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Darienne

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Posts posted by Darienne

    Favorite Molds

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    This is perhaps one of the most enjoyable reasons why I work with chocolate. I learned how to make molds quite awhile ago. Knowing how and liking the process, has allowed me to make different mold from others, and that has kept my items unique to me.

    I recently bought a Valentine mold that Barton's used. You can see it on my blog: www.chocolatesandthings.blogspot.com. If you scroll down, you can see the items that will be duplicated and put into the vacu-former for production at Valentine's.

    There are original sculptures that Steven Geising made for me that are not up yet. I have cast them in chocolate, and no one wanted to eat them. They can be too nice, and that thwarts your idea of a great looking chocolate that you want someone to enjoy eating!

    Because of the Hydroshrink and the Hydrospan products on the market, I am taking puffy heart charms and casting them, enlarging them many, many times, and using them for the Valentine's crunch as well.

    I think my favorite molds will always be my own, cause I can also make them the size I need for the chocolate I have planned. I hate them being too small. I hope to post the process of developing molds for chocolate making in the next few months.

    Welcome to eG, Nawtees and thanks for your post on molds. I am really looking forward to learning more about these mold making processes you use.

    Beaver Pudding

    in Cooking

    Posted

    When I was a little kid, my Mother used to make what she called Beaver Pudding, a tomato and cheese souffle. It had eggs, which were separated and bread crumbs too. I loved it. She never gave me the recipe and I have never found a recipe called Beaver Pudding online.

    Has anyone ever heard of this recipe? Does anyone have an excellent tomato and cheese souffle dish? :huh:

    Cheap homemade chocolate melter

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    I cleaned out my garage today and came across a melter I made several years ago and thought someone might be interested in seeing it.

    I am trying not to get too excited as you directed, but I think I might show this one to Ed, my DH, who can build anything. Thanks for telling us about it. :smile:

    Favorite Molds

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    A magnetic mold is in two pieces that snap together with magnets – it's specifically for using texture or transfer sheets. There's a demo with photos here.

    Thanks emmalish. One more answer to one more question. I downloaded the demo and will look it over more carefully to try to understand the whole process.

    Favorite Molds

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    On Tammy's topic, my least favorite with respect to bubbles are the flat top  pyramids and kugelhopfs (the worst!).  Cherry after that.

    Thanks ejw. I found the kugelhopfs and the cherry and ruled them out. As I read the replies and go back and look at the websites again, my mind is becoming a tad clearer as I realize that partner and I would like to start with a mold which can be used with both sides up, like a snobinette.

    Questions: as long as I am being a nuisance and asking questions:

    -why do confectioners either use or not use the silicone molds?

    - what exactly is 'magnetic' about magnetic molds?

    Favorite Molds

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    JB Prince has good prices on basic molds - many of theirs are $20 each.

    Thank you so much!!!

    I am indebted to you for directing me towards specific molds at a specific company. You are a doll! :wub: Just what I needed in the midst of my confusion. I know in time it will all become clear, but just now it is overwhelming.

    I looked at the molds and thought that they or some of the other ones in this catalog might well do. Have to start somewhere.

    Thanks again. :smile:

    Favorite Molds

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by Darienne (log)

    [i've only worked with molds once, but when I did I was glad I had more than one that I could fill with ganache, as even cut in half, the recipe I made filled two molds easily (I think I ended up with 2 and a half-ish). So I would definitely say at least two that could be filled... or is that just me?

    Thanks. That's a good point. So make that two molds times two.

    So, if you had only two of only two molds which ones from which distributor would be the most useful?

    Favorite Molds

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by Darienne (log)

    We are in Utah until early January with a lot of chocolate couverture coming on Tuesday and I still own no polycarbonate molds.

    I have just spent more than an hour looking through the dizzying world of chocolate molds getting more and more confused and less and less directed. :blink:

    I would like to buy just three polycarbonate molds to start and have them sent here. If you could have only three to begin with, what would you get and from which company? One pallet, and one or two not to elaborate molds which could be filled with creams, etc. Or a bar type. I have a polycarbonate 3D bunny and a lot of hobby molds which predate my eG days, but it is way past time to get serious about the mold buying.

    Some direction please? :blink:

    Chocolate syrup meets frozen yoghurt

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Use cocoa powder.  :raz:

    Seriously -- the cocoa butter in the bittersweet chocolate is what's making your ganache-type sauce harden up in the fridge and on the frozen yogurt.  A sauce that uses cocoa powder rather than bittersweet chocolate has way less cocoa butter to harden up.

    Gotcha :rolleyes: and thanks. Another learning lesson. Of course. It might explain why there are no recipes for syrup calling for 'chocolate' per se.

