Lior

Thank you! Yes, I must take back control!! Just realizing this makes me feel organizedand ready to prepare for this approach! Thanks!

I like your attitude. I think I am too , what is that word... complying? I do have a site and I also love trying new recipes out and so this could be a great way!! You are right, what I have is what you can get-why apologize etc? Thanks for that fresh wind!!!

I agree that the seder part gives meaning and is our favorite part as well!! Howlovely to send your son a challah at college!! I assume he doesn't come for the holiday? I bet he will be a bit homesick and the challah will be really nice for him!! I love fresh leafy salad with sprinkled pomegranates on top. I add pomegranate concentrate to the salad dressing as well.

Hello. It is a sweet, yes. I haven't had it for about 7 years so I cannot remember texture. My Granny used to make it, and then my mom did a few times after my Granny passed away. I remember liking it a lot though. I will ask my mom about texture and fridge, although I think it sat out on the counter.

It would be great for the organized group of people... Last night, for example, someone called: "Help!! My daughter's draft starts tomorrow and we just thought it would be nice to give her chocolates to munch on after saying good bye and the bus takes her away... can we come over and buy a few boxes now?" Now I can't say no! So I had to frantically open up the vacuumed chocolates- 10 different kinds as my bag of mixed had mostly finished. I see I have to have a good few mixed bags so that I don't have to open 10!! Live and learn. This happens often. I guess I have to start thinking in terms of a storefront. I just don't have a better way to handle this. Some people just want a mix and don't care what kinds. Others want to choose. The ones who want to choose are even more difficult to handle as I can't prepare the box before they come. By order only is best but I think it will not work, at least not in this culture- everyone kind of knows each other, expects help from each other, and of course, as everywhere, live hectic lives. If I limit to 2 days, it will probably be ignored. I don't know, maybe I should try it and then lessen the "impulse" to pop over at any time. I must think it through. Gap, thank you very much, very kind to think for me!!

Thanks for your input! First of all, your chocolates are just lovely!! And if I understood correctly, you have 3 large melter/temperer machines?? In your house??! Amazing-lucky you! I think it is ideal to have everything fresh and available at demand. My problem is that I can't. I have 2 melters-6kg and 2 x3210 temperers. It is still all done basically by the seeding method, and after a few hours the chocolate thickens etc, so production is more of a hassle. In addition, my other problem is that individual small orders are not on large scale yet. I may have a large order one week of two types of bonbons, and then 3 small individual orders of maybe 6 boxes of 16 bonbons of different types. So I cannot make everything fresh every week, not only time-wise is it not possible but also a lot would get wasted if it weren't frozen or fridged. Not to mention our climate, which is in the 80's at least 6 months a year! This is the whole problem. It wouldn't all or mostly get bought within a week or two. Perhaps I will get to that point when I am more known and have a more steady clientelle etc. So this is why I need creative ideas on how to deal with the now, while trying to get to the "then"!!

exactly, however, how else can I do it?? If it is small order- a few boxes, even one box, say, how is it accomplished? Even if I have dummy chocolates, a person comes and wants say 3 boxes of 9-16 bonbons, I have to take them out and show and let her choose and then sell the boxes to her there and then. I do have all on my site, but people want to came over and see and chat and choose... Mostly it is friends or aquaintances.

We do a sephardic seder for Rosh Hashana, due to my MIL, who is Yemenite, and my SIL, who is Iraqi. Here it is and the kids love it as it is a tradition, even though we are not really observant!!. It is based on foods whose qualities or names or roots of the word become symbolic and before eating each one, a prayer of revelance to this food is said: Example: head of fish or lamb- prayer says something like "May we be the head and not the tail" Pomegranates - the seeds are numerous, close to the 613 good deeds one is supposed to fulfill every year, so the prayer" May we do as many good deeds as the number of seeds in a pomegranate" carrot - in Hebrew same word as for "decree" - May the evil decrees against us be torn up and our good deeds remembered Beets - same as the word be taken away- "May our enemies be taken away from us" Apples and honey Apples dipped in honey or sugar, which is most popular, uses the taste of the honey to symbolize sweetness in the coming year This prayer asks that God‘s judgment be soaked in sweetness. Black eyed peas plays off the words ‚ ‘rov‘ which means ‘many‘, May our many positive deeds during the year be taken into account during the days of judgment. Thse are most of them, but not all.

