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Jim D.

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Everything posted by Jim D.

  1. That's what I thought you meant. I've been thinking of ways to salvage what I bought. I could buy some typical almond paste (usually 50-50, but the sugar is not caramelized), and mix it in, and see if that helps. If the almond is this bitter, I can only begin to imagine what the pecan will taste like.
  2. Not sure what you mean. Maybe the caramel is very dark (dark to the bitter stage)? That would explain the lack of sweetness. If so, then I finally understand what people mean when they say the darker the caramel, the less sweet it is.
  3. You have certainly provided helpful information on the melanger. Not encouraging, but helpful. Thanks for all the details. I am not mechanically inclined, so warnings are useful.
  4. Of course it's already sweetened (with caramelized sugar), but it certainly can use some more. To make gianduja, I use milk chocolate (I tried all three, but liked the taste with milk best). I do have a little Valrhona amande chocolate, so could try that. I use almond praline paste in many bonbons I make. One has chopped cherries and caramelized almonds surrounded with almond gianduja. Another is a "marjolaine" (layers of hazelnut ganache, then almond gianduja, which keeps a meringue cookie crisp). My issue with the purchased paste is that it doesn't have a strong almond taste. What I am about to write is an exaggeration, but the paste tastes burnt. The product is 60% almond, whereas what I make is 50%, but that's not a huge difference. At what I paid for the almond plus the pecan paste (that hasn't arrived yet), I could have bought a melanger. I suppose, in the interest of providing relevant information for others, I should add that the brand of these products is Valrhona. Perhaps it is obvious that, given the company's reputation, I assumed all would be delicious. And I hasten to add that many people may find this almond paste to their liking. In answer to the obvious question: there was no way I could request a sample of these items. In the case of a pistachio praline paste (made by Cacao Barry), I could order 1kg and see that I liked it very much.
  5. Kerry, thanks for the helpful comments. So the difference between the 8 lb. and the 10 (besides the capacity) is that the 10 is tilting? I have read in this thread and elsewhere that the tilting option is worth the extra money. I am really impressed with the updates in the new machines, which seem to have addressed many if not all of the issues people had with Premier melangers.
  6. I have reread this thread and have a few questions about melangers. Ever since they became a "must-have" device for many chocolatiers, I have considered purchasing one. But my tight space as well as the apparent difficulty of cleaning the machine held me back. So I have made my praline nut pastes (almond, pecan--I buy Cacao Barry's hazelnut already made) with a food processor. I make the hard caramel first, then grind it in a small food processor until it is as fine as I can get it. Then the caramel bits and nuts go in the large food processor, and I grind away. Needless to say, the paste never gets completely smooth, but the sugar bits are tolerable. But I have never been completely satisfied. Then I found two nut praline pastes (almond and pecan)--made by a very reputable company-- that I didn't know were available, so I ordered some of each (of course it had to be in 5kg pails). Yesterday I mixed up the almond to put it in smaller containers to freeze. The tasting was a revelation--not in a good way. It was bitter (and I don't mean the wonderful taste of bitter almond flavoring) and quite dark. Either the manufacturer left the skins on the nuts (which is not my preference) or roasted them to a degree beyond what I consider palatable. I can rescue the paste by adding some bitter almond (a wonderful German brand that requires only a few drops), but am really unhappy with this expensive purchase and a nut paste that needs further doctoring. I can only imagine the bitterness I may encounter when the pecan arrives. I have learned an expensive lesson: flavor is paramount, texture matters less. But there is still the lure of the melanger to reach both goals. My question, for those who have used melangers for a while, is whether they would purchase the machine again. Is the result worth the tedious cleaning? Furthermore I have read ominous comments about having to grind everything (caramel, nuts) in advance or risk having the machine seize up. I would appreciate any comments on melangers. I would not plan to use it for anything aside from nut pastes.
  7. Good idea. I'll try a bit and see what happens. Thanks.
  8. I'll look into the sous vide clips. The Weston is a powerful vacuum sealer, but it isn't very good at allowing interruptions of the vacuuming process, certainly there is no precision possible, and I am concerned about ruining the inner parts. From what I've read, the much less expensive FoodSavers might be better.
  9. I have purchased some nut praline pastes (pecan, almond) and was required to buy them in 5kg buckets. Since my chocolate production is moderate, I need to freeze some of these items and so am looking for (as-airtight-as-possible) containers. I was planning to use some Rubbermaid containers that have lids with four plastic flaps that lock the lid in place, and they have always seemed good. But yesterday I opened a container with a batch of caramel, and there were drops of moisture on the inside of the lid. With caramel, a little water is not an issue, but with the pastes, it can be a problem (since ordinarily I use the pastes to make gianduja and I want them to be as free of water as possible). I also considered vacuum sealing as a better option, but my vacuum sealer (Weston is the brand) is not a chamber vac, so I don't think the chances of getting the paste into a bag and keeping the paste from being sucked into the sealer are good. I suppose "pre-freezing" the bags of paste, then vacuuming them would work, but what a mess! Any ideas would be appreciated.