    Chocolate syrup meets frozen yoghurt

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    This is for my DH who loves chocolate syrup on frozen yoghurt. In the olden days I used to make syrup with cocoa, but now the boss would like his syrup made with real bittersweet chocolate. Fine. But so far my attempts at chocolate sauce have ended up hardening when it meets the cold frozen yoghurt. And of course, it hardens when put into the fridge. Then it has to be rewarmed...but still hardens on the cold dessert. I don't mind the hardening, but Ed does.

    How does one make a chocolate syrup which is thick and rich and chocolately enough, and still it stays in a semi-liquid form when it meets the cold frozen yoghurt?

    Chocolate Confection Class

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Can someone remind me what frappe is (from the strawberry buttercream recipe)? i have a bunch of cream leftover from miscalculating my weekends production, and thought i might use it for some experimentation...

    Greweling has a recipe for frappe and it doesn't take cream at all: dry albumen, cold water, glucose syrup and invert sugar...and I don't know what it is either. :wacko:

    Salty Snacks

    in Ready to Eat

    Posted

    I'm thinking they'd be great with pretzels instead of tostitos, too! 

    I don't know about the anchovie part of it... :hmmm:...but I do love those big preztel rods....coated in caramel...and then dipped in chocolate. Now that's a snack!

    Starbucks carries them and so does another candy store near where we live in Canada, but you can't beat making them yourself!

    Salty Snacks

    in Ready to Eat

    Posted

    Do you have proportions you wouldn't mind sharing? 

    I want to try making it for my co-workers.  Do you have to serve them hot, or can you let them cool overnight?

    Here's the actual recipe given to me by one of the women:

    Ingredients:

    1 20 oz. bag small round Tostitos

    ½ cup butter

    ½ cup corn syrup

    ½ cup granulated sugar

    2 Tablespoons soy sauce

    2-3 Tablespoons black sesame seeds

    Cooking Instructions:

    Melt butter on low heat and then add sugar, syrup, soy sauce, and sesame seeds and mix until the sugar is dissolved.

    Place ½ the Tostitos in large bowl, add ½ the syrup mixture and slowly mix thoroughly, trying not to break chips. Put into a large greased pan. Repeat with the remaining Tostitos and mix well.

    Bake in 250 degree oven for 1 hour. Mix every 15 minutes (do this or your snacks will stick into one big clump.)

    Turn out the chips onto a large surface and try to separate as many as you can during that short period between burning your fingers and the time the chips are too cool to separate. As soon as they no longer stick to each other, store them in an air-tight container...if they last long enough for storing them at all.

    Add shredded nori (seaweed) or rice seasoning for different flavors.

    Salty Snacks

    in Ready to Eat

    Posted

    I don't know if I am allowed to add a salty snack which starts with a corn chip and then you add stuff. It's called Tostitos Kakimochi and it's a North American version of a Japanese snack. It was first served to us by a group of Canadian-Japanese folks who were taking a workshop from my husband and me.

    You start with small round Tostitos and add a syrup of sugar, corn syrup, soy sauce, butter, black sesame seeds and Japanese nori. Yummy. Bake in the oven.

    I made a huge bowl for a Pot Luck event today and they were all gone before I knew it. I put out lots of copies of the recipe and they were all taken too. You definitely cannot eat just one.

    Good Price on Chocolate

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Kerry's Buttercrunch. Yummmm...

    I see that the RecipeGullet is still not back up. Is there any chance that a kind soul will give me the buttercrunch recipe? Suddenly I have this urge for buttercrunch dipped in chocolate.

    Thanks. :raz: (That's supposed to indicate 'yummy')

    Chocolate Confection Class

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted · Edited by Darienne (log)

    Although I cannot go far afield for confectionary classes, I am hoping to take some classes from Kerry Beal when we return to Ontario in January.

    I too would like the buttercream recipe. Invert sugar is not hard to make and it keeps a very long time.

    Good Price on Chocolate

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    It's in the eGCI and should be in recipeGullet as well (but it seems to be down right now).  Just search for buttercrunch - I don't think it's called 'Kerry's buttercrunch'.

    The Recipe section should be back in operation soon and I'll get it then. Thanks. And thanks for always helping me navigate this amazing organization.

    Chocolate & confectionary Books

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted · Edited by Darienne (log)

    We like it because you can make some smooth, professional-like good tasting ganaches at home.   The Schotts book has fallen out of favor for multiple reasons (sorry Andrew, if you're reading this).

    I agree that the Greweling book is top notch and I am currently waiting to get the Wybauw book through the local ILL to see if it warrants my spending additional money right now. (I should add that I am a novice and feel I should learn as much as I can from my current books before indulging in buying others.)

    However, I am very curious to know why Schotts is out of favor. His is the first chocolate book I ever bought and although I prefer others to it, I would still like to know why he has slipped in favor.

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