A few of my late granny's recipes: MANDALACH soup almonds - like crouton use 3 eggs 2 T. oil 1 t. salt 2 c. flour Make dough from the above Roll out fairly thinly and cut in diamond shapes Fry in deep oil 'til light brown Lift out of oil and drain Can keep for a long time - especially in fridge. Teiglach 2 c. flour 7 eggs less 2 whites 1 -2 t. ginger 2 T salad oil 2 c. honey 1 c. sugar 11/2 c. cold water 3/4 c. boiling water or coffee Knead together the flour, eggs, ginger and oil. Make into various shapes. Bring honey sugar and 11/2 c water to a boil Drop in the taiglach and boil on high about 10/12 minutes keeping the pot airtight Bring temp. to medium and boil another 10-15 mins. Open lid and stir occasionally for another 35 mins. Remove from stove and pour boiling water/coffee over taiglach and stir to loosen them Place taiglach on a wet board and sprinkle with sugar Imberlach 12 c. grated carrots 7 c. sugar Juice and grated rinds of 1 lemon Juice and grated rinds of 2 oranges 3 t ginger crushed walnuts (optional) water to cover in a large pot Boil carrots and sugar rapidly, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally Add juice of lemon and oranges, all grated rinds, and ginger To test if ready, take a spoonful and place on saucer and allow to cool. If mixture holds firmly it is ready to come off the stove. Wet a pastry board slightly with cold water and pour mixture on it. Smooth down with a knife into a slab about 2cm. thick. Allow to set over night. Cut diagonally into strips to form diamond shapes If mixture is too soft it can be reboiled

a few more if anyone is interested.... MANDALACH soup almonds - like crouton use 3 eggs 2 T. oil 1 t. salt 2 c. flour Make dough from the above Roll out fairly thinly and cut in diamond shapes Fry in deep oil 'til light brown Lift out of oil and drain Can keep for a long time - especially in fridge. I know this should be in food traditions so I will post it there as well. I put it here since it kinda flowed with the others.

I am not ready to have a storefront, yet, for a few reasons. However, the business is slowly taking off, and I need to figure out how to set up products. For instance, I can get a call in the morning from someone that wants to came and buy chocolates. I don't have a display fridge. Then during the week there can be other calls, different times, different days of individuals. I have to work out a way to set the choices out and then store them again. Any ideas? Now I have vaacuum packed or sealed boxes packed in the freezer. I usually keep a few boxes of all the choices- mixed in the box, in the fridge, which I pull out and organize on plates, like for a festival. The customer chooses and then I repack! It is easier if it is a large order which I deliver- make, pack and deliver. Do you see the issue? Any ideas? Does anyone have a similar small business?

I can certainly vouch for Kerry's caramel recipe!! Darienne your turtles are great!! I also make similar ones. And Felipe welcome and good luck with the turtles!

I havwe been asked by a few colleagues and I am also interested. Does anyone use this enzyme? How? With what? And where do you buy it? Thanks!!

Hi! I use the Valrhona sugar free. It is 65% and uses maltitol and tastes great.

I personally prefer by weight- just pull out my scale- no wondering about the space and air in between the cabbage pieces in a cup etc! But I jnow Americans prefer cups and such!! Good luck!!

I think on buttered toast. My gran used to make it and that is how we loved it. My mom like it on top of swiss cheese-on toast.

Here they are: Teiglach 2 c. flour 7 eggs less 2 whites 1 -2 t. ginger 2 T salad oil 2 c. honey 1 c. sugar 11/2 c. cold water 3/4 c. boiling water or coffee Knead together the flour, eggs, ginger and oil. Make into various shapes. Bring honey sugar and 11/2 c water to a boil Drop in the taiglach and boil on high about 10/12 minutes keeping the pot airtight Bring temp. to medium and boil another 10-15 mins. Open lid and stir occasionally for another 35 mins. Remove from stove and pour boiling water/coffee over taiglach and stir to loosen them Place taiglach on a wet board and sprinkle with sugar Imberlach 12 c. grated carrots 7 c. sugar Juice and grated rinds of 1 lemon Juice and grated rinds of 2 oranges 3 t ginger crushed walnuts (optional) water to cover in a large pot Boil carrots and sugar rapidly, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally Add juice of lemon and oranges, all grated rinds, and ginger To test if ready, take a spoonful and place on saucer and allow to cool. If mixture holds firmly it is ready to come off the stove. Wet a pastry board slightly with cold water and pour mixture on it. Smooth down with a knife into a slab about 2cm. thick. Allow to set over night. Cut diagonally into strips to form diamond shapes If mixture is too soft it can be reboiled

