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Darienne

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Posts posted by Darienne

    Differences in kinds of sugar

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    My next-door neighbor swears by cane sugar when baking. It's more expensive than sugar which is not labelled 'cane sugar'.

    Neither Greweling nor Wybauw appear to distinguish between the two types of sugar.

    Is there some kind of difference in anyone's opinion?

    Thanks. :smile:

    Royal Icing: Tips & Techniques

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I am intending to decorate the lollipops made for the local children's party using Royal icing (thanks to Chocolot and Kerry Beal and two friends at home I asked. It seems that everyone knew about Royal icing except me, so be kind). :shock:

    I have four sets of recipes for Royal Icing each giving two versions: one using meringue powder...which I may not even be able to get in this small Utah town...and the other egg whites. I'll no doubt opt for the egg whites. Besides if I could even find meringue powder, how could I guarantee its freshness?

    So two of the recipes call for lemon juice and the other two call for cream of tartar. I can no doubt buy cream of tartar although I might not be able to guarantee its shelf freshness (noting that failure due to possible stale cream of tartar is discussed in another current thread). I have fresh lemons.

    (The enchanting thing about Moab :wub: is that you can't buy much here: the frustrating thing :angry: about Moab is that you can't buy much here.)

    Do they both do the same job in the icing? I would assume so...

    Any advice about making? coloring? storing? using? subsequent packaging? The recipes all give some tidbits of information, but nothing takes the place of experience....

    Thanks in advance. :smile:

    Favorite Molds

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    what else can i mould besides marzipan/almond paste?  [don't have a sweet tooth so i don't bake, or make things that contain sugar save for almond paste and 99% pure chocolate.]. i've got 3 of these wooden cake moulds from Chaozhou, just to hang in my kitchen. 

    How lovely. :smile:

    I don't eat the lollipops that I make...or much of anything else in the confectionary end of life either. I just like to make these things: the process always seems so magical, and there are always places to give them away. And it makes such nice friends. :wub:

    Lollipops & Suckers

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I suspect that royal icing decorations would probably work.  They harden nicely.

    Thanks. I've never made royal icing, and in fact, don't really even know what it is. But I shall learn. :wink:

    Thanks again. You always do come through with an answer.... :smile:

    Lollipops & Suckers

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Question: does anyone know how to make whatever is used to decorate hard candy lollipops? :huh:

    I know you can buy little ready-made doodads which you can stick onto a cookie, cake, or even a lollipop which is not too set. The little Christmas ones I bought today, Betty Crocker, are made of :sugar, egg white solids, vinegar, sodium benzoate and colorings. They can withstand the hot temperatures and won't mush if you touch them as will the various prepared icings and gels in a tube.

    I would like to know if there is a way for me to make some stuff to add decorations to my hard candy lollies. (Moab has very few doodads for sale. Moab is NOT a place to buy anything. In fact, Moab does not have a Wal-Marts.) Maybe even write on a name.

    I have tried to Google this in every which way with no results. :sad:

    Thanks. :wub:

    Favorite Molds

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by Darienne (log)

    Probably not many of you make hard candy lollipops, but if you do, you might be interested in this website which I found by accident.

    www.lollipopmolds.com

    The molds consist of a strip of metal which you place on a marble (or whatever) base, add the little clip, insert the stick and then pour the molten mixture into. The lollies are flat on both sides, but have a lovely simplicity to them. So far I have used only the small round, but was entranced by the results...but then I love to hold the candy up to the light to see the colors shine...so what can I say? Also the lollies are easy to write names on, add features, etc.

    Oh, the sets are $7 for 10 molds. And today I am ordering some different sets: Christmas, Easter, Animal, Shamrock, etc...

    (I don't have my scanner with me so I can't send any graphic stuff and I didn't take photos before I gave away yesterday's goodies.)

