Darienne
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Posts posted by Darienne
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Very dark pumpernickel from Montreal, a small round loaf with corn meal on the bottom, which my Bubbie Goldberg used to serve me, chunked in a bowl of sour cream, which used to taste like sour cream, and cottage cheese with salt and pepper.
This I have not tasted in decades but still remember with great fondness.
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Thanks to all of you for the help.
I am going to print out the posts and hand them to my genius DH and he can help me to understand the stuff.However..........I will never go blindly into a recipe again.
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i was taught to use a mixer, but my most recent boss had me make it by hand. no biggie to do so. use gloves and knead until smooth! just make sure your gelatin mixture isn't too hot when you add it so you don't burn yourself.
Thanks, I think I'll do just that, but I'll use the recipe from Candy.com just to make sure that the pieces are strong enough to withstand children and their enthusiasm. I don't know how strong the RLB recipe would be. At least, not at this point in my career.
ps. Bought some Neccho wafers and looked up the company. It started in the 1800s and the name stands for New England Confectionery Company. Interesting website.
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I wish there were a way to put this so that I didn't look like quite such an unthinking beginner...but so be it.
I don't have the Wybauw book, but I did photocopy a few pages, including p.120, 'Ganache as a basic cream'. I set out to try it, and soon realized that I didn't have the quantities called for. I halved it, halved it again and then .66% it and finally had enough stuff to start.
OK. It worked out beautifully, but I don't know where my mind was. I now have 4 containers of butter ganache, like icing in texture, with no idea of what to do with it all.
Please. I know I can make little chocolate containers, like Snobinettes, and fill them and I can fill molded candies, but honestly I have no where to get rid of them all.
What else can I do with this delicious stuff? Will it harden at all? Can I freeze it? Can I somehow add extra chocolate to it to make it firmer? Can I thin it and use it on ice cream? Would it make a good icing? I've put it into the fridge for now until I know what to do with it all.
Go ahead and laugh at me, just give me some advice, please.
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Hi Darienne,
The 'Art of Sugarcraft' series was published in the UK in the mid 1980's and you can often pick them up here second hand, so you might find that a chepaer way of getting the full set.
I bought the Sugar Flowers volume 20 years back when I was trying to decorate my wedding cake and it was very helpful to a beginner.
More recently I bought Chocolate, quite cheaply from an Amazon seller and that book has some really cute ideas for moulding and decorating with chocolate.
regards
Lapin
Merci Lapin d'or,
I have found the series on Amazon, each of the various books at different prices...some low, and some high. I was going to start with just one.
Thanks
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In addition to the basic ingredients of 10x sugar, gelatin and water, the Aboutcandy.com recipe for what I now know is pastillage calls for 2 tsp corn syrup and the use of a stand mixer. (I probably burnt out my B&B hand mixer making the stuff.)
The two recipes used by Chefette in her wonderful eG tutorial on making and using pastillage call for corn syrup and vinegar in both of them and a stand mixer. She credits Ewald Notter for her recipes.
On the other hand, RLB calls for far more gelatin, additional cornstarch and an optional pinch of cream of tartar and she mixes it by hand.
I know that I am comparing by this time oranges and cucumbers. I suppose the question embedded in all of this is: has anyone used the RLB recipe?
I don't have a stand mixer. I am not willing to test my new KA hand mixer. I have to go to quite a lot of trouble to use someone else's stand mixer. So I might try the RLB recipe and wonder how it compares....
Considering I am making candies and not cake decorations....Thanks.
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Getting ready for Easter.
I'm feeling very lazy this year and not coloring the bunnies at all.
You cannot go wrong with a chocolate bunnie.
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Well first, thanks, second, I would make back plus more, however, one must consider all the hours of preparation, not just of the chocolates, of packing containers, taking all the stuff to the place, gas, standing for a few days all dat long, a helper, etc etc so it has to be profit that includes all all all costs!! And a profit that is well worth the effort. I decided not to take a chance and from what I heard it was a good decision.
Lovely photos. Lovely chocolates. And lovely you too!
Thanks for posting.
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I found a book I could afford on pastillage and sugarcraft.
Pastillage and Sugar Moulding by Nicholas Lodge.
Any opinions about it? Thanks.
This book is part of The Art of Sugarcraft series. They are written for use by beginner and pro alike. I keep these books in the "indispensible" section of my personal library, as many of my cake deco and sugarcraft skills are self-taught.
