Jim D.

Darienne, You have convinced me to try this recipe. I don't know which type of apple I will use (I agree with you about Delicious, but I find that Granny Smith are often tasteless), but it is the height of apple season here in Virginia, so I will have a wide selection. One question: Have you ever made it without the xanthan gum? If so, how much of a problem is the iciness?

I know that you have followed Ruben Porto's method in the past and have liked the results. For those who haven't read about it, it is based on rather exact proportions of cream and milk (skim, no less) and even has variations depending on how much butterfat one's cream contains (good luck discovering that detail for U.S. supermarket cream). I am curious as to how your all-cream product differs. Have you provided the recipe in this thread?

Rajoress, Nice job with the peppermint patties. How did you form the ridge on top of each piece? And what did you use for a filling? Sorry to hear about the Boston heatwave. I used to live there, and people elsewhere don't realize how brutal the summers can sometimes be--though it doesn't usually last very long. Jim

I have finally tried Ruben Porto's method for making ice cream at home as well as his recipe for lemon curd ice cream. I was skeptical of the degree of detail, but I followed his instructions as closely as possible--no substitutions, no shortcuts. I used the Cuisinart ICE-30BC. First, I purchased a Thermoworks thermometer with probe and clip to hold the thermometer to the side of the pan (unlike the Thermapen, it doesn't keep shutting off at inopportune times). I weighed everything and mixed exactly as Ruben specifies, although I did have to use an immersion blender to get the milk powder to dissolve, but the resulting foam disappeared quickly in the heating process. I heated and stirred the mix for 25 minutes as specified. I managed to keep the temp within a degree or so of the recommended temp by moving the pan on and off the heat slightly. It did not look as if much evaporation had taken place, but when I weighed the pan + mix, the weight was quite close to the target. About 5 minutes more cooking, and it was there. I had the ice bath ready, cooled the mix down quickly, and put it in the fridge. Then I went through a similar (but much quicker) procedure for the lemon curd. A comment on the look of both: They do not thicken much at all (as one expects, for example, crème anglaise to do). Just a suggestion about the recipe: it might be helpful to tell this to the cook, as one is tempted to make the mix thicken. But, it turns out, both mix and lemon curd thicken quite a lot as they cool. Overnight I got the freezer down as low as it would go (-8 F/-22 C) Several hours before churning in the Cuisinart, I used the "power freeze" mode of my Samsung to lower the temp to approximately -13F/-25C. The power freezer function turns itself off after 2.5 hours, so it couldn't be left on overnight. I didn't keep track, but churning took around 25 minutes. I did my best to hold the dasher against the side of the bowl as Ruben specifies. It wasn't really possible to eliminate all the buildup on the side, but I think I did minimize it. The problem is that the bowl was so cold that it started freezing the mix the second I poured it in, so by the time I had put the mix container down, there was already a thin layer on the sides. Aware of Ruben's cautions about taking too much time to get the finished ice cream into the freezer, I hurried as much as I could. I decided to leave the thin layer of frozen mix on the side of the Cuisinart bowl rather than spend time scraping every bit of it; there wasn't a lot, so it was not as serious a loss of quantity as it might sound. I kept the power freeze going until I was fairly certain the ice cream had hardened. Now for the results: It was by far the best ice cream I have ever made (in maybe 20 uses of the Cuisinart). It has a creaminess I have rarely experienced in ice cream. And the flavor and texture added by using lemon curd (as opposed to flavoring the mix with lemon juice and zest) are amazing. The finished product does soften rather quickly once out of the freezer, but once this fact is known, it can be taken into account in the future. I was apprehensive about using skim milk powder as I do not like the smell of dried milk at all, but there was no taste of it in the finished product. I didn't know the fat content of the cream I used because, as is the case with most U.S. cream, it is not stated on the container, so I went with Ruben's minimum fat content recipe. Would I use the recipe again? Definitely. It is a lot of work compared to the usual process and requires attention to detail that only an obsessive person would actually enjoy. For anyone who cooks regularly, however, the extended heating time for the mix does not seem onerous (not much worse than making some caramels). I want to try vanilla ice cream so that I can try to determine whether it is just the basic recipe and method that make the product so good--or perhaps the addition of lemon curd contributed a great deal to the extraordinary mouthfeel. I think in future tries I will be much more relaxed since I know that (1) keeping the temp of the mix for 25-30 minutes is not as difficult as it sounds, (2) getting the freezer down to a low temp is actually possible, (3) moving the ice cream from dasher/bowl to the freezer in a timely way can be accomplished fairly easily. A few final suggestions for the recipe: It might be useful to state that about 8 large lemons were required to get the amounts called for, and it would help to list the ingredients in the order in which they are used. But these are minor matters. It is a great recipe, and I thank Ruben for it.

I thought you lived in ultra-sophisticated Seattle!

