Darienne
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Posts posted by Darienne
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Hello all,
No one has mentioned Astuces in their answers. I googled it and almost all of the listings were in French...or pointed me back to this topic.
OK. Please. What is an Astuce(s)?
Thanks. Always learning...learning....learning....
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Hi Everyone
I'm starting to make my holiday candy and last night I made English Toffee
well now it's a mass of sugar and alomonds with the consistency of brown sugar. Rena
Hi Rena,
I read your message and smiled broadly. I can't help you at all, but I can identify closely with your problem. My lovely Pecan Brittle is now sauce for ice cream or frozen yoghurt. Best of luck to you and Happy Holidays.
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I would think that a recipe with cream was meant to be a chewy candy, aren't hard toffees usually just sugar, butter, and nuts?
There are a number of brittles with cream as an ingredient.
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I would opt for Kerry's suggestion of turning this batch into ice-cream sauce, with that I do not think you can fail to get something tasty and useful out of it.
I think Fern has a good point about the altitude adjustment. I have no experience of altitude cooking but the emphasis always seems to be on the effect on boiling water temperatures. A caramel at high temperatures has very little water left in it so this must have some impact on the corrections. So if for example cooking oil heats at altitude to the same temperatures as at sea level then I would say the altitiude correction could have been the problem.
Next time could you double check doneness with the drop of caramel syrup in ice cold water method?
I admire your determination!!
Somehow I missed the ice cream sauce post from Kerry, but I think that's the one. It is so delicious and we have folks coming for lunch tomorrow. Thanks Kerry.
I think that you and Fern may well have some excellent ideas about the altitude and the obvious lack of water in the mixture as the thermometer climbs. I will try the drop in ice cold water next time for sure. So much to learn always and so many folks out there to teach it. I am so grateful.
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I wonder if this correction for altitude remains valid as the target temperature gets higher and higher. My understanding of the physical chemistry is that an adjustment is necessary to compensate for the fact that water boils at a lower temperature as the altitude increases. Could it be that there are other processes occurring in the cooking candy that are not subject to the same correction and may weigh more heavily in the results when the target temp is farther away from the boiling point? I'm just speculating, though I'm sure there are food scientists who would have detailed answers. If I was significantly above sea level myself, I would research this more....
Fern
Interesting point. Out of my league at present seeing as my stay in this altitude is so recent and I am mathematically challenged.
To return to an earlier point....I did put a piece of the chewy stuff in the microwave for 2 30 second periods. It melted completely but that was all. I could retry the stuff for additional periods to see what happens. You can make brittle in a microwave very easily.
However, following an earlier thread in which I managed to cook caramels too long and they ended up crunchy and following instructions I managed to return them to caramel stage...could I do this with the chewy 'brittle' which, while chewy, is really just too tough to coat with chocolate.
I should stop all of this and follow some recipes properly. -
Kettle Chips Sea Salt and Pepper. Yummy goodness.
Ditto here. Couldn't resist posting. You can leave pretty much anything out and available to me...except for good potato chips. Big downfall.
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Here is an interesting situation:
Ruth's recipe as printed on eG, thread 'Gobs of Pecans', gives the first temperature as 285*; the second after the addition of the butter is 270*. Her original recipe in Candymaking gives the two temperatures as 295* and then after the butter, 280*. I followed the 'Gobs of Pecan's temperatures. (Hey Ruth! We still adore you.
)So perhaps the first set would have been more appropriate. I still don't have those warning signals in my head. That will come with time. I hope.
Question: what about my idea of putting some in the microwave or oven or pot, reheating it? Is it too late because the pecans will burn? Or what? I guess I'll try it come hell or high water, even if I have to throw it all out.
Thanks.
(The editing was my trying and finally succeeding in using the italics mode)
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Also consider that the liquid where the butter was dropped would have been cooler than the surrounding liquid. Whenever I add butter to my caramel, I notice there are hot spots, so I mix thoroughly to get a more accurate reading.
I thought I mixed it well enough, but then...who knows. Something I did was incorrect. As I said to Kerry, I need a basic course. My partner, Barb, knows all the stuff but she is 2,500 miles away.
Thanks.
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I don't use the infrared on boiling syrups - I don't find it terribly reliable. I use the metal probe.
Silly question, but did you take it to the right temp (C vs F) - that's were I screw up most times.
I think a brittle needs to get to about 300 F or about 150 C.