  10. Jim D.

    Caramel Sauce

    I use pastrygirl's method (caramelizing sugar first, then adding cream) but also add some glucose to the mixture. This (in my experience) keeps it from crystallizing later. You can also add butter at the end to make it richer-tasting. Another possibility is to use some milk instead of all cream. In any event, when you are ready to use it, you can simply warm it up, adding a bit of milk, cream, or even water to get the desired consistency. I would also add some sea salt to counteract the sweetness (if you want to accomplish that goal).
  11. For information on all things marshmallow, you should read through the eGullet threads on marshmallow (a search will lead you to them). As for a recipe using gelatin, check out the one many people use, also on eG: As far as Aw goes, Wybauw's recipes provide a reading, but such information can only be approximate because ingredients, environments, techniques differ so much from one person to another. Something like the fat percentage of cream can make a difference, similarly water content of butter and amount of fruit solids in a purée. In my opinion, the only way to be reasonably certain is to purchase a water content meter. They are expensive, but you can read on eGullet of brands people have recently found that are less expensive but still give accurate readings. It's good to bear in mind, however, that even an accurate Aw meter can give slightly different readings of the same substance over time, and as water evaporates, the reading will change a little.
  12. I use the only brand easily found in grocery stores in the U.S., Knox (powder form).
  13. If the temperature in nougat is high enough, there should not be a concern about egg whites. But I share your concern about marshmallow. Many chocolatiers use fresh whites in their marshmallow. Alternatively you can purchase dried egg whites (and there is a discussion of this on eGullet), but most if not all of them smell and taste terrible. I use gelatin for marshmallow instead, and it works fine. It also smells terrible, but I use enough flavoring (vanilla, coffee, strawberry, etc.) to cover up that smell. There are several eG threads on making marshmallow that will answer almost any questions you may ever have had. As for its shelf life, marshmallow has enough liquid in it to cause some concern, but in my tests the free water content has been around 0.78, which means its shelf life should be between 5 and 15 weeks (Melissa Coppel) or a maximum of 3 months (Jean-Pierre Wybauw). Yes, those are very large time spans.
  14. I make it 2:1, hazelnut praline paste to dark chocolate. If you use milk chocolate, I think you could increase the amount of chocolate because milk chocolate is softer. The positive factor is that you can make it however you want, test it (refrigerate a little for a brief time so that it approximates room temp), then adjust accordingly.
  15. One more thought (although it is probably one that has already occurred to you): There is more hazelnut flavor in a gianduja than in a ganache. The cream in the latter somewhat dulls the flavor. That is one reason I have mostly switched to gianduja when I'm making a hazelnut bonbon. I make something I call a "marjolaine" that, among other things, has layers of hazelnut ganache as well as almond gianduja; the almond layer has much more flavor. I need a gianduja in one of the layers since it will enclose a crisp meringue cookie. (Full disclosure: the basic marjolaine idea is derived from a bonbon Susanna Yoon makes--although her version in So Good magazine and the one in an online video differ almost completely from each other.)
  16. I have had this same problem and have concluded that the issue is the consistency of the hazelnut paste (I use hazelnut praline paste--with added caramelized sugar, so if you are using pure hazelnut paste, your situation will vary). I buy the paste already made (Cacao Barry brand), and its texture varies from batch to batch, from quite fluid to very viscous. That makes calculations difficult. If your gianduja is too firm, you vary the percentages of paste and chocolate. Or you can also add coconut oil (refined) to make it softer. Just check the consistency of the paste and vary the amount of chocolate accordingly. I have found gianduja to be very "forgiving"--there's no separation issue to content with. For a hazelnut praline ganache, I use proportions of 200g paste to 100g chocolate--though I ordinarily use dark chocolate. Plus 110g cream, 30g glucose, 50g butter. The ganache comes out soft even when set, but it does set sufficiently for my needs (for piping it). But again, it's the consistency of the paste that will make calculations difficult. That's just a built-in issue when dealing with nuts and their oil. If separation happens, just be prepared to add liquid (milk, liquor, even water). I don't know that the ganache will ever be firm enough to roll; maybe try freezing the mixture before rolling? I would probably use gianduja if I were making truffles. You can test the consistency by chilling a spoonful, then add more paste or coconut oil as desired. As I said, you can play around with gianduja without issues. One consolation: if the gianduja turns out too firm, a truffle is usually fine once people pop it into their mouths.
