mostlylana

Kerry you're great!! What would we do without you?! Wow, I was not expecting those results. Very interesting. Hey Kerry, if you haven't eaten it all - can you check the aW in a week's time or so? I can't imagine it would change - but it seems my 'imaginings' are off these days! I'm just tickled that you did that! And now if it works out, I wonder what my cold infusions will look like?! Lumpy cream and coffee - yikes! I wonder how it would work to infuse first, strain, and then freeze?? Ahhh, more to play with... Thanks Kerry!

Woo Hoo!!

That all makes complete sense Scott. Thank you so much for confirming my suspicions. I'm somewhat of a shelf life junkie so I think I'll stick to fresh cream. I like to make my ganache on the soft side (ie - decreased shelf life), so I try to take whatever steps I can to increase shelf life in other ways. Kerry, if you're still up to it - I'd love to see what the difference is in aw between fresh and frozen!

That's great to hear! Thanks for sharing.

What a great idea! Kerry you're fabulous. Thank you so much!!

I'm wondering if ganache made with previously frozen cream will have the same shelf life as ganache made with fresh cream. Of course, this is assuming the cream is frozen 'fresh' and thawed properly. My concern is getting the same emulsion using frozen cream as with fresh cream. I've experimented and all seems good. I use a thermomix and so heated and whipped the cream before proceeding. This seemed to take care of the separation that happens when the cream is thawed. I was hoping the science minded people might be able to shed some light on this. If you're wondering why I'm asking - I use organic products and can purchase cream wholesale by the case but can't use it as quickly as needed. Hence the need to freeze! I've been purchasing my cream retail up until now... expensive!

Here is a great article on the commercial manufacture of invert sugar: http://www.ensymm.com/pdf/ensymm_invert_sugar_production_abstract.pdf They explain that it is difficult to get complete inversion using the acid + heat method of inverting sugar. To have complete inversion, use invertase. Personally, I have been using Trimoline but I would like to make my own invert sugar using organic sugar. Does anybody have a recipe for invert sugar using invertase? All of the previous links refer to recipes using acid + heat. What I'm unclear about when looking at the invert sugar process chart the above link provides at the end of the article, is whether or not the final inverted sugar product (produced with invertase) needs to be heated to inactivate the enzyme? Thanks!

That's great to hear. Thanks for sharing your results. I can't wait to try it. I noticed I wrote 'inversion' blender instead of 'immersion' blender... tee hee.

So I'm guessing the inversion blender you are using is the hard plastic kind? Glad to hear it can handle those higher temperatures. Actually, these Genin caramels only reach temps. over 300F when the sugar is melting. Once the cream is added they are like any other caramel and the temp. you're aiming for is the 240F range. Because there is so much butter in these caramels I think the inversion blender would really help when the cream and butter is added. Next time I make them I'm going to suit up and try the inversion blender. I think I'll use one of those welding masks too!

First of all - wow, you use an immersion blender! Can you describe your technique of such a seemingly dangerous feat?! I think this would work like a charm for emulsification if it didn't cause 3rd degree burns. It would work especially well for these Jacques Genin caramels. What I've learned about temperature variation is the obvious - altitude. But also, if you bring your caramels to temperature slowly, it seems that you need to bring them to a lower temp. to get the same result as when you bring them to temp. quickly. I wish I knew the science behind this - but I don't have a clue.

Great blog. She has some great sugar theory there - and those lollipops look fabulous! I'm not a lollipop person but the photo makes me want to try them...

I often give the guitar trimmings as samples; however I have frozen the trimmings and added them to the next batch of the same flavour. I use a thermomix so blending in the trimmings is no issue at all. I also had dr.ca make custom size ganache frames for me so I have very little waste when I cut a slab. Mind you, I have to be a little fussier when lining it up!

Congrats on your new purchase. You're going to have fun with that baby!

