dhardy123

Why not break the candy cane into tiny pieces and incorporate them into a peppermint buttercream?

Ewald Notter's book "Art of the Chocolatier" is probably the best book for design techniques. I also have the new book "Couture Chocolate" from William Curley that has some design techniques. And of course JP Wybauw's book "Chocolate Decorations" talks about alot of different techniques for coloring and shaping chocolates.

I got the book last week but haven't made anything yet. I am looking forward to using Cap'n Crunch in some desserts however.

I have a sample of some old fashioned taffy that was purchased at a fall festival. It is quite hard but it does have small air bubbles throughout. It is kind of like a sponge toffee but with significantly less air bubbles. I'm not sure if baking soda is used or not. They come in different flavors and when broken, it breaks cleanly (not like sponge toffee). It is not sticky and takes awhile to melt in your mouth. It is too hard to bite into. I have included a couple of pics of it. Can anyone determine what or how this is made? TIA

Chocolat Chocolat carries 2 hedgehog molds. The smaller one CW1213 has 12 pieces, the larger one CW2259 has 18 pieces, but the actual size of the piece is the same for both

I will definitely check out Thierry. It is only a 6 minute walk from my hotel!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I will try to visit as many as I can and report back

I will be in Vancouver the first week of October and would like to check out a few patisseries and chocolate shops. Any recommendations? I am also hooked on French Macarons. What places should I try to find the perfect macaron?

S'mores on a stick! Homemade Caramel Marshmallow toasted, chocolate ganache and a homemade graham cracker as a base. Next time I won't make the marshmallow or ganache layer as thick so I can dip the whole thing in chocolate.

I just received an email from Amazon.uk saying my order shipped! It looks to be released here on Sep 19

Not sure...how about peanut butter and banana? beef or chicken? use a pepperette as the popsicle stick

Darienne, what flavor of popsicle are you doing for the dogs?

Hey Kerry, I couldnt find the exact PDF handout from les verges boiron that you had at the chocolate conference. I have it printed, but do you have it electronic? It might be helpful here

According to Les Vergers Boiron, in their recipe chart: http://www.boironfreres.com/uk/uk_tableaux.htm It says " To obtain a tartaric acid solution: Boil 200g of water and add 200g of tartaric acid. Tartaric acid can be replaced by citric acid or lemon juice" On their FAQ page, they state: 10 g citric acid = 15 g tartaric acid = 120 g lemon juice Hope that helps?

Yes I don't add the egg whites whipped. Although I have also done white chocolate fillings, I find them too sweet. I do have a Concord Grape white chocolate filling that I use if you want it...

Ive used fruit purees in my buttercreams as well for macarons. This is the recipe I used for a passion fruit buttercream: 450 g icing sugar 680 g butter 95 g pasteurized egg whites pinch salt lemon zest from 1/2 lemon lemon juice from 1/2 lemon 30 g passion fruit puree 1. Using paddle attachment, cream butter, icing sugar and salt until pale and fluffy 2. gradually whip in egg whites and whip for 5 minutes until light and fluffy 3. add zest, juice and puree and mix until light and fluffy

Yep exactly I followed his technique, which you can see here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.470424485980.268814.123405535980

I've never made an aerated ganache but I think I've seen it done using a sous vide machine. If you just want an "Aero" type bar, I have done many but I've usually used oil for the flavoring. Basically, I used 600g of tempered chocolate, 60g of olive oil (10%) and flavored oil to taste. I poured this mixture into a warm Isi whipper, give it 2 shots of CO2, shaking vigorously after each charge and then let the whipper sit in warm 32 degrees C water for about 10 minutes. This keeps the chocolate fluid so the bubbles can move around. I then spray out the chocolate into the molds. The good thing about this is that you don't have to cap the molds because the chocolate is already in temper. I've attached a picture of the final result of a peppermint flavored "Aero" bar

Wybauw has the process of candying ginger in one of his books. PM me if you want the details.

Thanks John

Kerry, did you ever find out if it was icing sugar?

This is what happens when you can't decide between baking chocolate chip cookies or brownies. Brownie base with chocolate chip cookie dough on top!

Derrick basically said that nut fat and animal fat set at 17 degrees so you need to table your ganache down lower than if you were just using chocolate. He said if you are not using nut fat(he used pistachios) or animal fat(he used butter) then you do not need to table the ganache.

Lentia is the exclusive importer of Valrhona Chocolate in Ontario, Western Canada and the Maritimes. http://www.lentia.com

My biggest wow factor was the difference in taste between a tabled and non tabled ganache. I was so surprised at the better taste of the tabled ganache.