batches so they can do the first part of the run overnight so they already have 10 hours or so on them before the first check.

[Overly viscous ganache—what am I missing]

2 minutes ago, Pastrypastmidnight said:

I don’t think it makes a big enough difference to cause any issue.

Thanks! I'm not actually having any spoilage issues, that was entirely a curiosity question. It popped into my head while reading the discussion so it had to be asked. That's just how my head works. Once the question is in there, it usually won't leave me alone until there's an answer in there as well.  

[Overly viscous ganache—what am I missing]

So basically if the Aw is good, all is well? I was thinking of the air itself having a direct effect on shelf life, whether in regards to spoilage or flavor loss. A potential effect on the Aw never even crossed my mind.

[Unsolicited help for a budding chocolatier...]

Of course, the direct approach is sometimes best. As my mom used to say, sometimes you gotta tell people they're being an ass or they may not even know. A variation on that could apply to this situation. Maybe just state outright that it's out of temper and see what the reaction is. Then you'll know if it's even worth pursuing further. The texture may or may not be something the person can do anything about depending on how they're making the chocolate. If they don't have the proper equipment (or if they don't want the equipment, depending on what their goal is, maybe they're going for the rustic thing), then it is what it is. 

[Overly viscous ganache—what am I missing]

2 hours ago, Jim D. said:

Another trick is using an immersion blender to "un-thicken" the PdF to be able to pipe it

I feel like we've already discussed what I'm about to ask regarding this usage of PdF but I couldn't find it via search and was unwilling to read 100 pages to try to find it so... is there any consensus or theory on the effect of the air being incorporated into the PdF during pureeing as far as shelf life goes?

[Unsolicited help for a budding chocolatier...]

I'm probably gonna fall in a minority here but honestly, I think offering unsolicited advice is a bit out of line unless you know the answers and can show them what they're doing wrong, why it's wrong and how to try to correct it. A polite "there appears to be some tempering issues" or similar would be fine and sending them here would be perfect if they're willing to listen but I don't think attempting to teach them is the way to go if you don't actually know how to do it yourself. It sounds like your heart is in the right place but it's usually pretty easy for me to tell when someone is just throwing information they had to go look up at me and isn't speaking from actual knowledge. 

[It's Fat Tuesday!]

12 hours ago, heidih said:

If you do the green gumbo

That's for my Holy Thursday dinner (I'm not particularly religious but anything that inspires me to cook something special for the occasion is ok by me)… but if we're keeping it simple, most of the things mentioned so far are less work than that one. 

[It's Fat Tuesday!]

9 hours ago, kayb said:

shrimp and grits

I was thinking that but I think I'm gonna do grillades and grits instead... or maybe just make some pancakes and call it done. 

[Chocdoc Flying High in Amsterdam]

23 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

Given the confectionary bent of this trip, my first thought was a very fancy peep store

That would be awesome but I'm still pretty darn impressed that there's a dedicated rubber ducky store... and a dedicated store for rubbers sans ducky.

[Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – )]

27 minutes ago, Kim Shook said:

Half Fig Newton and half nutty oatmeal cooky sounds like heaven to me!!!

Me too... I'm ok with straight off the shelf Fig Newtons so anything that improves on that theme is a bonus. 

[Chocolates with that Showroom Finish, 2012 –]

I can see it clearly in some areas and less clearly but still there in other areas. I strongly suspect lighting and angle are key components when viewing or photographing the results of this technique but I see more there that's encouraging than discouraging.

[Dinner 2020]

I made some Cajun chaurice sausage a couple weeks ago and stuck it in the freezer while I decided what I wanted to do with it.



Finally came up with a plan this weekend. Onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic and green onion in the pot...



Added diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, thyme, parsley and seasoned with salt, pepper and cayenne to get a Cajun style tomato sauce.



Mixed the chaurice with cooked rice, did some assembly and oven time and...



Yep, Cajun cabbage rolls.  

