Chocolot

They sure look lovely, very nice feet on those macs! Ruth, did you use an Italian meringue or French? French. I have better luck with it than Italian.

Finally had some time to do a little baking. Macarons are not my specialty, but I try. White ones are lemon, chocolate ones have a peppermint filling. Actually, I used leftover ganache on both flavors:-)

I will include 6 photos I took today of shelling and closing. They are far from perfect and holding the phone in one hand while working is a bit difficult:-) shells filled closing swiping Jim, I'm not sure where you are having trouble, but hopefully these might help.

OK, I thought your problem was more when you were closing. I do like Kerry, fill, rattle on the counter, dump and tap. Scrap while still inverted. Place on counter and scrape the top again and clean sides. It truly takes less than a minute. I clean off spatula with other spatula between each mold.

I'm fortunate to have tempering melters to work with. I up the temp on the tank, and just scrape back into the pot. I can do it all day. I don't see why it is such a problem to get it scraped off. It should only take a few seconds, certainly not enough time to cause problems. You should plan on coming to the gathering in Niagara on the Lake in April:-)

How long does it take your test strip to set up? When I bottom mine, I like to have my chocolate a bit warmer than usual. If your molds are not "clean" when you bottom them, they will bump and drag all over the place. I like my molds to be very clean and free of chocolate when I go to close. I put a lot of chocolate on the tray, slant it over the bowl, and do as Derrick does in the video--slide off half and then drag the top half over the same shells. I then clean off the sides of the molds. If they look a little rough, I tap them on the counter to level the chocolate. I use two scrapers, cleaning one with the other constantly. As has been said previously, chocolate is always in charge. It lets you have success sometimes, but not always. I guess that is what keeps us interested. If it was easy, there is no challenge and anyone can do it:-)

How cold is your room?

I use a caramel cutter and I use it to cut, not just mark. I have the large 5 or 6 inch blades. I only have about 8 blades on it because that is what I can handle. I have another knife that has 15 blades. It is too heavy and awkward for me. The pastry wheels are not very sturdy. I don't think you could cut caramel, only mark. I like my squares to be even and I think the round knives are the best way.

Anna N is a smart lady. She doesn't have to do the work, or consume the calories:-)

Greweling also does a lot of meltways and fruit jelly's.(He doesn't like to use French terms like Pate de fruit). If the chocolate is overpowering the flavors, why not try a more neutral chocolate? Also, you could adjust the formula and use white chocolate.

You just saved me a bunch of money:-) I looked at my receipt and they charged me for 2 bags!! You may wonder why I didn't catch it, but I was in a hurry and had a gift card and it was all play money to me.

Very interesting. I just bought 10K of 815nv from Gygi and with my discount and no shipping, I paid $147.00!!!

Where did you find it at that price?

I think it is Guittard Signature, not select. Signature is a good chocolate for hand dipping, but not thin enough for shelling. Yucatan is likewise, ok for hand dipping, but not for shelling. These are mid-range chocolates. They are ok, but certainly not high end, but then neither is the price.

Amazon just told me they have shipped the new book and I should have it next Tuesday. Yippee!!

Donna, Martellato 1600 Chocolat-chocolat

Tried out my new molds today. Caramel Apple Ganache

While in Vancouver, be sure and go to Granville Island. In the public market is ChocolaTas. They make them in Abbotsford. Very good chocolates.

I'm planning on being there.

I like the Thermopen too, but they also make several other styles. http://www.thermoworks.com. I have a thermocouple unit with changeable probes. It is a scientific instrument, not a kitchen gadget. They are pricey, but worth it. I also use an infrared gun for chocolate work and to get close in cooked syrups. The people at Thermoworks are very helpful if you call.

Grewelings Gianduja Duo

If you just want a little bit, go to Walmart. It is in the baking aisle.

I did this yesterday with a dozen eggs. First two broke before I got the hang of it. It works great!

Add some water and place over low heat to dissolve the sugar crystals. Recook to correct temperature. I have doubled and tripled many fudge/fondant/caramel recipes without a problem. If you have a pot large enough, a big enough heat source, and a large enough cooling surface, this shouldn't be an issue.

I find that if the chocolate is over, or under tempered, it will do this.