Darienne

You could always start with this article from Wikipedia.

I know this was covered in the last year, but I have finally given up searching. Confectionery partner, Barbara, and I made solid molded chocolates for her to sell at an upcoming Christmas bazaar type thing. I told her I was sure that you were supposed to leave the chocolate to harden for 24 hours before packing them, but couldn't remember why. Then recalled that the tempered chocolate would actually harden in the first 24 hours? Does this preclude packaging them before that time period...assuming I have the time period correct? Or what? Thanks.

If it were my problem, I would go for an ethnic cuisine, North African, Asian, Indian, something with a substantial allotment of spices that people were not too familiar with. What non-American/European cooking does with a handful of carbohydrate and some vegetables is amazing and fully satisfying...to me. As my DH would say...to me, to me... Why use meat at all?

One more at a favorite 2nd hand store, St. V de P. Mark Bittman;s The Minimalist Entertains. Got to love those thrift stores. All those great books for next to nothing.

Hey!!! Hey!!!! Some of us take exception to that there remark!!!

OK. One for 'make the cake now'. Thanks, Heidi

I am a relative newbie and I have the Cake Bible and the Pie and Pastry Bible and they are wonderful. Not only are the recipes easy to follow and well explained, RLB also tells you why you must do or not do something and what to change if something doesn't work. Another wonderful book is Shirley Corriher's Cookwise. I've not see her Bakewise, but folks say it is not something they would recommend, especially compared to her Bakewise. Good luck!

That's interesting, that the same 'chocolate' bar has a different formula depending upon the country of origin...or the country of destination. I recall learning that Bailey's exported to the USA has more sugar in it than Bailey's exported into Canada. It seems that Americans like more sugar while Canadians like more salt and fat.

Three posts in a row. Sorry. I have a question for the experienced. The crushed fruit has been sitting in rum and wine for one month. It was too late to start, I know that now. Would it be better to leave the fruit for another month and make the cake at the last minute? Or make the cake now and let it sit for until Christmas? Or what should I do? I really need some help on this. Thanks.

If you go to Lior's blog, message #85, near the bottom of the page, you can see photos of the peanut snacks, soup almonds, and spiced tahina paste. I am typing this post with a cup of hot Bedouin Chai tea beside me. Wonderful at afternoon lag time. Also we tried the chocolate flavor halva with cocoa nibs after lunch and I don't know if I am going to push much further to make halvah. Seems a bit futile after two no-gos. No way I could make anything that delicious. Will have to hide it from the DH.

I am overwhelmed. Speechless (well, perhaps not. I am never speechless). Completely blown away. Humbled. Grateful. Hardly know the words to use. I thought DH was going to the PO outlet to pick up a book I had ordered, but he came back with this large package...from Israel...from Ilana (aka Lior). Ripped off the tape, cut open the box and gaped at the contents : a container of halva, a box of chocolate-covered halvah candies (sorry I haven't opened one yet and my Hebrew is just about non-existent so I am not really sure...will get back), some Bedouin Chai, soup almonds, a candy bar, some peanut snacks, a container of tehina with spices with a note to go to Ilana's website to find out what to do with it. What on earth can I say in response to such generosity? Ed joins me in thanking Ilana for this bounty. I recall her generous gift to the Chocolate Conference in April. She has done it again. Ed and I are gourd artisans and one special gourd is going to be on its way to Ashqelon Israel very soon. Well, as soon as I PM Lior. Her name and address on the package are practically illegible after its journey. We begin munching right after lunch which DH is making. Poached salmon in lime juice plus I don't know what else. Just perfect for halvah!

I figure that if a Red Vine licorice can be listed, so can then our favorite candy. Made in Grand Junction, CO, but available by mail all over the States. Dark Chocolate Almond Toffee. The best I have ever eaten in my life. Enstrom. Written up somewhere...can't recall where...but the recommendation led me there last year. Yummmm Now THAT'S good candy.

Grilled cheddar cheese on light rye bread...cut into quarters for me, whole for DH, of course. That's it!

OK. OK. I've never even had a Heath bar and I'll find one and try it. If I might be allowed to mention a book on this subject, Steve Almond's Candyfreak; A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America is well worth the reading. The title is off base to me...it sounds like something almost unsavory, but the book is a good read, all about the candies which are no longer there. Really enjoyed it.

DH and I just had a small but serious discussion and the answer is there is no mass-produced sweet that we really like. Now when there is a thread on regional goodies, we'll have one to add that we truly love.

Keeping my promise to Lindacakes, Black Cake maker extraordinaire, today I was finally able to buy Mixed Essence and Burnt Sugar Caramel from a Caribbean market in Toronto. All steps are now in place. Unfortunately I started the entire project too late...but that's life. I'll make it anyway.

Gelato. Good idea. I still have a fair amount of the stuff left. We are eating the chocolate/failed halvah patties. Quite delicious. Maybe I've stumbled upon something new and wonderful and now need to find a name for it. Isn't that the way fudge and so many other things began...as failed something elses? Did not make Andie's 3rd halvah recipe today. Friend with the rose water is still under the weather.

Thanks for the replies. The Cheese Boutique is way out of our way, but I'll keep in mind the major grocery thingy. In Peterborough, you don't find stuff like that even in the 'major' grocery stores, but in Toronto you might well. We're stopping at a Caribbean grocery store just off the 401 on Morningside. They might have what I need, besides the two ingredients I need for a Black Rum Cake.

Where's the photo of this wonderful toy...oops...tool. Don't think I've ever seen one.

Right. In Andie's recipe for halvah, you need rose water...1/2 cup to be exact. I have no rose water and I also have no orange blossom water. According to my friend, Mel, who knows these kinds of things; I take it to mean that rose water is available everywhere, and orange blossom water is not. Not in our area...near Peterborough...anyway. Peterpatch is not exotic. Tomorrow DH and I are going from Peterborough to Etobicoke via the 401, south on the 427, exit Evans Ave, to Browns Line, to Horner. Can anyone please tell me of a source along that route...no more than 1 km or so in from the highways or in Etobicoke...it's a guy thing...where I can find these products? Thanks.

Learned something new. Cannot upload a photo in edit mode. These are the delicious chocolate/halvah patties

Next is Kerry Beal's recipe for halvah. Halvah #3, 1 November 09. In the meantime, took Halvah Failure #2, pulverized it real good, added 8 oz of melted dark chocolate, mixed well, and poured it into little tart pans. It has no name, but it tastes wonderful and we started eating it after supper.

Thanks. Metro Stores...never heard of them before...are a bit too much out of our way for this trip. A friend tells me this afternoon that she has both rose and orange water and we're going to make your recipe tomorrow. We'll get additional supplies some other time. Thanks.

Could be that Andie uses Meyer lemons. No rose or orange water for sale in our region, but DH and I are off to Etobicoke on Monday and maybe we can find somewhere along the way. There's a Caribbean grocery store on Morningside near the 401 (Lee Valley). Might carry it. Do you know of anywhere near the 401 or the 407 where I can get some? Thanks. Hope the 'reno confusion' is over. Hmmm...is it ever really over?

Hi Andie. Thanks. Your friend's recipe varies slightly from the one I was going to make next. I shall actually try 'yours'. We can't get Guittard chocolate easily in Canada, but I do have Belcolade Noir Collection Ecuador 71. Alas, it costs me over $12.00 a pound. Also. Although we both LOVE Polish/Israeli/NY/Montreal style halvah, this is far less about eating it on a regular basis, than about making it to see if I can. Thanks.