minas6907

Hey, I was in a kitchen that had that exact same pancake dispenser. I filled it with water and it leaked all over the place, so that wouldn't work for the liquor filled centers. I'm not sure how thick fondant is when dispensing, so it may work for that, and would most definitely work for gummies, but not for dispensing the syrup.

Heres some Turkish Delights I made using the recipe references from above, in the book by Leon. I used this recipe once before, learned that I can get away with a little higher temperature in the beginning of the cooking, but as it thickens I reduced the temp and kept a careful eye on them. They came out soooo nice! I'm not one to brag, I'm usually very critical of what I make, but these rival the ones I get from the Arabic markets, soft, yet it has some resistance to it, and well as not overly sweet. I put some roasted cashews in these ones, along with a little ground cardamom, these add some great flavors. If you like Turkish Delights, give the recipe above a try, after all the ones I've made, this one is a winner.

Thats a good idea, I considered a pancake batter dispenser, but never got one. If it really doesn't leak, that would be a great alternative. I'd like to know how it does with dispensing fondants and gummies.

Hey Fat Guy I was looking at my commment, and I think it came off more sarcastic then I really meant it to be, I was just saying from the comment in your first post. Didnt mean to sound like a jerk or anything, sorry man.

Yeah, it does seem to be a waste of chocolate, but it makes sense in a business like his. Alternatively, you could fill only half or a quarter of the polycarbonate with chocolate, then after you make the silicon, just make two casts from the plaster. Kind of cool though that you would then have a silicon mold you could use for different things, and also that you could now make the liquor bonbons with the same nice shapes of ones chocolate molds, its kind of difficult (at least for me) to find cheap plastic molds that have a decent shape to them, some are too large and some are too small. And thanks for the compliment about the sugar, I remember seeing the process of how to make the berlingot type candy in a cordon bleu book, but then forgot the title. I'm just surprised its possible to do the pulled sugar at home with out a heat lamp or anything like that, just a warm over to keep it malleable. I also made some turkish delights, they came out the best I have ever had, thanks to Kerry's recipe here: http://egullet.org/p1566983 Kerry, what is the title of that book by Leon? I cant find anything with that name. Those were by faaaar the best turkish delights I have had, seriously, very comparable to my favorite brand found in the Arabic market.

http://www.amazon.ca/Chocolates-Confections-Formula-Technique-Confectioner/dp/0470424419%3FSubscriptionId%3D1E2MCMDX6VVV67W7T882%26tag%3Dallbooks09-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0470424419 Huh. Well maybe it will be Nov 2012, haha. Looks like it's 100 pages longer.

Hey, not sure if anyone has seem this, I'm sure someone has. A while ago I recall hearing something about a 2nd edition of Chocolates and Confections, a google search turned up this site: http://www.allbookstores.com/Chocolates-Confections-Formula-Theory-Technique/9780470424414 I forget where I originally heard of it, it was a few months ago, but looks as if there will be an updated book in Jan 2012. Anyone else heard anything about this? Mabye I read something on a post here, anyways, I wasnt able to come up with any results from a search.

Well honestly, just follow the instructions. I was hesitant for some time (free time being an issue also) but just read as much as you can about it. It's good that the books give so many precautions, but they just make me paranoid over time, especially with agitating the mixture too much and forming crystals, but I just gently stirred, and they seemed to come out fine. A few broke, but you'll see which ones are going to give out and just eat them before they break :-). Something else that made me confident is the video below: The gentleman in the video didnt seem too concerned about over agitating the mixture, haha, I'd say just give it a try, they'll turn out fine. I saw your blog, I have one polycarbonate mold and have used it only twice, so if I can do it so can you, haha. Also note the interesting method in the book for making plaster composite molds from your polycarbonate, I thought that was clever. Though I didnt do the silicone thing, I just got cheap candy bonbon molds to fill with the plaster of paris.

Check out this book on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Art-Chocolatier-Confections-Sensational-Showpieces/dp/0470398841/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top You can view parts of it online, click on the 'look inside' link, and look at pages 219 and 223, you see the process fully illustrated, more the doable in a home kitchen.

Nice on the molded chocolates, you were a little adventurous with the filling, all I have ever done is the caramel filling from Greweling's book...I need to widen out, haha. Heres my latest, liquor filled bonbon, I used the formula from The Art of the Chocolatier, and it came out wonderful! These ones have a tequila syrup, they taste great, though my dipping method could use some work (first time doing dipped chocolates) and I'm I actually was able to save the chocolate twice from shells that broke, but I'm amazed in general that this process actually works! Oh, and if anyone is curious, one of the things that kept me from doing this for so long if not having a confectionery funnel, the nice stainless ones you see in videos and the books. After some brain storming, I thought something like a turkey baster would work well, but it actually didnt, liquid shot out of the thing and made a mess! Anyways, what worked flawlessly is pouring the syrup into a measuring cup with a spout, and holding a small plastic funnel over the imprint, just pouring right into the funnel, a little at a time, and the gently drops right into the cavity, worked very nicely and was alot cheaper! I almost got a stanless funnel, but it was waaay out of my price range for something that wasn't going to get much use.

Fat Guy, does that Dairy Queen cake fall into the category of "the crap ones you buy at the chain soft-serve places"?