Thanks for that. I knew the info had to be available somewhere. Is that for refrigerating or for freezing them?

I am seeking lidded storage boxes for chocolates and came upon this thread. I found some Rubbermaid food boxes that are the right size, but they seem very expensive (around $45 for a 12" x 18" box with lid). Cambro boxes are more reasonably priced, but I find the available materials quite confusing. As a poster suggested above, the Camwear GripLids sound perfect for chocolate storage, and they come in the right size (around $17 for each lid + the cost of the box). My problem is that I cannot find (on the Cambro site or on Webstaurant.com) which box one is supposed to buy to go with the lid. Does the lid fit any of the Cambro boxes of the appropriate size? In addition, if anyone has experience with the GripLids, I would appreciate hearing about that.

Kerry, In the discussion above, you wrote about a water ganache and said: I have noticed previously that you mentioned oil as an ingredient, and I am curious as to what purpose it has. There is a black currant ganache from Wybauw that uses just black currant purée as the liquid and an apricot ganache somewhere on the Callebaut website that uses apricot purée plus puréed dried apricots as the liquid (no oil/fat in either one, aside from the chocolate, of course). I just wanted to know if the oil helps with the emulsion or has some other purpose. I do find that when I am not using cream, it takes an immersion blender to help the emulsion along.

There was a previous discussion of creating a single line to decorate a chocolate shell. Here is a brief quote from the person who did it successfully: I was never able to locate that adhesive. I experimented once with Scotch transparent tape just to see if something like that would work, but the liquid cocoa butter got underneath the tape enough to ruin the line, even after many attempts. It's such a great effect that I keep thinking about ways to do it. No success so far.

Good idea, thanks. On my first try with this filling, I just melted milk chocolate and added the nuts, so there would not be any significant softening of the pinenuts (I cut it with a long knife). Adding cream to make a real ganache would, if my understanding is correct, tend to soften the nuts. In any event, I will not let the ganache firm up completely and will try a small piece first, then the slab. If you hear a loud groan, you will know what happened to the guitar.

It's funny, I expected the answer to be "don't worry, no problem." So I'm glad for the caution. I haven't yet had a wire break, but you know it will never be when there is lots of time to repair it. I might grind up the pinenuts and make more of a gianduja as I have had no trouble cutting hazelnut or almond gianduja. Thanks for the replies.

I have a very specific question about cutting with a guitar: I am experimenting with a simple milk chocolate ganache (about 2 parts chocolate to 1 part heavy cream) to which I add ground anise seeds and toasted pinenuts. Do those of you with Dedy guitars think there is any substantial chance of breaking the wires with the pinenuts? Thanks for any help.

I too bought some lemon verbena to grow this year (I think I got the real thing) to make a ganache from a recipe by Michael Recchiuti and Fran Gage. My only puzzle is why they insist the verbena must first be dried. The aroma from the living plant is so wonderful that I am loathe to dry the leaves and risk losing that smell/taste. I don't have a huge plant but may try just a few fresh leaves in ganache to see how it works (I sound a little like Kerry--try it and see what happens). Jim

A question on the "Genin caramels": If I don't use passion fruit and mango and want to make plain caramels, what liquid would I substitute for those two fruit purées? Cream seems an obvious choice, but would that cause an imbalance in the recipe (such as providing too much fat)? Any help would be appreciated. A followup to my effort of yesterday: This morning, after they were left out on the counter all night, the caramels are still soft yet hold their shape perfectly, and they are a bit sticky but not at all oily. As for understanding how they differ from traditional caramels, I assume the cooking of cream, fruit juices, sugar, and glucose together (without a separate caramelizing of the sugars) slows down the Maillard reaction; I wonder if eliminating the flavor provided by the fruit will produce something rather bland in taste.

I have now completed making the Genin caramels (using the recipe in post #132). Some people say not to stir caramel too much, so I tried to avoid that, and, as a result, got a little scorching in the bottom of the pot. I mostly left that part in the pot. How are the caramels? I am not thrilled with the taste. The mango and passion fruit are quite prominent, but there is not much caramel taste. If I make it again, I will try plain (with vanilla, of course) or maybe something more subtle than passion fruit. The texture, on the other hand, is quite amazing. This must come from the unusual method of cooking the liquids and the sugars together from the start, as that is the only substantial difference from other caramel recipes. The finished product cuts easily, does not stick to one's teeth, and so far has held its shape well at room temperature in spite of its softness. There was separation of the butter from the caramel at two points in the cooking, but I used a whisk and all came together again.

