curls

strawberry tart Pastry base, almond frangipane, vanilla pastry cream, strawberries, and whipped cream. Definitely out of practice with plating / presentation.

Perhaps ask your rep for some samples…. Let us know if the taste is similar to the Felchlin you usually use.

Beautiful nougat! Delicious sounding combination of inclusions! Thrilled to start you on your nougat journey. Start thinking about fun stuff to try at next year’s workshop. 😉

Have you tried Maria cookies? They might have the taste & texture you are looking for. https://shop.goya.com/products/goya-maria-cookies?srsltid=AfmBOoodb0ADgeQ5hsGLgjd9sj30gbM5GvtwxjOmWUYKMCfk_UMj28FH

Ditto on the pan set. I have only used the griddle. It is great when cooking for 1-2 people. I like it when I want to cook something that won't fit well in an 8" skillet but is too small to bring out and clean my two burner cast iron griddle/grill pan. Great for a small batch of pancakes, steak & eggs, etc.. Would also work very well in a hotel.

It is strawberry season!

Just saw this video… didn’t know that so many companies were making Dubai chocolate items! May still be time to add your own version to the mix.

The report for the 2025 Chocolate & Confectionery Workshop: A huge thank you to all the sponsors, planners, and participants!

Thank you for asking about that piece. I only picked up one piece and wondered who made it, very tasty. Thought it might have been a sugar lamination piece... we've had a few attempts at this at various workshops. I think we got a recipe from Mark Heim and one from Rebecca Millican. Would be great to know which recipe was used - wish I had seen it being made.

(hugs)

@Shelby delicious meals & gorgeous peonies! So glad that this year’s visit from your Mom included air conditioning and better weather. I find that the house is so much quieter the day after company leaves — I also don’t enjoy that first super quiet no guests breakfast. Probably a sign of a great visit… otherwise I’d be thrilled that the visit is over. 😄

Beautiful strawberries! Which farm did you get them from?

BBQ dinner at Stiles Switch. Yum!

People are starting to arrive in Texas! @Chocolot @Kerry Beal @Alleguede and many others arrived earlier this week and have been preparing for the workshop!

Trying out a new recipe for a sourdough discard sandwich loaf.

Picked up a 6 tray Nesco food dehydrator at the local Habitat ReStore for $10 (it even came with the manual). Plugged it in and it appears to work! Also found this basket for $2 possibly silver plated.

I 2nd the recommendation for Corriher’s “Bakewise” and also recommend Rose Levy Beranbaum‘s “The Cake Bible”.

It looks good despite your oven issues. How was the interior? How do you like it?

This is great news! Hoping this means that it will soon be possible to order the accessories!

The USA made corningware can be used over direct heat. I have a skillet and a pot that I use on my gas stove. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyroceram

Heading to see "Book of Mormom" we saw this interesting building that was set up to look like a stack of Louis Vuitton luggage. https://www.archpaper.com/2024/10/louis-vuitton-new-york-flagship-luxury-luggage/ Walked by a few of the department stores to see their holiday displays. Really liked the mosaic tile signs that are in some of the subway stations. Only took a picture of one of them but there were so many interesting designs and architectural details. Paid our respects at the World Trade Center memorial. Saw this set of sculpture installations near the WTC memorial. https://lovethelast.com/ Had a few other meals that were pretty good but definitely not worth a return visit or photos. Looking forward to another trip and perhaps including visits to Brooklyn and Williamsburg.

Wasn't with a group that understood taking food pictures! Trust me, it was a spectacular chocolate egg cream. 🙂

Took a tour boat and saw the Statue of Liberty. Yes, I know about the free Staten Island Ferry and had planned to take it but others in my group were tricked into buying tour boat tickets. Oh well, it was still a beautiful day to be out on the water. We took a fun scooter tour of Central Park. This turned out to be my nephews favorite part of the trip. Saw a couple getting married. I suspect that her dress got terribly dirty. Another visit to the Tin Building, this time for dinner at Frenchman's Dough. https://www.tinbuilding.com/restaurants-and-bars/ and the basque cheesecake for dessert!

So glad that I went for the chopped liver! (Don't let my mom and aunt know but this chopped liver was as good as their versions!) Of course the bagel and nova were also delicious. Not pictured, a chocolate egg cream.

Thank you @ElsieD and @rotuts. More will be posted tomorrow. 🙂