It sounds like the process more then the recipe. I would typically get 4oz coco powder and one qt of half and half. I mix in enough half and half to make a smooth paste out of the coco powder, then when its all incorporated, I add the rest of the half and half, and just proceed with making the custard, which involves cooking it.

Haha, the video was halarious! I love the woman eating the egg at 2:00

Sorry, not according to google or my grandmother. :-) http://www.google.com/search?q=turkish+coffee+grinder&hl=en&safe=active&client=firefox-a&hs=Km1&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=fwdTTpPbHKvTiAKW643fDA&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CEYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1440&bih=742 That is such an awesome find on the coffee grinder! My grandmother used to grind her coffee in the same mill, I was stoked when she gave it to me! I purchase the vacuum packed coffee now, but I use this occasionally to grind toasted cardamom seeds and mix in with my coffee, the taste is wonderful! Funny about collecting the bowls, I have a tendency to collect the briki's.

Hey thank! While it was my first rose I made, I saw plenty of videos that gave me the general idea, and the instructions in the book The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef were very helpful. I found it easier to pull a bunch of pedals and warm each one an put them together since you can further tweak the shape after warming with a heat gun, rather then pulling a pedal and attaching it immediately to the bud. I didn't have a warming box or anything, just pulling the sugar in and out of the oven. Anywho, I think i can do even better next time.

Heres my first attempt at doing anything with sugar that isn't candy, and usually I'm pretty critical of what I make, but I'm very pleased with the results. Enjoy!

Would someone be able to provide the recipe for salt water taffy from the Chocolates and Confections At Home book? Please? I'm desperate :-)

San Diego, Ca. Yeah, hasn't really been humid this summer, actually quite cool compared to other summers, I dont think that's the issue here, sorry, haha.

Hi everyone! I was wondering if anyone had a good saltwater taffy recipe. I've made taffy with the recipe from Chocolates and Confections, and it came out pretty decent without adding the frappe. The problem has been that it sticks to the wrappers within a week, so thats slightly annoying. Anyways (as seen in this post http://egullet.org/p1799528) I have been hesitant about getting some marshmallow fluff and adding it to the taffy, but i was at the store and picked up a jar anyways to see how it would improve the taffy. I just made two batches, and after adding the fluff and folding it in, it became so sticky it was unworkable! I've been able to pull the taffy pretty decently with out the fluff, but honestly, after adding it, folding it in completely, and having the taffy be cooled, it stuck to my gloves like no tomorrow! Yet, I still went ahead and pulled, but nothing changed. it was a huge sticky mess, totally unworkable. So, I'm wondering, has anyone else had this problem? I cant think of what it would be, I calibrated my thermometer right before I made the batch. I've also made the salt water taffy from Joy of Cooking, which came out well and didnt stick to the wrappers (I also dusted it lightly with powdered sugar) but the flavor seemed a bit sweet, and the taffy slightly hard, though I didnt add any glycerine, since I didn have any at the time. Anyways, I would like Greweling recipe to work out, but I cant really seem to do it. I'm wrapping them in wax paper, but they still stick. Would someone be able, please, to give me the recipe for salt water taffy from the At Home book, or tell me how it differs from the regular Chocolates and Confections recipe? Also, if you have a salt water taffy recipe that you like, please do share, this is the only candy I really is having a hard time getting down. Thanks all!

Heres some pics from a candy bar I helped with at a wedding, I briefly mentioned it on a previous post. Theres a few shots of the entire candy bar, I did the pulled sugar lolli's (licorice) sticking out at the top of the two white vases, chocolate caramels on the long white plate, and it just so happened I had some time a few days before the wedding so I made some black licorice heart shaped gummies lined up in front of the cake pops (another friend did the cake pops). I was busy helping the caterer, and I was told that like a half hour after dinner the table was wiped clean, I didnt believe it until I saw it, nothing was left except a bunch of black licorice vines! Enjoy!

What about it is not working out so well? I only have 2 books on chocolates, Chocolates and Confections and The Art of the Chocolatier. Both suggest boiling the cream and steeping the coffee for a few min. Maybe your coffee to cream ratios are a bit off? Like I said, what is it that isnt working out for you?

Yeah, I think kerry's site is http://www.thechocolatedoctor.ca/

According to the .pdf Kerry linked, the main difference in between the sweetness, otherwise they serve the same properties. Hey, and jrshaul, check out this site: http://keylink.org/instructionalvideos/ It's kinda neat, theres alot of information in those videos. They sell a dvd with 14 videos, but you can just stream all the videos from the site.

In the restaurant, we had large sheets of puff pastry, which was nice because it was very easy to work with. When I've gotton the store bought puff pastry, unfolding it has been a nightmare, you never get an even sheet. I'd say after unfolding it, keep it chilled or in the freezer so when you handle it it wont pull apart into a thin sheet. I'm sorry, but thats that best advice I can give you, after I saw that sheet all folded up and the messy sheet that became of it, I stopped getting the stuff. If you look around, you may be able to find a place that sells puff pastry in larger flat sheets, like 9x11 or so

I've never done that for hard candy, but I remember reading in a pastry book for making pulled sugar, one of the options was to color the sugar and just let it set up. Then when you need it you just warm it under a lamp, being mindful to rotate it so it doesnt over heat and crystalize. I'm not sure how well remelting candy that is sweating would do, I think it would be tricky to determine if the water the sugar absorbed is completely gone. By now you could have just make a new batch of pops.