dhardy123

Yes I didn't want to waste good chocolates while I just practiced and played around. I know I can re-use the real chocolate but I find if I use a lot of white cocoa butter it definitely lightens the color of the chocolate

I want to practice some spraying techniques as well as some ideas I have...I was thinking of just using candy melts as I practice. Will they function the same way as couverture in regards to the spraying and releasing from polycarbonate molds? Or is there another way to practice?

This is a great place to order any dried fruits from, among other things. Problem is that it is in India and may take a week to get to you https://jayjalarammukhwas.com/home

Have you tried painting chocolate in the mold before casting?

Im a mechanical novice myself. Did you find it pretty easy?

I think its well worth the money. It works out to about $10 Cdn a month. She generally has 1 new video per week which is accompanied by a recipe in PDF so you can download it. The videos can range from minutes to hours based on what she is doing. You can definitely pause the video as you work at your own pace. As Kristen is the self-proclaimed "Queen Of Chocolate", she has numerous videos on chocolate techniques, such as molding, decorations, spraying, tempering, etc. She also does many videos on non-chocolate things like gateaux, cookies, and pastries. In addition, she has guest chefs demonstrate their techniques, such as Bachour, Haasnoot, Melissa, etc. I would suggest sign up for a month and check it out. It also has a pretty active forum relating to the recipes and Kristen replies to most questions posted there.

Jim I noticed you mentioned you needed a moisture trap for the compressor? If so how easy was it to add to the compressor/air line? Do you have the instructions that they sent you?

Yes it all looks great. I subscribe to the online lessons and videos. They are also really well done. She just had Melissa Coppel demonstrating a moulded bonbon in one video. She gave some interesting tips for spraying molds

@ChristysConfections I think I've seen Dextrose at the Bulk Barn

Yes it was from the Savour School that I learned the technique using multiple piping bags

Beautiful chocolates Jim. Can you please share with me the marbling effect on your molds? I am aware of the marbling technique using multiple piping bags with different colors in them to marble a mold. Is there a different technique?

Hi Jim I just bought this exact same setup including the same compressor. However I only have the 0.5 nozzle. Grex said that should be sufficient for spraying chocolate. My new equipment won't be here for a few more days. Please let me if you've discovered any tricks or fails using this setup. Perhaps you could take a video of your setup while spraying some molds Thanks!

@sartoric Yes I was there for a month. I ate at some great places. I went to Ponducherry for a weekend and walked around their market. I also did a cooking course with "Storytrails". Had many great dosas and lots of spicy food

Sounds like a great time. I'm sorry I missed it this year. Kerry, as usual, sounds like she put on an excellent workshop!

Hi All I will be in Chennai for a month in April. I would like to experience all of the culinary tastes Southern India provides. Do you have any must-go-to restaurants? Must eat foods? I have to say, as a Canadian, I like spicy food but probably cannot handle very spicy food. I am also interested in pastries/cakes/cookies so if there are any must try desserts let me know. Also are there any cooking classes i could take at night or on weekends while there? Thanks in Advance!

Hi Kerry I will definitely be in for all of the events, including the Ramon demo.

Les vergers Boiron has put out a new iPhone/Android app for all of their recipes, including a lot of PDFs. You can find the link here: http://www.my-vb.com/en/news/read/109-Les-vergers-Boiron-mobile-application-A-100-practical-application-for-Pastry-Chefs-Chefs-and-Barmen.html

I am interested in both the conference and the master classes. Thanks

And have you tried making the flan yet?

Try doing the corn out of the husks and directly on the grill. Baste with butter every so often.The corn is done when the kernels start popping! Its my favourite way

Wybauw has a Banana Ganache in his 2nd book that I have used before. It uses puree however

You can use it with expresso when making Tiramasu

Nice Kerry I make my own butter alot too using 35% cream. I know European butters are around 84% while here in Canada we are around 81%. Do you know what the % would be of home made butter?

My favorite cheese shop!

Nope, other than I couldn't select "Canada" from the dropdown list. I think everything else went through OK