curls

I will have a car and can transport two (possibly three) people to the group dinner.

Steve, thanks for the agenda change, now I can attend "Flavor Dynamics" and "Introductory Chocolate Techniques"!

Yes, just guessing / hoping that one of the rooms at Addie's might be large enough for our group.

Two restaurant suggestions, don't know if you have looked into them already, the Dogfish Head Alehouse in Gaithersburg or Addies in Rockville. No objections to Copper Canyon Grill if that is what works best for a group this size.

I am planning to attend Kerry's basic chocolate skills class. Hoping there will be some way to find out what was discussed during the Flavor Dynamics session (conference notes, etc.).

Do we need any digital scales? How about mold vibrating tables (I don't have one but would like to see how they work)? I can bring my scale and some polycarbonate molds. No restaurant restrictions. Looking forward to the conference!

Robyn, what gorgeous chocolates! Next time I'm in California I'll have to check out your shop.

Kerry, thank you for the advice. I was stirring the chocolate but did not let it sit for a bit after hitting it with the heat gun. Will try that next time. Just posted the best photo... there were many more chocolates that went out of temper. Luckily my friends liked the cool patterns that the bloom made on the chocolate and enjoyed the chocolates. Since I know that is not the right way to do it, I want to get better at keeping things in temper.

Just starting to learn how to temper chocolate and having problems with the chocolate going in and out of temper during a dipping session. For this attempt, I tried to keep the chocolate in temper by occasionally hitting it with a heat gun. I think next time I will try nesting the bowl with the tempered chocolate in another bowl with a heating pad. Any other ideas on how to keep the chocolate in temper? Or is it just a matter of practice and developing a feel for the chocolate? Made the Dark & Stormies and dipped some orange peels and glaced apricots in the remaining chocolate. Would like a bit more ginger flavor in the Dark & Stormies. Thinking about replacing some, or all, of the corn syrup with ginger syrup for the next batch. Need a lot more work with dipping but rather happy with them as my first attempt.

I am a home baker who has recently started down the chocolate and candymaking path because of all the information in this forum. I have been reading this forum and egullet for a while but have just recently joined. Looks like your conference sessions will be helpful to a variety of skill levels. Please sign me up for the conference! Looking forward to meeting everyone.

I found that the nougat will last two to three weeks in a metal cookie tin. It might last longer if you put in a packet of silica gel (desiccant) too.