rajoress

My contributions to Passover dessert. Clockwise from left: chocolate/caramel covered matzah, milk chocolate mendiants with nuts, peppermint and coconut truffles, blood orange pates de fruits, more mint truffles and more matzah. Thanks for looking! Ruth

Thanks for the helpful info. For anyone interested, I dipped my strawberries on Saturday night, added them to my cake, and refrigerated the whole thing until Sunday. The cake then sat out at the venue for a couple of hours until eaten and the strawberries were totally fine, no weeping, no shrinkage...! Ruth

I am making a 60th bithday cake this weekend and it will also have dark chocolate dipped strawberries decorating the edge. I posted this question on another forum and got answers ranging from "don't refrigerate" to "definitely refrigerate"! I am dipping them in Cacao Barry coating chocolate which works great and doesn't have to be temperd and I believe can withstand refrigeration. I can post back and tell you my experience after this weekend. I have heard you can store the dipped berries on a plate inside a container that has been lined with paper towels (to absorb condensation) and baking soda, although that makes me sceptical.... I might try the paper towels. Ruth

I always add something that is complimentary and make bark! I add either nuts, dried fruit, cereal and either make bark or mendiants. You usually can't taste the "leftover bits" from whatever you were dipping.

Keychris - can I ask where you got the mold for the 21 or did you make it yourself? I am making my brother-in-law's 60th birthday cake and would love to make a chocolate 60. Thanks for any help - your hearts look amazing! Ruth

Emily_R - thanks for the compliments! Just a tip on the cider caramels. She says it took her about 40 minutes to reduce the quart of cider down to a 1/2 cup. Both times I made these it took me more than an hour and I never did get it boiled down to less than a cup. But I used a 1/2 cup and it worked out fine (kept the rest for salad dressing!). Also, mine were too thin in an 8 inch pan so I poured it into my rulers sized to about a 7 inch square. Everyone agreed the taste was amazing! Ruth

Two of my Thanksgiving offerings this year - dark chocolate trukeys filled with creme de menthe fondant and awesome apple cider caramels from Smitten Kitchen. Thanks for looking! Ruth

I've been using Callebaut for years, I used to buy it directly from Qzina and even visited one of their offices (in Florida) to pick up 50 pounds. But for the past (at least) 5 years, I've been buying from a wholesale vendor that sells retail on-line and their price for the 11kg bars can't be beat. They haven't raised the price and the shipping is a flat fee. And luckily for me, they're in the same state (MA) so I get my shipment in a couple of days. I pay between $49.95 and $59.95 for the 11kg bars of white to bittersweet. And there's only a $50 minimum!

Thanks all for the tips! I also like to keep my thermometer in during the cooking process so I know how much time I have until it hits the mark. I'll check out the above links. Thanks again!

I LOVE that windmill mold - do you mind telling us where you got it? Your chocolates look beautiful and sound delicious!

Hello all, Can anyone recommend a good candy thermometer other than the usual glass tube kind? I temper my chocolate by machine (I know, lazy..!) and use my thermometer for caramels and brittles only. I'd like to get a digital one as my eyes can't read those tiny lines anymore and was wondering if the probe type is good. I typically make my caramel in a deep pot so not sure how the probe attaches. Thanks for your help! Ruth

Traditional jewish honey cake served at Rosh Hashanah has definitely had a bad rap! We make it every year and it usually is the last dessert to go although when people taste it I think they like the nostalgic flavor of it ans are a littel surprised at how good it is! I use my mother's recipe (which tastes a little like date/nut bread without the dates and nuts) but did do a search thru 8 jewish cookbooks this year to see the variations. I found most of them similar except for varying amounts of fat and liquid-which can explain the rubberiness or dryness, IMHO! Most do have coffee which I think is one of the key ingredients. I'm going to check out the book you mention, I don't think we have that in our home library of jewish cookbooks ;-)

Good luck - that honey cake looks beautiful! We make ours in a loaf pan and it does bake for about an hour at 350. (and I also got the big jug of honey at Costco for honey cakes!)

If if you want to try to bake the cake longer and are worried about overbaking at the edges, you could try baking with a couple of flower nails in the middle to disperse the middle heat. I've used these with great success on 12" cakes.

oops - no pic, sorry about that!

That cake and all the figures are awesome! Some gianduja ganache filled chocolate cups - the best compliment was when one of the guests was trying to peel the paper off the cup - there was no paper - cup made by brushing semi-sweet chocolate onto the paper cups then peeling them off. I love doing that but I haven't quite got the knack of a thinner bottom and fatter sides so I get some breakage at the top...! Thanks for looking! Ruth

Hello - my 2nd post after lurking for years! I've been in the mini whoopie pie mode and made these red velvet ones for a 75th birthday party. Thanks for looking - I LOVE all the pics on this thread - everything looks amazing! "sorry if the pic is too big...!"

Hello all, First post, although I have to say I've been lurking for probably 5 years! Here are some peppermint patties I made for the Jewish new year! The mint fondant is from Greweling's "at home" book which is one of the recipes I make most out of that book -very easy and always works! I'm constantly trying to be better at hand enrobing, I almost have these without the feet. :-) Thanks for looking at my humble chocolates - the pics on here amaze me! Ruth