Theresa
Thanks, Theresa,
I can't afford the set...which one or ones should I aim for?
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Ditto for me. Two more from the thrift shop, including an old...old...candy book from the 60s. What a hoot!. Each recipe bears the name of its donor, most of them signed, Mrs. Husband's name, town and state.
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another thing you might want to try if the kids make the candy themselves (rolling and cutting etc) is making impressions in the shapes with smaller cutters, or stamps, or other textured (food safe) stuff like brushes.
It would be like clay that you can eat.
An excellent idea. I'll put it to my friend and see if she thinks it could work for the group.
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Have fun with it! My advice is to make a large batch and wrap it up quickly and store in the fridge. It will last a week or more before possibly turning moldy.
You can, of course, add color and flavors to it. The other big-name candy made from pastillage is Necco Wafers.
Experiment with a small amount before committing to a larger project. It dries quickly. I know that thicker pieces can take days to fully dry, but, it develops a skin pretty quickly and if you manipulate it while it is wet inside with a skin on the outside, it can get a funny wrinkly texture. The wrinkles can be sanded off, but, that's a lot of work on a tiny candy.
Good luck! Maybe you can post some pics when you're done?
Thanks. This time I will get photos.
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I found a book I could afford on pastillage and sugarcraft.
Pastillage and Sugar Moulding by Nicholas Lodge.
Any opinions about it? Thanks.
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As far as I know, those candies are pastillage -which lasts for decades. I'd store them with some dessicant packets if you have a humid environs.
I laughed out loud
when I looked up the word pastillage and got the eGullet pastillage demo. Here I was making this thing and had no idea that it had this other name. Another learning experience. So if it lasts forever, then I'll make it ASAP. What a hoot! I've watched those crazy TV food challenges a couple of times to see who can make the biggest Walt Disney cake or something, and the chefs are always judged partly on their pastillage. Ooooh, thought I. I wonder what pastillage is and how hard it is to make. I'll try it someday.
Thanks so much, Lisa, you made my day.
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I love those colors, and want the same colors for the shop I would like to open some day.
I would be hesitant to freeze them, because I have seen what condensation does to sugar products which have been removed from a freezer. If nothing else, it may bleed out the color on the surface, or cause the sugar to re-crystallize on the outside.
On the other hand, you are right, they do last "half of forever" in an airtight container, away from bright light (prolonged exposure to bright light (UV or fluorescent) can fade the colors, especially red or anything with red in it).
Theresa
That sounds good. Make them ASAP, etc, and put them in an airtight container in the closet or whatever for using on April 6 or 9 depending upon the wishes of my next-door neighbor/landlady/friend, Denny, who works with the kids.
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In general, as noted, electric woks aren't good at stir-frying, but they do have other good uses:
- As noted above, it can make something remarkably like paella, even down to the crusty bottom. Actually, my electric wok is one of my favorite tools for rice dishes.
- The shape and heat control on an electric wok makes it good for braises/stews. You can even sear the meat and braise it all in the same wok.
- You can use it as a warmer/server/extra burner. It may not be ideal for every use, but (with a little creativity) it is remarkably flexible. I've used mine to mull cider, for instance.
For last week's minor Chinese feast we had a gas stove, two carbon steel woks AND three crockpots and the crockpots acted as keep it warmers, particularly for the soups.
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Everyone has seen those little sugar pastel-colored hearts with silly sayings on them...'love ya', 'be mine'...in the grocery stores. Yes, they taste awful
, but children love them and this is about children.I made a batch of this candy in February, colored and flavored it in 4 sections, rolled and cut it into largish shapes, allowed it to dry 2 days...it takes at least a day to dry out...made Royal icing in several colors, bagged it and sent it all to the Multicultural Center in Moab for the little Hispanic children who are learning English. They had a ball decorating the shapes and I only wish that I had photos.
These little kids have so little, in a land of so much, and it is really something to watch their joy. Now I am going to make some pastel colored little critters and a bunch of chocolate eggs for the Easter season.
The recipe is from About Candy.com by Elizabeth LaBau. It contains a little bit of the following: gelatin, corn syrup, 1/2 cup of water and 2 lbs of icing sugar which you mix in cup by cup. My Black & Decker hand mixer died two weeks ago and I fear greatly using my brand new KA handmixer. I have arranged with the local Seniors' Center to use their stand mixer. OK so far.
