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Chocolot

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Posts posted by Chocolot

  1. Jim, when we scrape, it isnt when the ccb is dry. We scrape excess ccb and reuse the next time, while it is still wet. It would be very difficult to do this alone. I don't spray heavy and I use paper towels if I am doing it alone, which I plan not to do:). Also, I never temper the ccb. I wait until temp drops to low 90's, and shoot. If I wait until cooler, it is a mess to get off molds. I rarely have sticking unless I let the ccb get too cold.

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  2. Personal takeaways:

    I can make caramel with the wet method and be happy

    I think I can now make sponge toffee

    I can make my own colors

    I know what to use for small decorations in molds

    Vegan isn't a dirty word

    That Rodney is an incredible baker

    That we belong to an incredible group of people who enjoy teaching each other and learning new things.

    Looking forward to next year!

     

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  3. We were still on the UWS, and we were seeking pastries. Tara suggested Breads Bakery as having really good chocolate Babka, so off we went. We got several lovely pastries there, but must have been too busy eating to take a picture. Next, we walked to the original Levain bakery and went down those steep steps. The cookies are huge! the chocolate chip is the iconic one, but I liked the chocolate peanut butter chip one. We were then on our way to the train, and as we walked by a shop, William Greenberg, I asked Tara if there was anything more we needed. She said, of course, you need a black and white cookie. Who were we to say no? In we go for more cookies. I ordered two so I could take back to Willow and Gaylene. I didn't realize until I got back to the hotel, he had put 4 in the bag. Karen said he told her that it was the end of the day, so he included extra. Just what we needed:). They are huge! Really good, but more like cake than a cookie. 

    This ends our NYC food tour. Hopefully Willow and Gaylene will add.

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  4. The next day, Gaylene and Willow went off for their own adventures, and my friend Karen and I did ours. Karen wanted to go to the upper west side as she a goal to get some chocolate Babka. As we walked over from Central Park, I texted a friend who lives there and told her we were in the area. Tara Bench, @tarateaspoon, has worked for Martha Stewart, Ladies Home Journal, is on the Today show and other national shows, cookbook author, food stylist and on and on:). Anyway, we were lucky enough to have her join us for our own short walking tour of food in the UWS. She showed us around her neighborhood, all the produce vendors right on the corners, and the local shops. It is a really nice area. If anyone is interested, check her out. Anyway, we went to Kee's Chocolates. If we thought SWMS was small, Kee's is tiny! The clerk didn't know much about the flavors and referred us to the website. They aren't as flashy as SWMS, but she has really nice flavors. Also, the Creme Brulee has a shelf life of 3 days if refrigerated. The rest are 1 week.

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  5. Where to begin? It was wonderful! Kerry, Patris and Rodney did a phenomenal job. I don't know how they do so much. 

    As Kerry mentioned, Willow, Gaylene, me and a friend, went to NYC for a few days. We hit all the tourist spots and had a great time. We only had 2 days to squeeze in as much as possible, I think we did a lot in a short time. We had food goals in mind and pretty much hit them all. 

    Pizza. Ate just across the street from SWMS. Yum!  Nathan's hot dog, Central Park. No, I didn't ask for ketchup. I was determined to eat things the way they were given. I ordered a hot dog and he asked, "ketchup and onions?". I was expecting mustard, but accepted what he offered:). It was delicious. Of Course, it could be that I was starving and had walked 7 miles that day. Got the bagel at Chelsea Market, then walked the Highline. The Pastrami was from the Upper West Side-Pastrami Queen. I don't know what to expect from pastrami. it was good, not great. I'll get into the sweet stuff in another thread. All in all, it was a fantastic 2 days! Hopefully, Gaylene and Willow, Yetichocolates will add to this.

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