pastryani

Oh Jim D (and indirectly Kerry, for that matter) - why oh why have you introduced me to this magical machine that has now made its way to the top if my Xmas list??! I've seen its name here and there, but now that I've read more about it and so many people swear by it, it's SOOO tempting!! But I can't justify such a hefty investment, at least not until I start doing this chocolate thing as a business. Or could I...?? ;-)

Thanks all - feeling better today since the white choc ganache was saved after the re-melting and blending exercise. I had no idea that such a watery ganache could solidify, but it did. Mjx - I'll read thru those links. Lisa - a good idea if my pants had pockets!! Jim - I don't know the brand of white choc, but they're mini chips for decor purposes. Curls, Jim, and Kerry - I actually do have the book, and Kerry, glad to know I'm not the only one who doesn't read through books before diving into a new medium! ;-). Thanks!

I made a white chocolate ganache with a flavored water. Because I wanted a good amount of flavor, I added a lot of additional liquid. When all was said and done, the bowl of ganache was VERY fluid (think watery soup-like). I left it at room temp overnight and the next morning it was still very liquidy. So I put it in the fridge overnight, where, to my surprise, it solidified nicely into a soft ganache. Great, right? Nope. I took it out of the fridge, mixed it around with a spatula, and all looked fine. Put the ganache into a pastry bag and had it ready for use. But I wasn't able to fill right away, and the ganache in the bag was left on my counter for several hours. By the time I was ready for it, it was stiff and not pliable, and definitely not pipable. SO... I did not put it in the microwave (tried that once and ganache melted unevenly and broke), but instead I put the bag on a heating pad set to low, and rotated, massaged with my hands, and all looked fine. But when it came time to pipe, the ganache was broken. Badly broken. I tried mixing in a food processor and adding milk, but I ended up with a mix resembling cottage cheese. I almost threw it out but re-melted half of it and blended, and now it's back in the fridge and I'll see what it looks like tomorrow. So the question is, what am I doing wrong here? Should I not set the ganache in the fridge? Am I putting it in piping bags too soon (ie - before I'm ready to use it)? It seems that whenever I have ganache in a piping bag that's either leftover/has been sitting around, it's next to impossible to use it (ie - soften it) without it breaking. Which bring me to my second question: are there certain rules to follow with respect to ratios and depending on the type of chocolate when making a ganache that will prevent it from breaking? Are there certain amounts of cream to never exceed? As I type this I have a 2:1 (milk choc:cream) ganache sitting in a piping bag on my counter. It's already stiff and tomorrow when it comes time to use it, I'm certain that any application of heat will break it. I can take t out of it's bag but still don't know how to get it to a pipable consistency. Ideas? Sorry for the long rant - i just spent a few hours dealing with this and would like to figure out how to prevent it from happening again. Thanks.

Thanks all. Can't wait to use it.

I've researched how to use Mycryo to temper chocolate, but I'd like to find out what your experiences have been. Does it work well? Does it ensure a good quality temper?

Hmm, I guess that depends what "too long" is. Probably about 10-15 minutes I'd say, since the ganache was particularly soft.

I've heard so many differing opinions on this topic, from what types of oils to use (flaxseed vs Crisco vs grapeseed vs canola) to what temp/for how long/how many times to season it... and now i'm confused. Does anyone have a tried and tested, foolproof way of doing this?? The wok is sitting in its bag, still waiting for the factory coating to be stripped.

Definitely crystalline.

They were stored on my counter at room temp, on a cookie sheet. Next time in an airtight container, I'm guessing?!

I made a batch of bonbons 2 weeks ago, filled with a rather soft cardamom white choc ganache. When I unmolded them they looked fine, but this is what they look like today: The bonbons that were once smooth, are now grainy and bumpy. When you rub your finger across the surface, little whitish granules come off, but the surface is still bumpy (looks as though something from inside is trying to migrate to the outside). What's going on here? I'm guessing they're no longer good to eat?

Thanks Liuzhou - I'll check those out!

