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@liamsaunt thank you for journaling your vacation. Always great to see the Cape, sunsets, ice cream, seafood, etc.. Yes, I too would be tempted by those whales. Safe travels home. Looking forward to your next vacation.

How easy is it to climb the tree? Wondering if the lychee fruit higher up is harvested by humans or birds and other critters.

Gorgeous picture and landscape! Are you planning to enjoy some of the geothermal pools/springs?

Good to see you here again. Hoping that things are getting better and more manageable. Looking forward to seeing you on the confection topics.

Yes over four times as good! Back in the before times I would pick them up when they were on sale. Williams Sonoma would do certain color combos for various holidays and those that didn’t sell by the holiday usually went for 25 to 50% off.

Best Jordan almonds that I have had are the ones from France that Williams Sonoma carries. The candy shell is thin and the almonds have always been fresh. A bit of a splurge but they have spoiled me and I no longer like the US standard Jordan almonds. https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/medicis-candied-almonds/

Sorry about the crazy delivery but at least you got pistachio oil for free (sad about the door damage). Those gelatos and sorbet look delicious. I hope you attemp the strawberry sorbet again either without dextrose or with some new dextrose. I’m still resisting a pacojet or creami purchase but you are making it tough. 😉

Perhaps a gianduja instead of ganache? So just nut paste and chocolate. You can add a hazelnut praline to it as well.

Anova is running a Father's Day sale -- additional 20% off site wide. This does not include the Precision Oven but the code, DAD20, does work for their new chamber vacuum sealer. https://anovaculinary.com/

@Kim Shook not sure if you have been following and/or cooking from the Vivian Howard's "Deep Run Roots" and "This Will Make it Taste Good" topics but she has two newish restaurants in Charleston that are getting good reviews. Perhaps you can check out (and take pictures) at Lenoir (https://www.dineatlenoir.com/) and Handy & Hot (https://www.handyandhot.com/)! Lenoir appears to be serving dinner and probably requires reservations. Handy & Hot is open for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks. Here are links to the eGullet Vivian Howard topics: - https://forums.egullet.org/topic/153816-deep-run-roots-by-vivian-howard/ - https://forums.egullet.org/topic/154028-cooking-with-deep-run-roots-by-vivian-howard/ - https://forums.egullet.org/topic/161585-cooking-with-this-will-make-it-taste-good-by-vivian-howard/

I was going to recommend Hominy Grill but they closed. Wish I had some current recommendations. Hope you have a wonderful trip. Really enjoyed the food, architecture, and gardens when I was in Charleston a few years ago.

Happy Anniversary! Wishing you wonderful weather & beautiful sunsets. Thank you for all the photos.

Hmmm... tried to order and got a message that there are no shipping methods available. Tried their phone number and it did not go thru. I submitted an email/query thru their "contact us" link -- we'll see if I get a reply. Perhaps they have stopped selling in the US and haven't closed out their website. If you see them on sale again, please let me know.

Yes, I checked Gygi too and didn't see them there. I did see them on the Croquade US website for $160.

@Kerry BealI went down those rabbit holes -- enjoyed re-reading about your chocolate show trips to Paris and Belgium. It all seems so long ago that you were jet'ing about from trade show to trade show. Also, now you have reminded me of that Belgian chocolate melter, La Chocolatiere. Do you and @patris still recommend the melter? If so, I think I'll try to get one -- would be nice to have another 3 Kg melter.

We are having some repairs and renovations done in our bathrooms and the cost is much more than it would have been pre-pandemic. Also, issues getting some plumbing fixtures, things that used to be in stock, may now take a month or two to be available. Here’s hoping that prices go back down again! This work had to be done so we are paying the price but it was eye opening when the estimates started to come in. Your kitchen looks great! I wish you many years of happy cooking and baking. 🙂

Last visit I picked up their frozen corn & cheese arepas. Not as good as I have had in Miami but I do like them. Wasn’t able to find the Taiwanese pancakes or Amarena cherries but will look again next time. I’m concerned that the cherries have been discontinued — hoping they are a seasonal item and will reappear.

I've made it with freeze dried raspberries and used it to frost an almond cake. Really liked the taste and texture. At some point I'll post a picture to the baking topic.

Not sure what look you are going for or how long the cake will sit at room temperature but I really like Stella Park’s whipped cream with freeze dried fruit as a frosting. How about raspberry whipped cream? https://www.seriouseats.com/super-thick-fruity-whipped-cream-recipe

I haven't tried Paris Baguette but I suspect they have good pastries. Haven't been in years but the above mentioned Pastries by Randolph was great (and may still be) and the same goes for Heidelberg Bakery in Arlington. A good bakery that I have been to recently is The Swiss Bakery and Pastry Shop in Springfield. If you are looking for cakes, Victoria's Cakery in Fairfax is very good (parking is sometimes an issue). You could also pick up pastries from the local Wegmans, Whole Foods, or Trader Joe's.

I have this book and Janet’s dessert cookbook. So far I have made one recipe from each book (Italian beef and cheesecake) and both recipes were delicious. I need to make more from each book and this topic is inspiring me. A topic for her dessert cookbook would be nice.

https://anovaculinary.com/anova-precision-chamber-vacuum-sealer/ I like the size and weight (18.7 pounds) of this chamber sealer. Something that doesn't have to be on a dedicated shelf or counter and can be put away between uses. Still may not get this - my FoodSaver edge sealer does the job for almost everything that I need but I am tempted. 😉

Just chocolate or lots of colored cocoa butter? I don't spray colored cocoa butter so I save all the chocolate shavings from cleaning my polycarbonate moulds and put them in a container to be used for our personal hot chocolates. Too many possible cross contaminates in my chocolate (mostly peanut butter, nuts, gluten) for me to offer these chocolate shavings for sale. I keep track of it while making the chocolates but sometimes it is a bit before I set aside a day to get out the dirty moulds, parchment paper, gloves, and scraper. It actually doesn't take that long -- tempered chocolate is very willing to separate from the moulds. Since the chocolate shavings are for personal use I have no qualms mixing dark chocolate, milk chocolate, hazelnut chocolate, etc..

What kind of a cake are you baking? How about making a layer cake and using the dulce de leche for the frosting layers. Or search for a caramel frosting recipe and use that.

How do you cook the TJs pancakes? I've yet to get the ones that I have cooked to look like yours. They are very tasty but I have yet to achieve a flaky onion pancake. I'm heating in a skillet.