ChocoMom

Deryn: No rest for the weary. ha ha! My 16 year old daughter usually helps me this time of year, but it seems that hitting the slopes ranked higher on Friday...so I worked all the way through the night by myself, and made it to the show location by 8:45 to set up Sat. morning. I sold all day and we packed up around 3pm. and I came home and crashed. My 9 year old is so sweet, she made a pot of coffee for me before she went to bed Friday night. I sipped on it all through the night, figuring it would perk me up. It didn't. Saturday around 4am, I discovered that it was decaf. From a sales standpoint, it was great. I ended up with special orders coming out of my ears, so I am heading back in to the shop later today. Who knew that chocolate dipped figs would be such a hit?! I'm thrilled with the reception after being out of it for nearly 4 years! I hope everyone is doing well, and have a terrific time with their confectionary masterpieces!!! Andrea

Gorgeous pics, Ruth! Are you selling at a show, or gift-giving? I hear ya, though. ! It's Full Production mode here too, for a craft show tomorrow. I'm about to go dip the figgies in some dark chocolate, and sprinkle with some Himalayan pink salt. Then, finish the peppermint bark, and then the dark choc. sea salt caramels, and the sugar plum truffles.., etc... Yep...I'll be up all night, but I love it! Hope you're having fun!!!! A

I don't know what the expert opinion is on that, but I used to do it all the time. No problems whatsoever. I haven't had to do it lately, as I've found another white chocolate with a slightly higher cocoa butter content and after tempering, it is quite fluid : Soie Blanche 35% from E. Guittard. I like the flavor far more than the 31%, as well. Hope that helps! Andrea

Darianne: I can't explain it, either. It has to be the combination of sicky sweet Snickers and the tart apples that drives everyone mad. My mother called me some years ago, and gave me the task of finding a potluck recipe that was 1) easy, and 2) had less than 5 ingredients. As she began aging, she just didn't want to fiddle around with complex dishes and ingredients anymore. So, that's the recipe I gave her. She was astonished at the resulting craze that ensued as she took it to dinner after dinner, whether at church or at my bro's wife's family dinners. It's perplexing. But, from my perspective (and my Mom's), it's really all about the smiles and enthusiasm with which the dish was received.

Unpopular Poet: Thank you so much for the info! I will get to that sometime in the very near future, now that I have some guidelines. In this area, we tend to have an overabundance of deer- so there is venison readily available. In previous years, we've sliced the backstrap, seasoned and grilled it. Amazing meal with some sautéed onions, and mashies. Can't imagine how good it would be Sv'd.then seared! YUM. Next year, I will have to remember to season some venison and then vacuum pack, as it never occurred to me to season prior to packing. Another one I'm curious about is Sv'd grouse. My daughters are great at hunting those tasty little fellows. Thank you again for the information on the venision....I will def. try it!

HI Naftal: Yes, I fell in love with a Dagoba bar containing chili pepper some years ago...the taste sensation was amazing! I do love the Nibby bar though from Scharffen Berger. It's chocolate and then chocolate again in a more basic form. Who could resist? As for Rolo's....Wanna have some fun? Lay some traditional bowtie-like pretzels on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Set a Rolo in the middle of each pretzel and warm in the oven just enough to melt it, then let them cool. Betcha can't eat just one! :+)

I've not tried that with caramel before, but I've done the habanero truffle- infusing the habanero (seeds and all) into the HWC, then adding to the chocolate. That method provides enough heat to be reckoned with. :+) For a caramel, my inclination would be similar to the truffle idea, and I'd try infusing habaneros into the dairy portion- then strain it into your pot with the caramel, and proceed from there. One lesson I learned with messing around with those peppers, and infusing into hot liquids is to wear some eye protection when you take the lid off the pot. Damn near burned my eyeballs right out of the sockets! Hope that helps! Andrea