Too funny! I had the same idea! I thought I could use my cheap immersion blender and then thought of all that melted plastic in the caramel. Yum... What I have been doing is using 4g. of lecithin and whisking like crazy as I explained in an earlier post. Make sure when you add the cream and especially the butter that it doesn't come off the boil and whisk, whisk, whisk. Yes, I did notice a sweeter result with the honey - but negligible. I, too, was considering tupelo or acacia honeys because of their high fructose content. They would absolutely help with preventing crystallization. Another thought would be to make some invert sugar and use that rather than honey (invert sugar is basically 'fake' honey). Check out this link (see the recipe): http://chocolatenews.org/2010/05/12/the-ultimate-salted-caramel-recipe/ Another thought... If you're using corn syrup rather than glucose - it has fructose in it. Perhaps you can get away with just corn syrup. Add up the glucose and sorbitol quantities and add that amount of corn syrup. It's still a small quantity compared to most caramel recipes. The butter will offset any toughness that might result from that small amount of corn syrup. If you do try it, please post your results. I'm going to continue playing around with the recipe but have to wait until I get a few things off my plate first. Good luck!

I made the Genin caramels with the ingredients stated a few times. I noticed that the texture was... separated?? It's hard to describe. They weren't grainy but they weren't smooth. I made the last batch omitting the sorbitol and used honey in it's place. Both sorbitol and honey are humectants so I figured I would get similar results. Like you, I didn't like having sorbitol on the ingredients list. I use organic ingredients and sorbitol just didn't fit. The caramels turned out great and that odd separated texture was gone. I preferred the texture with honey. I don't think you can get away with removing the lecithin with that much butter in the caramels - unless you come up with another emulsifier. I also wouldn't remove the bicarb. I'm not completely sure what it does but it seems to have some sort of emulsifying properties in this caramel - or perhaps it adds some lightness??

Hmmmm... interesting solution E.T. I'll have to give that a try. I'll post with my results. My concern would be getting the grit of the cocoa powder in my dipping chocolate (I use a Mol d'Art melter). I wonder if this is a concern? And Richard, I checked out your link. How cool is that?! However, I don't know if it would be any less tedious! It seems to me that wrapped caramels don't have that high end appeal. I've been trying to think outside the box in terms of presentation but haven't come up with anything yet... I guess Genin's solution of wrapped caramels, bagged in a nice box - is about as classy as it gets for caramels that aren't dipped.

Well, dipping the caramels in chocolate turned out OK but I would do 2 things differently: 1) Put on a foot. Not because it needed it for dipping, but for added protection from seeping or leaking. I noticed a few looked 'greasy' on the bottom and I could see coverage wasn't perfect on those ones. I might even bottom both sides before cutting. 2) I made the batch I dipped on the firm side. I would leave the caramel a little softer next time. I'm thinking (but not completely sure...??) that the chocolate would stick better. The caramel I made was not that greasy to the touch but it was shiny and glassy. When I bit the chocolate covered caramel, the chocolate fell off the sides in sheets. If anyone has a working solution to this issue, I would love to hear it. I prefered the flavour of the dark chocolate - but both the milk and dark were good. The caramel flavour came through loud and clear. I was concerned that the chocolate would detract, but it didn't. I like them! Just need to clear up a few issues...

...woops, I meant after the cream is added. I believe Schneich mentioned this as well. Interesting point about the batch size in regards to temperature affecting flavour. I cut the recipe by 4 so my batch size was small. I was doing experiments so didn't want to do full batches each time. I'll take note when I do a full batch. Thanks. I'll tell you why I want to dip in chocolate. I hate wrapping caramels! Well, I also like the presentation of chocolate dipped caramels in a box. I can definitely see your point of these delicious caramels not needing it though. I dipped in milk and dark today (didn't seem to need a foot - that's good!). I'll post with the results tomorrow.