Questions:
* how long might this candy keep in a covered container without going bad in some way? I suspect for half of forever. The recipe says to store in an airtight container at room temperature, but gives no time frame. I would like to get this job done as soon as possible. (I'll make the icing at the last minute.)
* What if I made the stuff, cut it, dried it and put it in the freezer? Would this change the composition of the stuff at all? I suspect not, but then I have learned so many things that I was wrong about in the last few months...like about the whipping of heavy cream.
This candy is wonderful for children.
If you had two days, you could have the children basically make it with supervision one day and then decorate it the second day. -
I've been trying to get ahold of Chocovision for almost a week. Left two messages with no return call. I'll try again tomorrow, but just curious if anyone's been in touch. Unfortunately the bowl is not spinning on my 3210. There's no tension on the spinning thing, so I think something's wrong on the inside. Just in time for Easter!
Hi, Cheripie,
I was in contact with Chocovision a couple of weeks ago. It was hard to get anyone to call me back and I just kept on phoning until I got someone. I think they were short-handed or someone was sick or something. Can't really recall.
They were very helpful, especially a young man named Matthew Demoto.
Just keep calling and don't give a thought to the fact that no one has gotten back. I seem to recall that Mr. Demoto said he had hundreds of call backs to make at one point.
Good luck.
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I have the Cuisinart electric wok, from Amazon, and I LOVE it! It draws 1800 watts (!) and cooks super fast. It heats up in no time. One might need a dedicated outlet for it (I rewired my kitchen ages ago and everything like the micro and wok have their own breaker). DO NOT believe that all electric woks are the same! This Cuisinart is over the top. The only, and I really mean only, complaint is that the non-stick coating (over the stainless) is not super durable. But then I am very aggressive and others might find it OK. It could also have benifitted from an additional long handle on the side, for scooping the food directly into dish without use of a hand scoop.
I would buy another of this model wok YESTERDAY if i needed it! It DOES heat uip enough to sear or do anything a regular wok does!
Ray
Thanks for the information. I'll look it up on Amazon.
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An electric wok simply cannot supply the BTU's(heat) needed to cook with a wok, you end up stewing, rather than frying. Even with 15K BTU/hr burners on my Viking, its really not enough heat but I make do.
You certainly can use the gas burner on your BBQ.-Dick
Many thanks
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I've been making these power bars which a modification of someone's recommendation from my Keeping weight on in the kitchen thread. At first they didn't sell, but when I changed the name from Power Bars to Gourmet Rice Krispie treats, they fly off the shelf. I like the recipe because it is infinitely adaptable to the seasons.
Your recipe looks great and I am going to try it. DH and I do long road trips back and forth between Utah and East Central Ontario and I am always looking for things to eat which are yummy enough to preclude buying cr*p in desparation and still healthy enough to warrant eating them.
OK. What are liquor chestnuts? I can find chestnut liquor, but not liquor chestnuts. I suppose you could substitute what? for them.
Thanks.
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If your cream has too little fat to whip, you can melt a little unsalted butter, then whisk in the cream, chill, then whip. RLB has directions in the Cake Bible. For the 25% cream I have here, I add about 40 grams butter to 1 cup cream, and that whips.
I have experienced frozen cream (38% fat) that would not whip, even tried heating it to melt the fat globules then chilling it again, but no dice. Some cartons got frozen but some didn't, so unfortunately I don't know which will whip and which won't. At least it is still good for ice cream.
Thanks for that information, PastryGirl.
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Hello slkinsey: they were the same square footage but I didn't pick them up. I'll try that tomorrow.
Hello Chris: what do you usually pay for it? Ballpark figure... Was it just overpriced at Kroger's?
Thanks.
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I just learned yesterday of this wonderful non-stick, quick release aluminum foil. Found two kinds today in the local Kroger's (that's it). Kroger's brand cost about $2.50 and the Reynold's was well over $6.00. I bought neither.
Thought I'd ask first.
Is the Kroger's just useless? Is the Reynolds over-priced?
Creme fraiche, etc.
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
Have just been reading through this thread and was quite curious about it. I've never had creme fraiche...don't really know what it is.
However, in Ice Cream: The Whole Scoop by Gail Damerow is a recipe for making sour cream which I tried and liked. Basically you add 1 TBSP of butter milk to one cup of heavy cream and keep it warm for 24 - 38 hours. I used the oven light. This is sour cream.
Other recipes call it creme fraiche. Curious...