Jim D.

@Sweet-Tempered I get "pouring fondant" (as opposed to the version that is used to enrobe cakes) from www.lepicerie.com. If you don't know of this resource, I highly recommend it for many ingredients used in pastry and chocolate in manageable sizes for a small business and at reasonable prices (I'm assuming you are in the U.S.; otherwise this idea won't work). I have the Pawkit Aw meter (https://aqualab.com/en/pawkit). When I bought it quite some time ago, it was what was recommended by people here on eGullet, and it was about the only device available at a price less than astronomical. Since then others have bought and recommend less-expensive versions. I don't remember the brand names, but you can find the discussion in this thread:

Let me second Kerry's welcome. As you have no doubt discovered already, this time in history is a particularly difficult one to begin making chocolates, but I think all of us here have experienced that urge that will not go away and continue to make chocolates, regardless of the cost of the base product. Particularly at the beginning, I would stick with recipes from trusted sources, Peter Greweling being one of the most trusted. When you start to experiment (such as using a cider reduction instead of purée), you are dealing with water activity (and eventually shelf life). Ideally you would purchase a water activity meter, but the expense of that instrument means putting that in the future and, in the meantime, using trusted recipes. I recommend looking into Kalle Jungstedt's online courses. He is obsessive about detail and quite confident about his own methods, but he clearly knows what he is talking about. He provides recipes with water activity stated. Other recipes can be found in Ewald Notter's book and in the giant volume from Jean-Pierre Wybauw with hundreds of recipes. I also recommend the Danish chocolatier Tine Forst, whose ebooks contain lots of basic information and recipes. Recipes that I particularly like can be found on Mats Rajala's Instagram page; he provides water activity readings. And, about the apple caramel: I make one using apple cider jelly, which has a bit less water than juice. Another apple recipe uses apple pâte de fruit with ground dried apples to decrease the water activity dramatically. You will also find many chocolatiers (Tine Forst, Mats Rajala, and Melissa Coppel being some) who use sorbitol, a sugar alcohol that has marked influence on water content. If I seem overly concerned about water activity, it's simply because I have had an experience with mold in a chocolate and have not forgotten that episode. Forgive me if I am providing information you already know from the course you completed.

Sorry this reply is so late, but this is an issue on which I have worked. I tried making my own transfer sheets for molded chocolates, and inevitably they cracked and were unusable. I gave up on the idea but am giving it more thought since my favorite transfer sheet maker has closed his business. Most transfer sheet manufacturers may say their transfers are fine with milk and dark chocolate, but--if one really wants colors that stay the color they originally are--they are not fine, unless you don't mind red turning into brown or blue turning into gray, etc. I think the site I am about to link can help you. It sells a substance used to ensure opacity of transfer sheets (that is the big issue with using transfers on milk or dark chocolate), and I have spoken with the owner at length about the issue and her possible solution. Here it is: https://www.yelibelly.com/online-shop/transfer-blender-for-chocolate-transfer-sheets

@JeanneCake, thanks for those very useful ideas. I have in the past parbaked the shell for this pie, and it was a definite improvement, but the sides did slide down a bit. Since then I have discovered RLB's parchment + beans method for parbaking, so I might try that next Thanksgiving. Foil and beans is a definitely bad idea, since (as RLB warns) the foil makes the crust like cardboard. Some may wonder why I am asking about pumpkin pie in July. For the simple reason that I discovered a can of pumpkin left over from last year's pumpkin bonbons and wanted to use it up soon.. My explanation to the July 4 guests was that I was celebrating the native Americans who reportedly gave us pumpkin.

I am using glass. I have not tried those options. When you mention spraying, I assume you mean with something like Pam. One "technique" I didn't mention is that, to be sure the area where the sides meet the bottom of the crust, I really press the dough to thin it out at that spot and, at the same time, push the dough up the sides to make a rim. I have a lot of trouble getting the dough the same thickness all over.

Thanks for the idea. The crust was chilled, but I will try freezing it next time.

I'm looking for ideas on why my pie crust sometimes sticks to the pie pan in which it is baked. I have searched the usual places with many, many ideas, but the ones I have tried don't work. I use a Julia Child recipe: Pulse very cold butter, a bit of Crisco, flour, salt, and sugar (if it's for a sweet filling) in the food processor. Dump the mixture into a large bowl, mix in the ice water with a fork, turn out onto plastic wrap, form into a round shape, use the heel of my hand to smear it out about four times, chill, then roll out. Pumpkin pie is the usual item where the sticking occurs. I don't pre-bake the shell. The pumpkin pie recipe I use calls for a first bake at 425F, then another bake at 375F until the filling is set. The sticking happens when I cut the pie, and it occurs especially on the sides. It doesn't always happen, but when it does, it makes cutting decent slices very difficult. The most sensible-sounding idea has been to butter the pie pan before fitting the crust into it. It's been a while since I tried this idea, but if I recall correctly, the pie does not stick, but the dough acquires an unpleasant fried taste (because, of course, that's what is happening). I would be appreciative of any other suggestions or explanations.

I am certainly not a caramel expert, but I have never had caramel crystallize. Can you provide your recipe for the raspberry?