  17. @GRiker, my only regret is that you didn't get in touch when you were here. I was wondering why Cranberry's just notified me that they had sold out and needed another delivery--now I know. Thank you for your very kind words. I am impressed that you remembered the chocolates were available at that shop! As far as the specifics go: The filling that holds everything together in the chocolate chip cookie is pecan gianduja: pecan praline paste plus Valrhona's Orelys--which has molasses flavor--and tempered (with @Kerry Beal's cocoa butter silk, of course). There is a thread about this filling, and the major contributor, especially with suggesting Orelys, was @pastrygirl. I pipe a little of it into the shells, then add toasted pecans, dark chocolate bits, and shortbread cut into very small pieces. I press those into the gianduja, then add more gianduja on top. It takes a large mold to contain all that. Perhaps it's obvious why I don't make this item every day. Why not just make a truffle with the same stuff in it? For the simple reason that I haven't been able to roll it into a decent sphere for dipping. Thanks again for your generous comments.
  18. I have been very pleased with Madagascar beans from SloFood Group: https://www.slofoodgroup.com. Their prices are better than most, and perhaps 90% of the beans are fatter and more moist than others I have tried. They also have a substantial variety of vanillas and offer frequent sales. I looked at the Hawaiian ones Kriss Harvey likes, and the beans look wonderful (at least the ones in the photos, and especially in the photo I saw from Kriss on Instagram). As far as price goes, the nearest comparison I could do of Laie and Slofoodgroup is 1 oz. of Laie is $50 whereas 2 oz. of Slofood is $30. Most recently I bought a 4 oz. bag from Slofood for $50, and it contained approximately 20 beans. Even if a few of the Slofood beans are not as juicy as one wishes, the price difference is substantial.
  19. I think the poster means Jessica's shopping list mentioned by lironp. The poster has sent me a message, and I have referred him to the Krea Swiss (and similar) sprayers as he or she wishes to do things like glazes and velvet effects.
  20. There is no easy way to accomplish this nasty task. I use a warming tray, turn it up high, put a Silpat on it (to help keep slipping from being so bad), then place shop towels on top and rub the molds to melt off the chocolate. It takes a lot of towels, but it works. It also prevents the chocolate from doing down the drain. If your kitchen has a grease trap, you could just wash the molds and let the chocolate go down the drain.
  21. I have had no issues with the punitions. I seal them in a plastic bag once they are baked. They stay crisp for months. I don't see how they would be any more dangerous than a commercial cookie. But, as I said, I have not measured the Aw of the cookies.
  22. To tell the truth, I have never tested any of the cookies I use for Aw. I have always assumed something that crisp isn't going to have much water not baked off. I'll have to measure it to see. I use a shortbread recipe for most of my cookies, but the previous one (an Ina Garten recipe) came out with a cavity in the bottom of most cookies --there is a thread on this on eG. After trying everything recommended to me, I switched to a cookie called a "punition" (from a Dorie Greenspan recipe). It has an egg in it and comes out wonderfully crisp and stays that way (when surrounded as you mentioned with a "meltaway barrier"). You can add spices to it to make it work with some fillings, such as apple and apricot. For the s'mores and cheesecake bonbons, however, I stay with the traditional graham cracker, which aren't as crisp by nature as the punitions. I did discover just recently that little graham cookies need to be baked until they are quite crisp. Marshmallow will stay fluid depending on how long you cook the syrup and how long you beat the marshmallow, or--as you mention--how much gelatin you use. Self-leveling is definitely the way to go; a domed marshmallow is a pain.
  23. Your experiment with marshmallow sounds interesting. I am curious as to why you feel using egg whites is better, but many reputable chocolatiers and chocolate experts (such as Peter Greweling) use them as you have described. I tend to operate on the theory that if there is a safer way to do something, that's what I will use. I do use egg whites in the nut cookies I make for my marjolaine bonbon, but, of course, the cookies are baked for around 15 minutes. The recent posts on shelf life have made me rethink many of the fillings I make and have led me to make more caramels and giandujas. If you hadn't mentioned adding gelatin, I would have said that a big advantage of your egg white method is that the terrible smell and taste of gelatin wouldn't show up in the marshmallow. It takes a lot of vanilla or other flavoring to mask that taste.
  24. See my post from Dec. 9, 2020 (above in this thread). The addition of waxed paper plus bubble wrap seems to work. But, considering the chocolates will be subjected to many adverse conditions, most of which we cannot control, I am sure their appearance suffers a bit. But even a friend (who is sometimes more honest than I wish) tells me exact details of how the chocolates look after a trip from Virginia to Palm Springs, California, and she reports very few issues (in one case a tall pyramid mold lost the very tip of the pyramid in transit--note to self: even though you like the pyramid, don't use it when shipping).
  25. This is a great resource, very helpful. The only figure I wonder about is the final one. By "no additives" do you mean no ingredients other than chocolate plus liquid or (more probably) no additives such as invert sugar?
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