[Your Daily Sweets: What Are You Making and Baking? (2017 – )]

3 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

Tin Roof Brownie Bars

We're thinking pretty close to alike today. I made Mississippi Mud cake with a brownie base. The picture is accurate, it is some mighty pale mud. The brownie base is dark and rich so I decided to sacrifice some traditional accuracy for better balance and used less than usual chocolate icing. That combined with swirling it a bit left it looking a bit anemic for mud.  

[Jerusalemy kugel]

5 minutes ago, shain said:

 

I think of them more as a breakfast / brunch dishes more so than as dessert. In a way,they don't differ much from bread pudding (which I also adore) but less rich and creamy.

The apple version is more dessert-like, the Jerusalem one is usually part of a spread.

And now I've had today's portion of "you learn something every day". I just assumed sweet = dessert which, as you've just clarified, is not a valid assumption to make. I really do know better. I do like bread pudding so if that's the general territory we're in, consider me even more convinced.

[Jerusalemy kugel]

You're going to convince me yet. I still can't quite wrap my head around the sweet noodle dessert, which I find odd because I'm generally pretty open-mined and adventurous, but you keep posting them and they keep looking tasty. I'm going to break at some point and at least make a small one. 

[How do they do that? (the bonbon thread)]

1 hour ago, MrG_84 said:

I also think that these store bought colors are liquid in room temperature, right? But cocoa butter is not liquid in room temperature, so how do they do that? Do they add something? What?

Not sure if I'm understanding what you're asking but commercial colored cocoa butter is not liquid at room temp.

[How do they do that? (the bonbon thread)]

2 hours ago, liderbug said:

I'm thinking a thin coat.  Like a clear coat on a car or wax job.

I understood what you meant, I just wasn't very clear with my response. By thick, I didn't mean what one would normally think of as being thick. A clear coat/wax job amount would be what I'd consider thick in this instance. The words cocoa and butter together sounds like something that would taste amazing but in reality, not so much. It's noticeable from decorating with colored cocoa butter if the decorating gets too heavy handed. I wouldn't call it offensive, just noticeable. But even if there was a way to get a layer thick enough to look like the chocolate was encased in glass to be completely clear, which it wouldn't be, that amount would definitely mess with the taste.

[How do they do that? (the bonbon thread)]

2 hours ago, liderbug said:

Ah! Yes, now I can see it. <sigh> I was hoping there a method …

I think once you tasted your chocolates with a thick layer of plain cocoa butter on the outside, you'd be less enthusiastic with that hope. 

[Valentine's Day Dinner]

Had cheeseburger for one. Burger and candied jalapenos on a soft pretzel that was toasted and spread with jalapeno cheddar whipped cream cheese. If you're looking for fancy, it wasn't here.  The candied jalapenos wasn't the best decision. They're tasty and spicy but the sweetness was just a little off in this setting. Pickled jalapenos would have been better.

[Meeting-friendly snacks to bake]

5 hours ago, Anna N said:

Just to wrap it up from my point of  view. What a difference a day makes. I had kept two deformed pieces which I tried today and it’s hard to believe it’s the same cookie. So if anyone else attempts these please save your judgement at least overnight.

Great... more for the "things to try" list that's probably not going to be cleared in my lifetime as it is. 

[Meeting-friendly snacks to bake]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

Chocolate chips and Lays potato chips are not a marriage made in heaven to my taste buds.

I wonder how they'd be sans the chips? Most people I know think my opinion that chocolate doesn't make everything better is a silly one but they usually feel the same about my opinion that bacon and/or cheese does not in fact make everything better either. 

[How do they do that? (the bonbon thread)]

6 hours ago, jedovaty said:

Having watched many videos of the process, the mess and waste give me the frights

The mess can be prodigious until you figure out your own system to minimize it based on your workspace and equipment. If you're seeing a lot of actual waste in the videos you're watching, you need different videos. There's generally very little excess chocolate in the molding or dipping process that can't be reclaimed in some way.