curls

There's a lot of unofficial side happenings happening. Here's one that I want to make sure everyone has a shot at. Lotus of Siam Thursday at 7 pm. Here's who we have so far: Rob Kerry Ruth Donna Andrea Jessica Romina Bob the troublemaker Cassidy Willow Robyn Gaylene Dave Hardy Erika xxchef Anyone else, please respond by this Thursday (1 May) and we'll see if we can get a reservation for such a large group. So far, the count is for 15.

I think Dave Hardy and Erika were also signed up for the Thursday dinner at Lotus of Siam. Anyone else, please respond by this Thursday (1 May) and we'll see if we can get a reservation for such a large group. So far, the count is for fourteen.

Le Creuset's cleaner works quite well. http://www.lecreuset.com/cast-iron-cookware-cleaner

Jim D, yuzu should be fine for a ganache... I just need to tweak my recipe (calculations must have been off).

For peace of mind, you could keep a few of the chocolates that you give as gifts and test them periodically for mold and for taste. For my own tests I have kept some ganache filled chocolates at room temperature for months and I only had mold issues once (with a yuzu ganache). I tend to do this with each new filling type that I make (maybe one day I will get a water activity meter but a guitar cutter is higher on the list). The flavor definitely deteriorates... much faster for some fillings than for others. Definitely let people know that your chocolates don't contain perservatives and they are best enjoyed soon after receiving them or as Edward suggested stick with dried fruits, caramels, nougats, etc..

How much of a shelf life would you like to get out of these bon bons? Some thoughts... If they are for immediate consumption, you should be fine. You could also try freezing the finished bon bon and bringing it back to room temperature when you are ready to serve them. Also, you could try adding more lemon juice or citric acid to your pate de fruit to counter the sweetness. Additional idea, purchase a water activity meter (Kerry and Ruth have them).

Definitely add Dorie's World Peace Cookies to the baking rotation. http://doriegreenspan.com/2009/02/world-peace-cookies-metric-measures-and-variations.html

Very nice bunnies and chickens. Which chicken mould is that?

Pectin or cornstarch may work. Maybe add some cocoa butter or white chocolate to the mousse to firm up the texture (saw a mention of that on cheftalk.com).

I bought a light deli use Berkel a few years ago and I am very happy with it. So sorry to hear about your Hobart; it was a beauty.

Do you have pictures of the truffles you made? Was your chocolate in temper... Was it a uniform color when it dried? Did it have a nice snap to it when you bit into a truffle? You will not get the same level of shine from a dipped piece as you will get with a molded piece. Also, you should not have to put your dipped truffles into the fridge to have them set up. Just wondering if your chocolate was tempered and not as shiny as you expected or if it was out of temper. Also, have a look at the link Lisa Shock included, they will provide a lot more information.

We mostly see Empire in Virginia. What brand(s) do you have in Canada?

Yup, Valrhona's Ivoire fat content is 41.1%. That is what I use for my white chocolate and I have not had ganache issues with Grewling's recipes where he specifies using a white chocolate for the ganache.

They look delicious and beautiful as well. I made feuilletine once (with emphasis on "once"--it was quite a job). I've been thinking of buying that mold (which looks like a radiator to me). By the way, I like the cups you use for these chocolates. I can't tell how large the chocolates are, but are the cups larger than usual? I've been looking everywhere for larger ones. I like to use gold foil cups, but the largest they seem to come is size 5 (1 1/4" base). I've found brown and white cups as large as 1 3/4" base. In any event, great job on the chocolates. Thank you Jim. I got the candy cups from Revere Group, brown glassine size #5C (1 1/8" x 13/16"), they have many different sizes to choose from. I like that mold a lot, works well and looks pretty.

when explaining feuillentine to customers I usually tell them its pieces of ice cream cones. Thanks Matthew, that will help... crispy crepes just wasn't working for me.

gianduja & feuilletine... wish that more people knew what these are or that I had a good American English equivalent... any ideas? Currently I go with chocolate hazelnut paste with yummy crunchy bits (but that is a bit too much)!

Jim D. that you for all the helpful hints! Two more questions for you... What type of pectin did you use for the raspberry coulis? What was the shelf-life for the chocolate?

I think you can go with dragée... that is the term that Grewling uses in his book for chocolate covered nuts.

Has anybody made the orange raspberry bon bon from Notter's book "The Art of the Chocolatier: From Classic Confections to Sensational Showpieces"? It is described as a smooth raspberry coulis, atop a dark ganache, infused with fresh orange juice, encased in a dark chocolate shell. What did you think of it? I'm very curious about the texture and taste of the raspberry coulis. Unfortunately the book shows a picture on the finished piece (no step-by-step photos or a cut-away photo).

Found two products that may be of help: Wilton Cake Sparkles http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?id=3E310D1E-475A-BAC0-5E0EF1DB7697E8A1 Edible Glitter http://www.michaels.com/Edible-Glitter/bk0394,default,pd.html I have not used either of these but it looks like they were made to do exactly what your bride wants. Please let us know what you end up baking. Edited to add... looks like these products are supposed to be put on the top of cakes and cupcakes not in the batter. Also most of the stuff that is truly "glittery" appears to be non-edible.

photo of most of the Christmas 2013 selection: brandied cherry cordials, eggnog ganache, chocolate ganache, muscovado sugar salted caramel, and peanut butter cup not included in the photo are the enrobed chocolate nougat, chocolate dipped candied orange peel, and chocolate dipped candied ginger

The march of the hedgehogs (peanut butter filled, of course!).

Sure Bob, why don't you do that and blog about it on eGullet!

When Joe made his banana's foster bonbon at the Woodbridge Chocolate Workshop, he cooked the bananas in butter and brown sugar. I held onto a couple of those bonbons for a few days and they did not shrink or explode. So I agree with Kerry, try adapting your current recipe to cook the bananas.

Glad you solved the mystery and thank you for posting the solution.