Darienne

Thanks to Chris and the others for all the useful answers. Shotts is not generous with his directions on 'how to'. As for the spatula, I will look for one today. The difficulty may be finding a stainless steel one. That's my only addition to all the advice. If you are using stuff from the hardware/building supply store, make certain that you buy either plastic...which does not stand up to use all that well...or stainless which won't rust.

One small thing which we have done is to use two compost pails. One pail is saved for our neighbors who raise sheep. Sheep will eat almost anything. The second pail is for the few things sheep don't eat: coffee grains and seeds and pits of all kinds.

My invert sugar recipe just calls for sugar, water and citric acid or lemon juice. I've made it and used it with good results. What is the purpose of the baking soda and where does this recipe come from, please? Thanks

Your chocolates may not have been 'perfect', but they still looked pretty darned good to me and I was blown away by your pictorial tutorial. Thanks for all the photos and the step-by-step. I started out making chocolates from Shotts. His was the first chocolate book I purchased and I read the entire book out loud to my DH on a trip home from Moab a couple of years ago.

(While scarcely in the same category as an antique marmalade cutter), Imagine my surprise in trying to find out just what I had bought in a second hand store in Moab to discover that this item was a bona fide Collectible. Almost $20 for a two-stacker...and I have a FOUR-stacker. Tupperware Collectibles on eBay, Divide-a-Rack. I had never seen one before and thought it looked usual for ferrying short stuff, like pies and bonbons, from here to there. I must be in Tupperware Heaven.

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my question. Paderno has sales every now and then and with luck a large saute pan will be on sale this year. I'll ask the local rep.

Three cheers for a great beginning!

Back to the wok question. OK. Electric is out for Chinese cooking. We are home now and my stove is 2" higher than I would like at least, but cannot be cut down as the last one was. I am not very tall. I cannot handle a wok. It's just too large and unwieldy, besides we have only electric heat normally. Have a burner on the B-B-Q, but this is Canada and we have a lot of winter. I cannot handle a cast iron frying pan. They are too heavy. Well, I CAN do it, but it's not comfortable. I have been making my Chinese dishes using a very old Korean-made, copper bottom sandwich stainless steel frying pan, 10' / 26 cm. DH is pushing me to buy a slightly large fry pan, but I don't know what to go for. The Cuisinart 30 cm pan is half price this weekend at a local hardware store...but is it the best buy? I recall reading somewhere that Cuisinart pans are not all that good. We have a Canadian company, Paderno, made in Prince Edward Island, of all places, which is available locally, but is pretty pricey and I have no criteria on which to go. Thanks for any help.

It's never too late. I don't think we can use anything with chocolate in it at all at the outdoors event, but there are other venues. Our local library is having a book sale at the end of the month and I said I would make something for it. These might be just the thing. The youngsters would love them. I think I'll try them with bittersweet also...might cut down on the sweetness a bit. Thanks for thinking of us.

What about the technique of cooking the eggs in baking soda? It is supposed to work wonders...the same as boiling hazelnuts in baking soda makes the skins just slip off? We feed our two big pups eggs every third breakfast and my DH insists on hardboiling them. And then mutters and curses while peeling the eggs. But he won't even try the baking soda trick. It's a guy thing, I think. No way I'm going to do it. I make them scrambled eggs. BTW, they are supposed to eat them raw but neither of us can stomach it.

Short question of clarification: you mean that the rubbermaid containers are not airtight? Thanks

As far as service is concerned, I have had the best treatment by Chocovision. Although my machine was purchased on Ebay from a dealer...that is not from Chocovision...they honored a warranty that I didn't even know I was entitled to, replacing a defective baffle unit. The little temperature metal piece came loose after just a few usings. I had no idea that it would do so. Then when I purchased a second unit months later, they sent me a baffle with the same unfortunate temperature piece. I phoned in some despair over this problem. Chocovision then told me to keep it, and they sent me yet another unit and with a gift for my trouble... a set of dipping forks, the one that Tomric sells for $35 or something. I was stunned when I unwrapped them. Anyhow, I was truly amazed at the trouble they took on my behalf, especially when I bought the original unit on Ebay for less than half of the regular price.

Hooray for Desiderio! However, I imagine that you acquitted yourself very well also! We just travelled across the continent...well almost ...from Utah to eastern Ontario bringing with us some couverture and bonbons. I put them in a plastic container with a container inside that container filled with ice each day. Not too cold...but not as hot as they would have gotten without the ice. All arrived home fine. (Which is not what happened in January going the other direction when the chocolate was not protected well enough. ) Now tell how you did, Ruth...

I cannot believe it but I have grown accustomed to wearing an apron all the time, often with the bib hanging down. Shades of my dear departed Mother. Do we all turn into our Mothers? One day in Moab, when we had packed almost everything to leave, I was making our last Chinese mini-feast and discovered...no apron! So I fetched my sweater, turned it around and tied it around my waist. I felt much better. I have all sorts of aprons now, mostly from second hand stores. And then I have my special expensive 'Chocolate' apron. And my 'chocolate' t-shirt.

You suggest perhaps going with something like: Great Lakes Confections, but indeed is that the location you would use? Would you use a more specific place name, like somewhere in the Great Lakes, like Bay City or Erie or Niagara Falls. Great Lakes is pretty darned huge for a place name. It might help us to find a second word to go with a chosen first word, if you have one. I can see the problem with a straight marshmallow designation. My confectionery partner and I have called our company...mythical as it is at this point...Cheers & Chocolates although we make much more than chocolates and have the same problem as you do with high humidity and high temperatures, all non-chocolate factors. Good luck to you at any rate.

Thanks. That's a fascinating website.

I found a salamander online...but why would it be called that? It bears no resemblance to a salamander. Curious.

This is the online recipe from Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. The meringue is up in spikey bits on top of the pomegranate curd, but I think it would be the same thing. Swiss Meringue Ingredients 6 large egg whites 1 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Directions 1. Lightly whisk egg whites and sugar together over simmering water until egg white mixture is hot to touch or a candy thermometer reads 140°F. 2. Pour hot whites into the bowl of a stand mixer or any large bowl if you’re going to mix by hand or use electric beaters. Beat until double in volume and thick and glossy, holding firm peaks that just curl at the tip. Quickly beat in vanilla extract. 3. Spoon evenly or pipe decoratively over tarts. Brown meringue with a kitchen or blow torch or place tarts on a baking sheet in a preheated 375 F oven for about 15 minutes until meringue is browned. Omigod I got the photo up online for you.

If you decide you want to make the hedgehog spikes out of Mexican paste, I have the Nicholas Lodge book out of the library...on ILL... I can send you a photo of his hedgehogs. Mexican Paste is made from icing sugar, gum tragacanth, glucose and water. I can send the recipe. I would warn you that Lodge's hedgehogs are incredibly labor intensive and you're probably better off if you can get your original recipe.

Many thanks to you all for the fascinating information. You could live forever and learn something new every day.

I shall be on the look-out for them. Thanks.

Thanks for the information.

As for the rhubarb, I will report back ...but it will be a good while before that happens. I don't know loquats. Sounds a bit like kumquats. Do they taste anything alike? I don't know which process would be more useful to candy them. If you wanted slices, then the Wybauw process for sure. If not, then one of Andie's processes would be better perhaps. Depends also on the seeds in the fruit...whether you eat them or not...if there are seeds. Do write back about the loquat please.

Thanks. Of course. Fudge! Where was I? And caramel corn. Methinks I slept. Thanks again.

My version looked like this: ← Thank you for the photo. I am speechless.