Well I guess I need to start blending. I also like the Ivoire from Valrhona. Sometimes I have to even do two coating in the moulds as it is so thin! Darienne, sometimes itis good to have blocks- I like using bigger chunks for tempering by the seeding method as it is easy to fish out at the end. I think also that each chocolatier needs to be individual- what is unique to him? So chocolate choice is important. Developing a guideline to go by lessens the confusion- like fruity fillings=bland coating etc. And of course, rules can be broken... I guess I need to develop my own guideline, and being rather new one needs confidence. I suppose it comes with time. In recipes in books, sometimes the author instructs which kind of chocolate to use but it is rare and left unexplained.

I completely understand the fruity issues! You really brought it into perspective- thank you! I think I agree. And mixing two kinds to get the right enrobing chocolate is very good- I know it is done and all, but I just didn't think of it-scared maybe? Thanks for your input

I think I have my granny's recipe- I will look for it.

That is what many of my colleagues say- use Callebaut! It is so much cheaper! It even happened once that someone didn't buy my chocolates at a festival because I didn't use Belgium chocolate, which "everyone knows is the best" !! The problem is that if I buy some Valrhona and some Callebaut, being so small, Callebaut won't even deliver to me. Valrhona will. So I ended up loyal, besides loving the chocolate. I think tasting is a great idea. I will plan this and market it a bit. Get them away from "Elite" - our local hershey type, although I think Elite is better than Hershey... As to Valrhona, some of their grande crus are not listed as ideal for molding- but are for coating. I am not exactly sure why, unless for molding it is too thin and fluid. Valrhona aid module ANd for molding, then I would have to choose one of their classics- which I am not mad about. Melange, my problem is that because the ganache is the focus, I need to decide whether to enhance it or contrast it. A course for this combination would be good. And then, there is the question of whether we let our customers guide us, or do we train them?? I suppose a bit of both!!

Wow I really enjoyed reading your comments!! I do prefer a vodka martini!! Now here I can only get Valrhona, Callebaut and Fruibel. I wish I could try other kinds!!! What percentage is Amedei 9? And it is so so true about one type of couverture- it is so difficult using 2 or 3 kinds... There is also the issue of so called "chocolate snobs" who wouldn't dare go below the 70%. Only 70 and above is good... sigh! I wish there were a course for this... Thank you so so much!!

I wonder if the taste when taking a bite- gets seperated between the ganache and the coating? I guess there is more chocolate in ganache so it would be the stronger one. But if you want the fruit to stick out, then wouldn't a fruity chocoalte enhance the ganache? I find Manjari fruity so when I make a fruity ganache I often choose Manjari. But perhaps a bland chocolate would be the thing that makes the fruit "stick out". I guess it is a matter of trial and error and then deciding what tastes best. Thanks for your ideas!

AAH yes, now I remember! Thanks!! I willsee if I can get ahold of one of these cutters! And about the bottoms... are they coated nicely or are they patchy- some chocolate got wiped off... SOrry for being so nosy!

Inspired by Darienne's 70% question on the Greweling thread, I decided to open an issue. I know that the ganache should have less cacao butter chocolate and the enrobing chocolate should have more- or at least so I was taught or told somewhere some time. Do any of you add CB to your couverture- like to Guanaja? I found a lot of people don't coat in high cacao percentages. Many use 55-60%. I like 64% and 70%. But then perhaps this hides some of my ganache tastes. I try to match certain fillings with certain coatings but I get confused. I guess I am not experienced enough yet. I don't know whether to enhance a ganache or to contrast it. To cut the sweetness or go along with it? My Dulce de Leche, for example. I make a layer of DDL and a layer of ganache, which I chose dark for to cut the sweetness of the DDL. Now I could have used Valrhona's Tanariva, which has a caramelly taste to enhance the DDL... WHat are your thought processes when choosing fillings and coatings? Are there any guidelines you go by?