curls

Thank you so much Anna N for bringing this thread back to life (pun intended); I had missed it when it was started. It is bittersweet to read all of your stories and you have prompted me to travel down my own food related memories based in the kitchens of my Omas and my mother. Thank goodness my parents are still with me but they are starting to have some health related close calls. Lots to think about and much to hope for as we all head towards our inevitable end of life. I read an excellent book that is somewhat relevant to this topic, "Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End" by Atul Gawande.

You could make some very interesting moulded bon bons with that technique! No tape needed and some detailed designs.

Any kamado cooks planned for the weekend? Since it is a holiday weekend in the States, I am hoping to do a few cooks. Possible options are hot dogs & hamburgers, steak & chicken fajitas, and steaks. Sides will most likely be done in the kitchen. A few weekends ago I did a low and slow cook for some ribs. I was happy with how they turned out but would have cooked then an hour or so longer if I hadn't needed to clean up and go to sleep. Sometime soon, I hope to do some dutch oven cooking in the kamado. I'll probably start with a chili and work my way up to fish stew and the like.

I always thought it was a dogwood blossom. Now I’m curious and may do some research. @Kerry Beal the pictured turkish delight looks softer than the pieces I tried at the workshop — is your version similar to the texture of commercial turkish delight? Did you flavor it?

Well hopefully @chefmd will join us at our 2019 St. Louis workshop and we can encourage her to do even more with chocolates and confections. And I’ll see if I can get her to come over to my place to take care of chocolate decorations.

Sounds like the perfect time to work on popsicles, sorbets, and ice cream. I just turn down the AC when I want to make chocolates but it's no fun trying to deliver chocolates in the summer. Easy to travel with frozen desserts -- pack them with dry ice.

Yes, that was the Greweling recipe for sesame squares. I found it very easy to cut with a knife but the knife I used was sharpened by @MelissaH and @CRChemist.

And @chefmd was a great help when it was time to decorate my sesame squares.

Prep for tonight’s dinner at Niagara College!

Chocolate bar with freeze dried neopolitan ice cream (from Kerry’s freeze drier). mustard & tarragon ganache decorated with mustard seeds

I managed to get a raspberry croissant this morning— it was even better than I thought it would be and I had high expectations. :-)

Breakfast with amazingly delicious pastries by @Alleguede. I’m hoping to get one of his raspberry croissants before the end of the workshop. Some of the ingredients and candids from the master class. Lunch

I wish you and @Chocolot were here this year — you are both missed. Ruth the bar was filled with a mint meltaway layer. I credit the gorgeous shine on the bars to our talented participants and the EZtemper.

That is a peanut butter & jelly bar that will be enrobed tomorrow. A few of us sampled it — very tasty!

Candy bar class coming up — some of the set up.

Dinner and a bit of Lake Ontario.

I enjoyed lunch at Falafel Bar, a restaurant recommended by @Kerry Beal and @patris. Delicious fried cauliflower and some cigars — ground beef in phyllo with two sauces (a super spicy harissa and a tahini based dip). Followed by some sightseeing at Lee Valley. Hoping they open some stores in the US.

Today’s events a bean to bar talk at Tomric by Brian Donaghy and shopping at Tomric. I think everyone left with a least a few moulds. :-) Everyone who placed a bowl order with @patris, welcomed her arrival at Tomric. The bowls are even more beautiful in person — beautiful colors, with just the right weight and balance! I’m looking forward to using mine. I think a few folks captured photos of the bowl delivery — hopefully they’ll post later.

@Kerry Beal for those going to Tomirc Thursday that are leaving from the workshop hotel, what time do you think we should leave the hotel to get there on time? 10:30 am at Tomiric, correct?

I’m planning to be there Thursday. Definitely a yes for Tomric not sure about dinner — have some sightseeing I would like to do & that is my one day to do it.

Ruth it won’t be the same without you. So sorry you won’t be able to come. Hope you feel better soon!

For those newly joining us, the veterans, and the curious about the great Niagara on the Lake Chocolates & Confections Workshops here are the links (AKA rabbit holes) to our past reports (not going to try to track down the other reports -- I'll leave that as an exercise for someone else). 2018 report coming soon! 2009 Report: eG Chocolate and Confectionery Conference Niagara on the Lake, the 1st conference 2010 Gaithersburg, Maryland 2011 Report: eG Chocolate and Confectionery Conference Niagara on the Lake 2012 Woodbridge, Virginia 2013 Report: eG Chocolate and Confectionery Workshop Niagara on the Lake 2014 Las Vegas 2015 Vienna, Virginia 2016 Toronto 2017 Las Vegas 2018 Niagara on the Lake the 10th conference 2019 in St Louis

If people are willing to drive there are some close'ish places that Kerry & Anna have gone to that look good... Kerry I think all of these are within an hour of the hotel but don't know how large a group they can accommodate. - Grimsby Thai and in Hamilton: - Lemongrass - Brux House - August 8

Well, I can assure you that we are not imaginary but we might not look like you have imagined. Before we met, @Chocolot was expecting me to be an old bald guy (perhaps she was expecting one of the three stooges). It is nice to put faces to names. @chefmd would you like to learn how to make some chocolates and/or confections? Chopping is somewhat helpful but even more helpful is dishwashing! :-) Looking forward to meeting you too!

@patris they are gorgeous! Looking forward to using my bowls. Going to find some display space for them too! Thank you.