    Gianduja: The Topic

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by Darienne (log)

    Maybe I missed completely what you were asking, but I thought you wanted to make gianduja right? WHy didnt you order some pure hazelnut paste instead then you can make the gianduja the way you want, If I had a commercial grade food processor or a "raffinatrice" to grind the hazelnuts to a paste I wou;d make my own but for  now I get the hazelnut paste then you can make gianduja with different chocolates etc.

    Dear Desiderio,

    You did not miss the point at all. :smile: I did intend to make it from scratch. But then time passed and other difficulties intervened :sad: ...as difficulties in life will...and the project was derailed. And then someone suggested that I simply order it. And I did.

    I will follow your advice next time and order the hazelnut paste. And then mix it with 70% dark, my favorite.

    Thanks again for your advice. As you can see, you were totally on track. I simply switched tracks. :blink:

    Edited to correct typos. 'detrailed' might even be a useful word....

    Gianduja: The Topic

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Isn't it lovely stuff.  I find myself nibbling on it every time I take it out to work with. 

    You can heat it slightly with your heat gun while beating it in the mixer, lighten it up to a fluffy texture and pipe it in little swirls on top of a chocolate disc then dip part way up.  Or immerse the swirls in a sugar solution for a crystalline finish.  It's in one of JP Wybauw's books.

    Nice also mixed with rice crisps.

    thanks, Kerry. :smile:

    Tim Hortons

    in Ready to Eat

    Posted

    Just found this thread and could not resist writing. Tim Horton's is owned by an American company and isn't even 'Canadian' anymore.

    I loathe their coffee and wonder why anyone eats their muffins at all. BUT they do have clean washrooms. :rolleyes:

    Gianduja: The Topic

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by Darienne (log)

    Thanks for the information Desiderio.  I still think I will give it a try.  Stubborn and I just want to. :biggrin:

    Not all that stubborn in the end.

    Finally gave in and bought some Cacao Barry Gianduja and it just arrived today. Delicious. :wub::wub::wub: Omigod and I don't even like milk chocolate. I will have to hide it from myself or I'll never make anything from it...I'll simply eat it all!

    Now that I have fallen in love all over again...what should I make with it? :huh:

    Christmas Chocolates, what are you making?

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I'll often make some eggnog chocolates - so a dark chocolate cup with an eggnog filling, topped with white chocolate and some grated nutmeg. 

    Hi Kerry. Just to make sure...do you mean an eggnog cream filling?

    My own plans are very unsophisticated. Besides the dipped ginger and orange peels, I am making turtles with two Moab friends.

    Then I have committed to making hard candy lollies for the underprivileged children's party.

    Thanks to eG members's help, I have started the lollipops and am holding off on the turtles for a couple more weeks. :wub:

    Mistakes in the Chocolate/Candy Lab

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Wow! :wacko: That's three people with tooth injuries on candy. It might be interesting to see just how many folks have broken/damaged teeth on this list. :blink: Only kidding.

    I never thought of it as a work related accident, but I am sure our insurance covers only fire and theft. I'll just have to check. At least we can deduct it on the health part of our income taxes. :smile:

    Lollipops & Suckers

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I guess I would rather look foolish asking a question...than apologizing later for getting it wrong.

    It's OK to start making hard candy lollipops for Christmas now, isn't it?

    Thanks.   :rolleyes:

    Yep - I always make my hard candy anytime from late November and it's fine. Just store airtight.

    Thanks Kim. :wub: The lollies are to be my contribution to a local attempt to provide a Christmas for folks in difficult times.

    I made the first ones today and had such fun! I love looking at the light through the colored candy. Never grow too old for some stuff.

    Mistakes in the Chocolate/Candy Lab

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Last week I tried Andie's recipe for candying orange peel in the microwave. DH, Ed helped me with the peel cutting process and into the microwave they went.

    They didn't seem to be ‘quite’ done enough in the alloted cookings and so I cooked them a few extra times, as Andie suggests.