I've been playing around with these caramels. Yum, yum... Some things I've determined are: 1) Don't take the sugar to smoking or you'll end up with a cooked sugar tasting caramel. I bring mine to about 320F and get a nice rich flavour that way. 2) Cook on lower heat for a longer time for a more developed Maillard reaction and better flavour. 3) To avoid using too much lecithin (don't like the flavour!) - try whisking like crazy when adding the cream and butter. Also, be sure it never comes off the boil when adding them. I add them both in several additions to be sure of this. I found this old topic on caramels and 'Serj' gave the French Pastry School recipe for caramels. I thought it looked awfully familiar so got out my calculator. It's almost the exact recipe that Nic Lam (sp?) gave except it has 600g. of butter instead of 700g. and it has less lecithin. Also, the method is different. Check it out (about halfway down the page): Also, I have a question... Why do you think Jacques Genin doesn't offer his caramels dipped in chocolate? He does do both caramels and chocolates. I'm wondering if the high butter content doesn't allow the chocolate to stick?? I'm going to try dipping some today to see how it works out. I just find it odd that he's doesn't do this. There must be a reason...

Hi Deb, Thanks for the head's up on the sale of the Canon IP4700at London Drugs. I called and they've put one aside for me. Now the rest of what you're saying I don't understand! - but I'm sure I will once I've done some research. Keep us posted with what works best - you've got so much experience with this.

You breathe into it - whoa! That would take a lot of breath. I wonder if there's a way to hook it up to a compressor on low PSI? I'm sure some sort of tubing would work... Kerry, thanks so much for sharing your clever ideas. The hearts and the fish are amazing! By the way, you can see the shine of the hearts in the container under the fish. Nice!

Vanessa mentioned that this is a whipped caramel filling. I would love to do caramel cups in this fashion but I'm tentative to whip caramel as doesn't this cause crystallization? Yikes! What is the method for getting whipped results without the crystallization?

Do we all have a 'to be sold on ebay when I get around to it pile'?! Mine's getting pretty big... Kerry, maybe that's what some people call the food mill attachment... the grinder with the fruit/veg strainer? Maybe that's why I couldn't find anything for an actual food mill attachment (that looks like the photo nickrey posted). Hmmmmm... I'm going to look into the Cuisinart solution. Maybe you'll have 1 less thing in your 'to be sold on ebay pile'. Yes Edward, the Roma is a tomato strainer but the berry attachment is actually finer than the Kitchenaid fruit/veg. strainer so it will remove all the seeds. Thanks for the input everyone, I'll make a decision as to my solution for next year. I can't wait to get it right!

Interesting suggestions. Edward, it sounds like your Hobart mixer has the attachment I want for my KitchenAid. And nickrey, your photo of the mouli legumes is exactly what it looks like. I'm looking for something efficient that can be used commercially. Don't want anything that requires too much effort. (although that superbag sounds really cool!) Here's something else I've found - it's called a Villaware. One person mentions that you can do a gallon of berries in 10 min. with it. I like!! And you can buy a motor attachment for it at a reasonable price. What's confusing is that it is available under different names - Roma, Prago Trade, Weston, Back to Basics... Are these different name brands or all the same machine?? It's made for tomatoes but you can purchase a separate berry screen. Does anyone have experience with one of these machines? Here's an amazon link to the Roma: http://www.amazon.com/Weston-07-0801-Roma-Food-Strainer/dp/B0000BYDR1/ref=pd_sim_k_1

I recently spent a whole day making seedless raspberry puree. I thought I had the answer this year... I purchased an Omega homogenizing juicer and it worked like a charm until the clogging started. The whole process was sooooooooooo slow. On the up side, I had the driest seeds I have ever seen. But a whole day on 2 flats - not OK. I went online in search of other solutions. One thread mentioned that the KitchenAid Food Mill attachment was quick and efficient and left nothing but clean red seeds. So I do a search for the KitchenAid Food Mill attachment and it doesn't seem to exist! Does anyone know anything about this? There is a fruit and veggie strainer attachment but there are very mixed reviews about this for removing raspberry seeds. I did find 1 thread with a supposed photo of the 'Kitchenaid Food Mill attachment' and it actually looked like a food mill - not a strainer. So does anyone know if this attachment exists, or did it once exist?