I followed the recipe religiously. "Cook to 285 degrees (minus 8 degrees for being up at 4000' which makes it 277 degrees)" Both thermometers were in agreement. In fact, the glass thermometer was new...the old one being now in disgrace for inaccurate readings. Both perfect in the boiling water test.
What I really wanted to know was if the stuff is redeemable. Ruth suggested not. However, in true pig-headed amateur fashion, I am going to try reheating a bit in the microwave to see if I can turn it into brittle. As it is it is not useful to me in this state. It can't really be given away and that was the purpose behind making it. We can't keep the entire thing. Too dangerous. I could just heat it to warm and rip it apart and form it into some shape and dip it in chocolate.... I am torn.
What I REALLY need is a course in basic candymaking. I have printed out the 101 course. I mean a course WITH someone who can say...no, don't do that. Etc.
Thanks for the help.
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I needed to cut a small sample batch of ganache today, but didn't want to be bothered to pull out the guitar and clean it after. I had found this little cheese cutter at Value Village a month or so back, and decided to use it to cut my ganache.
Worked a treat - the wire goes right though the entire width of the cheese cutter, unlike the set up on some of the marble cheese cutters I have seen.
I think it cost me about $2.
O that is so good. So clever. I just love unexpected bargains like that. Good going. ...think my DH could put together something like that...
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Thanks for all the answers. I'll print them out and try at least one of them soon. You really are an incredible bunch of helpful folks.
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But Greweling does have butter ganaches that include liquid such as liqueurs or fruit juices, so I think a strong coffee extract or some Kahlua should be fine. If you can get Trablit coffee extract, it is very good and all natural, or instant espresso in a little water works too. If you want to add more than the 40 g or so of liquid called for, reduce the butter by that much - he says that butter and liquid flavorings count as liquifiers but liquid sweeteners do not. I'd try the basic ratios in the passion fruit honey or spiked eggnog ganache, and use some combination of Kahlua and extract instead of the passion fruit or rum.
Tammy's idea of putting whole beans in with butter to transfer flavor should also work with chocolate. I'm sure I've seen a recipe somewhere for a white coffee ice cream made by letting white chocolate and coffee beans sit together overnight.
Trablit: http://www.lepicerie.com/catalog/product_1...ee_Extract.html
Thanks for all the information. I did go to the website. Very nice, indeed.
I could try it in one of the ways you talk about. Thanks again.
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The other possibility could be that your thermometer probe moved. For example, I try to take the temp with the tip of the thermometer in the center of the post, in the center of the liquid. When I go to stir, I often set the thermometer on the side of the pot which means the tip is now resting on the hot metal of my pot. Is this possibly what happened? If so, then either your first or second reading may have been off. This is also why I really want an infrared thermometer for Christmas.
Now that is a distinct possibility, that the thermometer touched the bottom or side of the pot. I had taken out the metal probe, but perhaps I jarred the glass one.
I hope Santa brings you an infrared thermometer.
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The temperature should absolutely have dropped when you added the butter.
I think I've seen a probe thermometer that goes in one direction (up) and then, if the temperature drops suddenly, you have to turn it off and back on to get it to register the correct temp. Bizarre, I know... Maybe you have one like this?
I thought the temperature should have dropped, but it didn't. I will try it all again and perhaps this time, it will be apparent what I did wrong. And I will use all correct ingredients...no ginger syrup stuff.
My thermometers are just a simple glass candy one and one of those $25 metal probe attached to a little unit one. Nothing complicated.
My problem seems to be that I have no real idea of what I am aiming for, never having made any of this stuff before. My confectionary partner, back in Ontario, grew up cooking at her Mother's knee and I rely on her for that part of the learning experience.
Thanks for your thoughts.
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Sorry it didn't work for you. The butter has water, so it should have dropped the temp. Are you sure your thermometer is accurate? If it is not brittle, you didn't cook it to a high enough temperature. I think this time you are just going to have to rename it--not much you can do with it at this point. Were the nuts warm when you added them? I'm not sure what you mean "toffee like". If it is that brittle, you should be ok. If your idea of toffee is soft, then it is a different toffee than I am used to.
Yes, I was using two thermometers, one glass and one metal probe and they both were working.
Yes, the nuts were warm out of the oven. I was very careful.
When I said toffee...I meant chewy and pully. Soft. Not brittle. "Pecan Chews". There. Thanks.