This is a tall order. From reading your Instagram posts, I know more or less what you mean by "understand things on a high level." I don't have the information you seek, but do have a couple of ideas: I am sure @Chocolot (or someone who is familiar with her work) will point out her classic book, Candymaking. I would consider her an expert in caramel. Second idea is Jean-Marie Auboine in Las Vegas. In one of the eGullet workshops I witnessed his making of an amazing caramel with all sort of ingredients one doesn't usually associate with the making of caramel (isomalt, lecithin, sorbitol, to name a few) And his addition of cocoa butter to caramel was quite surprising--and has proved useful in my otherwise too-fluid caramel recipes. Thinking of caramel as an emulsion akin to the making of a ganache was also a game-changer, this idea from @teonzo. Mark Heim is another expert in all things confectionery. I suspect @Kerry Beal will be, as usual, your best source for who can provide what you seek.

The Amoretti tiramisu is water-based (they do have an oil-based one, but it also has cappuccino flavoring, which is not what I am looking for), so might present problems, depending on how much is used. I have tried an Amoretti custard flavoring for another purpose, and it was not satisfactory. What I am looking for is that wonderful eggy taste of sponge cake, specifically cooked eggs and sugar. When I grind the ladyfingers and make the crispy layer from them, that taste does come through, even when paired with the coffee mascarpone ganache also in the bonbon.

Crisp ladyfingers are what I am looking for (savoiardi). To make a cookie layer for a bonbon, I dry out the ladyfingers in the oven, then grind them in a food processor. The crumbs are then mixed with chocolate (I use caramel white) and extra cocoa butter (plus optionally clarified butter) and piped on top of other fillings in a mold. The mixture firms up, providing a nice crunch to contrast with softer fillings beneath it. I tried what was rated the top ladyfingers on Amazon, and they had no discernible taste except staleness. A liquid flavoring would not work as the crisp cookie layer cannot have any liquid (a tiramisu flavoring does exist). And I do realize that the ladyfingers in a tiramisu are not crisp, but I think the soft ones soaked in liqueur might contribute to the free water content and thus reduce the shelf life of the bonbon.

My contribution to my sister's U.S. Independence Day celebration: a raspberry chocolate tart. Bottom layer is pâte sucrée with ground almonds, middle is almond pastry cream, top is chocolate glaze with eau de framboise and fresh berries (alas, not local as we had a wet spring that turned the raspberries to mush).

Thanks for the useful suggestion. And good to hear from you again on eG.

It is beautiful and looks delicious. How did you compensate for the omission of the olive oil, or did you just ignore it? 75ml is not a negligible amount of liquid. I don't think I would share the recipe author's enthusiasm for "peppery" olive oil in this dessert.

That is truly beautiful nougat. When I made it, the taste was fine, but I did not get the texture right--it was too soft--and when enrobed in chocolate, all of its lumps and saggings showed up. How did you know when to stop mixing it? And what recipe did you use? (I used Greweling's)

In my version of tiramisu bonbons, I include a ladyfinger/savoiardi layer. I create this by making ladyfingers (from scratch), then grinding them and mixing the crumbs with chocolate, cocoa butter, etc., to make a cookie layer that can be piped. I tried bought ladyfingers (including the top-rated one on Amazon), but they had no (acceptable) taste. My customers like the tiramisu bonbon, but making the ladyfingers is a pain I would like to avoid. I think the taste that says "ladyfinger" to the palate is basically cooked eggs, so I have wondered if it is possible to achieve the taste without the hassle of beating egg yolks and whites separately, folding, etc. Do you think I would get the same taste if I just beat whole eggs, then add the other ingredients (sugar, flour, vanilla), then spread the mixture on a cookie sheet and bake. I need to achieve a crisp, cookie texture that will grind easily and will last in storage--really a sugar cookie with eggs. Any ideas would be appreciated.

"Contaminating"? I think of it as providing a contrast for the mouth. The inexplicable but undeniable pleasure of biting something crunchy and another something unresistingly smooth at the same moment must count for something. It's what chocolatiers aim for when they combine a ganache of cream, chocolate, and butter with a layer of crunchy cookies.

I'm not entirely sure about eG's policy on this, but I'll send it to you in a PM. Jim

That is very interesting news. Thanks for sharing it. I am surprised because, in an interview with Tomric, Greweling spoke somewhat negatively about the second edition of his book. It seems he was quite satisfied with all he said in the first edition and was pressured into doing the second by his publisher. It would seem the publisher must be keeping up the pressure. By the way, welcome back to eG. I have missed your beautiful and useful contributions to the forum. You are a confectionery master.

We had a demo of this item by Rebecca at the 2017 workshop. The distributed recipe was titled "Leaf Croquant," and I assume it was from Rebecca, but no source is included in the recipe--which I still have but have never gotten the courage to try.

@GRiker, sorry to hear that. But I suppose a dose of reality is always useful.

Ruth, thanks for that very helpful information. I know you use CR transfers as well, and your Christmas reds were beautiful. I will have to give CR another try--in the ones I got a couple of years ago the colors are definitely not opaque: the blues turn gray, the reds turn brownish, etc.

I was afraid of that. I have found Design & Realisation in your fair country. They imply theirs are opaque on any color of chocolate, and they look promising.

I'm intrigued by the brightness (and opacity!) of the colors (I'm assuming the chocolate underneath is milk or dark). As discussed in eG posts, since the demise of ChocoTransferSheets, it has been difficult to find that degree of opacity. Perhaps whoever made these can reveal the source of the transfers. That would be very helpful info.

I looked more at the Al Arz entry on Amazon, and it seems the product comes from Israel. When you mentioned looking for tahini with Ethiopian sesame seeds, did you mean a particular type of seed, not necessarily that the tahini should come from Ethiopia? No tahini that I looked at online mentioned the source of the seeds.