    All went well, until a visitor came and I stopped paying strict attention to what I was doing. I forgot to check and stir them before the last cooking. All the water had evaporated and I was left with a hardened sticky mass and orange peels with the texture of car tires.

    They tasted wonderful... but I broke an already damaged and much 'babied' bicuspid testing a piece and had to have emergency dental surgery the next day with a dentist I had never even met before. And I won't describe it. My jaw still aches...but I am getting much better.

    I made a second batch of microwave candied orange peel this week. It turned out just fine, thank you. :blink:

    Troubleshooting Caramels

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Turtles are a favorite with everyone and so I thought I would make some to give away at Christmas time.

    What I need to know is how long before December 22 or 23 I can safely make them. I'll use Kerry Beal's caramel recipe made with whipping cream and Guittard milk chocolate to top that. Then pack them in between sheets of waxed paper in air-tight containers.

    A local lady is selling the most amazing Florida pecans to raise money for a local charity and I have fallen in love again with the pecan.

    All advice welcomed. :smile::smile:

    Brussels Sprouts

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Just saw this thread for the first time...

    We actually had Brussels Sprouts for lunch. Life without them...aarrrgghhh I cannot imagine.

    My favorite dish is simply boiled Sprouts mixed with boiled sweet potatoes, topped with Olive oil and Lemon juice dressing complete with chopped garlic and sesame seeds. My DH always tops his with a curry sauce of some kind or other, usually with peanuts in it.

    I once thanked my Mother for introducing me to Brussels Sprouts when I was young. She said...You never ate them in MY house. Poor Mother. :sad:

    Mistakes in the Chocolate/Candy Lab

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by Darienne (log)

    I am beginning to feel SOOOO much better after reading this thread. Thank you all. :biggrin::biggrin:

    I have had one disaster after another since working at this in Moab, but then my plan was to try all the basic candies I had never made, and which my confectionary partner, Barb, has been making since being a little girl at her Mother's knee yadda yadda.

    I think it's called schadenfreude when you get pleasure from others' distress! :raz: Not my nicer side....

    English Toffee

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Having just finished making 2000 pounds of "English toffee", I'll jump in here.  My version is the crunchy, brittle type covered with dark chocolate and dry roasted chopped almonds.

    In answer to what went wrong.  Wrong size pan that you already figured out.  You probably should have just halved the recipe.  The crucial step is dissolving the sugar completely before starting the cook.  I start out on low heat and let the sugar dissolve, then turn it up and stir the whole time.  I cook it until I get a puff of smoke, stir it down and wait for the second puff.  It is around 300 degrees.  When it is poured out, I spread it with an offset spatula to the thickness I want.  Some people don't touch it after pouring it, but that makes it too thick for me.  I cover a sheet pan with the almonds, so that a very thick layer sticks to the back of the toffee.  When the candy is just starting to cool, I throw a handful of callets on top and when they are shiny, I spread out and cover with more nuts.  I don't want tempered chocolate on the toffee because when it contracts, it lifts off the toffee.  If you want to dip completely in chocolate, pour out on parchment, score when cooling, break apart and dip when cool.  You can roll in chopped nuts.  You can also put raw nuts into the batch when cooking, but I prefer the other method-just my way of doing it.

    Great post. I am going to do just that but with pecans. I have lots of pecans. We just can't get them like this back in the northeast.

    Thanks, Chocolot. :smile:

    Mistakes in the Chocolate/Candy Lab

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    As a rank beginner, I have had so many 'learning experiences' that it's hard to know which one to relate.

    Still I guess the dumbest one was when I was making a peanut brittle and I had the syrup cooking on the stove. I had to take it to 300 F and there I was cooking it and cooking it and it wasn't getting anywhere near 300 degrees and then it started to burn and blacken and I finally realized that my thermometer was set on Celcius and not Fahrenheit, and I had this blackened mass stuck to my pot to wash out.

    ...but that's only one story... :raz:

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