Is this a slightly different recipe for apple caramel than the one you posted in another thread (I don't recall lecithin in that recipe)? You may remember that you and I discussed apple caramel, and I have made your apple caramel (with a bit more apple cider jelly) with great success. But I use it to fill shells, so the firmness doesn't matter so much. I have no issues with recooking caramel; in fact, I did it just last week with some caramel that was too firm. I added a little cream (but others recommend just plain water), and the caramel melted without a problem. I do have continuing issues with getting a caramel that is meant to be firm enough to hold its shape but soft enough to eat easily. As the caramel nears the temp I am aiming for, it becomes quite difficult to get an accurate reading of the temp of the contents of the pot. I use the "drop a bit into water" test, but the caramel keeps cooking while I do the test.

chanjying, Thanks very much for that response, exactly what I wanted to know. Someone in this thread said that supposedly a reason that Genin has not opened a U.S. shop is pessimism about the quality of American butter. I will get Plugra or Kerrygold (which are, I think, "European-style" butters, though probably far from the best French butter) when I make the attempt. I have always wondered about the distinction between passion fruit juice and purée, as the "purée" I have purchased has always been quite thin (many ganache recipes call for reducing it by half to increase the flavor).

I have read through this entire thread (and another one on the same subject) but am left hanging at the end. Supposedly Jacques Genin's actual recipe for his famous passion fruit mango caramels was found (in English, post of July 24, 2014). Did anyone ever try this recipe and find out how it compared to the original? Meanwhile another poster (Schneich) came up with a recipe that produced results similar to Genin's but using sorbitol and lecithin. I'm wondering if anyone has followed up on this effort to make a caramel that is very soft yet can still be cut. I bring this up because my first effort at "stand-alone" caramels (not piped into molds) tasted OK (I used some cherry flavoring) but was too firm; I think I overcooked it by 1 or 2 degrees--it's very difficult, I discovered, to get all the caramel in the pot to the same temp simultaneously.

A reminder to those who signed up for the webinar presented by Decagon Devices on "Water Activity for Candy and Confectionary Products": The event is scheduled for tomorrow (June 9) 9-10 a.m. PDT. You should have received information from Decagon on how to access the webinar.

Many thanks for making that video, Kerry. It makes the process very clear. You could probably use this on the EZtemper website (an idea that has undoubtedly already occurred to you). Jim

Kerry, Thanks for the experiment. Impressive that the chocolate for that shell was never taken down to anywhere near 29C/84F. In the particular case of Valrhona Opalys, I have concluded (from many unfortunate episodes with chocolate that refuses to come out of an upside-down mold) that Valrhona's working temperature is too low. What brand of chocolate were you using in the photos? Since the issue of over-crystallization always comes up with making shells over an extended time, do you have any information on the impact of using the EZtemper silk and keeping the chocolate (I am thinking of white now) at 33.5C/92.3F? In other words, does it take longer to over-crystallize or is the time about the same? I can't imagine it would be safe to take the chocolate above 33.5C/92.3F when it starts to thicken.

Kerry, We discussed the Valrhona issue in a "Molded Chocolates" thread--which was a merged topic. Thanks very much for remembering to ask the question when you were in France, and in a way I'm relieved to read that it's a "known problem." Oddly, that kind of problem is comforting (meaning I'm probably not the only one having the difficulty). Recently I have begun adding some cocoa butter to Opalys when using it for molding, but I don't like doing that because really it's changing the flavor from what the manufacturer intended--and, in my opinion, no matter what is said, cocoa butter (Cacao Barry in my case) does have a taste of its own. By the way, have you posted any photos from that Valrhona workshop? So, when you are adding the cocoa butter from the EZtemper to white chocolate, do you just bring the melted chocolate down to 33.5F/92.3F, add the "silk," then stir for a minute or so, and use it at that temperature? No need to bring it down to the manufacturer's recommended working temp--as one does with Mycryo or any other tempering method? Not that I don't believe you, but it would take a little courage the first time to use white chocolate at that temp. But it does sound promising.

Kerry, This is a significant figure for white chocolate--33.5C/92.3F, well above the usual figure given for working with it (29C/84F). If it's not a trade secret, can you explain how the tempered cocoa butter is able to make that possible? (You may recall that I have often had a lot of trouble molding with Valrhona Opalys--so much trouble that you offered to speak to the Valrhona folks when you were there this year).

I use Chocosphere.com. They have a very wide selection and good customer service. If you want a well-known brand such as Callebaut or Valrhona, there are many other sources.

That's why I suggested the ganache will come closer to what you want. The cream used in a ganache (if you use enough) will keep it from getting so firm. A common ratio suggested for milk chocolate ganache is 2.5:1 (chocolate to cream), but you might aim for something closer to 1.5:1. I did find a recipe online that called for heating the peanut butter and cream together, then emulsifying with the chocolate (that recipe specified dark chocolate--I think I would use milk). If you find the chocolate taste is overwhelming the peanut butter more than you like, you can substitute some cocoa butter for part of the chocolate. I think experimenting is the way to go. I make up 100g batches of a ganache to see what the flavor is going to be like; that way you are not wasting too many expensive ingredients--but you do have to keep a record of what you do.