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I had two cups of leftover syrup from candying ginger (Andie's recipe). Last time I had leftover syrup, I made little hard candies. No problem.
This time I decided to make a pecan brittle. Started to look in the books I have with me: Time-Life 1981, Ruth Kendrick's Candymaking, Candymaking for Dummies, Candy.com printouts, etc. Suddenly I was drowning in recipes. Butter: no butter. Whipping cream: no cream. 1/4 teaspoon soda: 1 whole teaspoon soda. And so on.
I decided to use Ruth's Pecan Brittle, keeping in mind that I was starting with a sugar syrup. All went well until I added the butter and the temperature did NOT drop. (It was supposed to drop and then you heated it back up.) I didn't know what to do. So I went to the 'add the nuts' step. Perhaps I should have cooled it and then put it back on the stove instead. Unlike many of you, I did not grow up learning to do anything at my Mother's knee and carried on from there in similar fashion until recently. This is all new to me.
The resulting confection is delicious in the extreme, but it is not brittle. It is still quite toffee like.
- can I somehow by reheating it in the oven or stove take it to brittle even with the pecans in it?
- should I soften it in the oven and roll it into balls and dip them in chocolate?
- would it have been more 'peanut brittle' like if I had added more soda? Ruth calls for 1/2 teaspoon. Less peanut brittle like with 1/4 teaspoon? .....right. I did make sponge toffee and it called for more soda....
Sorry, with no experience to fall back on, it can be very confusing to know what to do.
Just why are there SO MANY nut brittle/ crunch recipes? Is it on a par with so many, say, spaghetti sauce recipes?
Thanks
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i think the texture of a putting the grounds into the ganache would be rather off-putting. You could use espresso powder and mix it with a small amount of water - perhaps that would be enough to add the flavor without adding too much moisture to the ganache.
You could try just infusing the butter with coffee flavor by putting a stick of butter and some coffee beans/grounds in a closed container for a while. Butter is well known for picking up flavors, so that might work...
I think you are right about the grounds problem and the more I think about it, the more I suspect that there are no recipes for coffee butter ganache because it is a no go.
Thanks for trying. Greweling's raspberry bites are terrific with the nibs in it so I'll just stick to it and use a cream coffee ganache which works well...without nibs.
Thanks.
Oops. Did not see Kerry's reply. Right. No Lorann. Thanks.
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Chocolot, as noted in this forum, is starting a new chocolatier business and I have posted photos of her wonderful presentation boxes and ideas on another thread. Plus she has been so helpful to me in my efforts to master all this new 'stuff'.
Now the very good news is that Ruth has won 8 out of 10 medals presented this week at the Utah Chocolate Festival.
That should boost her visibility as a new player in the chocolate field. Congratulations, Chocolot!!!!!!!
You go, girl.
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I would like to include some of my caramelized cacao nibs (thanks Kerry) in a butter ganache which has a coffee flavor and don't know how to go about it without a recipe.
To keep the nibs crunchy, you need a butter ganache. Would I simply put the coffee grounds straight into a butter ganache? Or make some sort of liquidless...or essential liquidless?... paste of the coffee grounds?
Greweling has no coffee butter ganache and Wybauw has had to go back to where he came from, so I am asking for some aid.
Thanks.
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A: Ms. Chocolot won 8 out of 10 medals!
That's who. Congratulations Chocolot!!!
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Which, if you are doing a small batch by hand, means that you need at least three hands to hold the bowl, stir, and pour all at the same time.
I think I should have had more hands. Thanks for the explanation.
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How expensive...ballpark...is expensive? And just how do you use this thermometer? Hold it just above the bubbling syrup? Does it have some kind of grip on it?
Thanks.
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Just made my very first butter ganache...Greweling's Raspberry Bites...except that I skipped the milk chocolate and also added caramelized chocolate nibs. The exercise was mainly to use the nibs. All seemed to go well. It's sitting waiting for me to temper some more chocolate for pre-coating, etc. (Remember this time not to temper the precoating chocolate)
My question is: what does Greweling mean exactly when he says 'stream' the one ingredient into another. How does one 'stream' a little bit of Framboise into a bowl of chocolate, butter and jam?
Thanks.
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I don't see any. It comes out a very thick pourable liquid, but dries as a crunchy toffee-esque.
Thanks.
Making Chocolate Bars
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
Thank you.