Cool thanks everyone! (I would've responded sooner but couldn't find my post, rookie mistake!!). Dcarch and huiray are correct (and huiray's description is right on). I remember now getting this right after pastry school to spray color, but have (obviously) never used it. And thanks for the video andisenji - I tried to use this with just water but can't seem to get any water to spray. I checked and there's nothing blocking it... What gives?!

You know you have one too many tools when you find something and wonder what the heck it's used for, and don't even know its name to google it. ;-) Both tubes are hollow, and it pivots from parallel to a 90 degree angle. Who knows what this is?!

Thanks Lisa & Scott - I did the poke test and it looked fine. I tried this once before with the exact same results. If the fresh yeast is more active, is the solution to just stick it in the oven sooner, or use less of it for a slower rise? Lindag - there's a co-op store near me (SF Bay Area) where I stumbled across it by surprise. The sell it in small blocks, around 2x2x1", but I don't know how long it will last in my fridge. I'm tempted to freeze it but think that might kill it.

What's the best wok cookbook for vegetarian cooking? (No meat or seafood). Grace Young seems to have several but they all seem rather "meaty".

Just baked 2 batches of baguettes using the ATK recipe. One used instant dry yeast (IDY) as called for in the recipe, and for the other I used fresh compressed yeast (3x the amount of IDY). Observations: The dough using fresh yeast was much more voluminous than the IDY. The other ingredients were the same for both batches (though the fresh yeast dough felt softer). The resulting baguettes made with fresh yeast were much more SQUAT than the IDY ones. They weren't overproofed, and all conditions were equally the same for both batches. Ideas as to why this happened?

Thanks Kerry - that's helpful!

Hi P&B folks... I find myself posting a lot here - this group holds a wealth of knowledge and folks are very helpful, but if there's a limit on # of questions, please do let me know (I'm still a newb and want to be respectful of posting etiquette). 1. Is there a specific conversion to get from powdered sorbitol to liquid sorbitol? (I'd guess the liquid to be water, so what's the ratio of powdered sorbitol to water?) 2. "Sorbitol paste" is (apparently) an emulsifier. Can this be made out of powdered sorbitol? And would anyone know if liquid lecithin could be used instead? If so, is it an equal swap? Thanks!

Wow thanks ChrisZ for the clarification. That makes it easy. Pastrygirl - I've got a range of milk chocolates to very dark (80-something%). I guess I could try just adding chocolate to my praline paste until my desired sweetness. JimD - hence my confusion, I've also seen it used interchangeably. But it's good to know what to default to when it doesn't specify what nut. Thanks guys!

Is this correct? Praliné = nuts that are toasted with sugar and ground to a paste Gianduja = nuts that are toasted with sugar and ground to a paste with chocolate added Wybauw frequently uses both Praliné and Gianduja in the same recipe. If you only had Praliné paste, could you just use Praliné paste and add some chocolate to it? (If so, how much chocolate?)

Related question to booze in caramel: If you add liquor/wine/rum/etc AFTER the caramel is totally done cooking (to maintain the strong boozy flavor), and then you fill molded chocolates with this caramel, what does that do to the shelf life? (ie- is the shelf life reduced since there's more liquid/water inside?)

Haha well yes, piping into the mouth is the obvious answer loll!! ;-). I didn't know you could freeze it... How long does it last? On this cold note, when you freeze/refrigerate, how do you get it to a workable consistency? Microwave? Room temp for a few hours? I've refrigerated mine and if I nuke it for even 5 seconds to make it workable, it can throw it off and cause it to separate... Anyhow, the truffle epiphany came to me at some point and I happily used it all up so I don't have to cast more molds for the same ganache. Gap - how does Wybauw use ganache in his caramels? Thanks for all the ideas!

How do you use your leftover ganache? I've filled many, many trays of molded chocolates but still have some left. Looking for ways that (ideally) don't require making a whole new dessert, but am open to quick and easy suggestions (cookies maybe?).

Thanks blue dolphin for the recommendation. I'm in NorCal, so I'll look out for it.

I use a heat gun + stirring (not a hair dryer) to keep my chocolate at temp. I also insulate my bowl with a kitchen towel to maintain the temp longer, and while I haven't used the heating pad yet, it seems like a good idea.