So, I've read this thread with great interest. And, now I am curious to try it. I have some vacuum-packed, venison backstraps in the freezer, and was wondering if anyone has successfully SV'd venison? I didn't see it listed as something that's been done on this thread. If anyone here might know what the appropriate temperature is, and the suggested length of time- I'd great appreciate it if you might share that with me. It's a very lean cut, its quite tender- sometimes called referred to as the 'filet migon of deer.' I assume I would thaw it first, then proceed? I'd really love to try this! We also raise organic, grass-fed red and black Angus, and there is plenty in the freezer to experiment on now. I think I see a new main-dish on the menu for Christmas dinner. Rolled Rump or Sirloin Tip roasts come to mind. Mmmmm. I'd appreciate any responses/advice anyone is willing to lend. Thanks so much! Andrea

I can't believe I left this off the menu in my previous post...but an absolute "must have" on our table is the delectable Snicker Salad. (I use the term "salad" loosely.) For the professional chefs out there, this may well be offensive- and for that I apologize in advance. But its a fast fix, and never a leftover. You will need: 1 bag of mini-marshmellows 4-6 large Granny Smith Apples, washed and chopped 1- 22oz pkg of Snicker bars, diced fairly small 1 large tub of Cool Whip. (I know, I know...but it works!) Mix together, then sit back and watch it disappear. My sister-in-law has witnessed fights break out - every year- over who gets the last spoonful. (Its not pretty between a cop and a fireman.)

Thank you for posting that recipe! The molasses rings a bell now, as does the black pepper. And, it was probably the black pepper that I disliked as a child- thus my lack of attention in learning to make them. Thanks again! I might try these again, too. (sans pepper).

I'm wondering if a splash of Bogg's Cranberry Liqueur might be helpful. I just dipped my finger in for a taste, and boy, does that twang from the cranberry come right out! Just a thought...

Well, I've not been nominated yet for the Christmas dinner, but, I think its my turn. So in preparation for that, I have 1 free-range organic turkey ( named "Whitey") that will head to the chopping block; and since we raise grass fed Angus, there's a couple roasts tagged for that dinner, too. And then, there's everything else: Martha's Vineyard Salad, complete with pine nuts and dried cherries. (I dissected this salad at The Gandy Dancer some years ago, and remade it for my hubby. He has to have it every year!!!!) Grandma Schultz's potato rolls Mashies/gravies Green Bean Cassarole Normally, I am the dessert person...so this year, I am leaning towards making two cheesecakes: one with raspberries, and then a chocolate one with caramel sauce and spiced nuts. Maybe an apple pie. We shall see. I will have to assigned some other things to the relatives- maybe the green bean thing. In between filling chocolate orders, I am going to work on making some of my Grandma's holiday cookies for snacking, too.

YES!!!! That's it!!!! Thank you, Cakewalk! You just saved me hours of head-scratching! THANK YOU!!!!

JohnT: I haven't a clue what name Grandma assigned to those things. But, they were in a "ball" form. They weren't crumbly like the Russian Tea cakes; they were more firm, and they had some sort of spices added- like cloves or anise. The last time we made cookies together was in the early 1980's, and I just don't recollect what was in them. I know there was no dried fruit. Maybe some chopped walnuts, but no fruit. This is going to bug me until I figure it out. It was probably another one of those German recipes, handed down from generation to generation- never written on paper, but rather learned-by-observation and then making it. (Apparently, I flunked that one since I can't recall its contents!) But, that's how I learned to make potato bread and springerlies, which never seem to fail. I've got to say, Alfajores sound far more yummy than Gram's 'powdered sugar cookie-balls' were! I might just have to include those in this year's holiday feast. Thank you for the delicious suggestion, John! Sophie, it sounds like you have a wonderful lineup of desserts and sweets! I'd make a bee-line for the Christmas log, myself. It's chocolate, afterall.

My grandmother used to make custard pies and sprinkle nutmeg or cinnamon on top- for Christmas; For cookies, we excelled in Springerlies and Lebkuchen. Grandma would use fruit and nuts, but I nixed the fruit and just used chopped almonds. There was another cookie, rolled in powdered sugar but the name escapes me. It was similar to a Russian Tea Cake, but had another spice mixed in. HTH.... Andrea

While I have not tested this on chocolate cake, I've had great success with using good quality raspberry jam as a filling with lemon or French vanilla cakes. Jam has a stronger flavor than say, Solo (canned) raspberry filling. The jam isn't quite as thick, but the flavor would stand up to the chocolate better, I would think. Best wishes!

I actually baked today. We ran out of bread...which is something my teenagers would liken to cruel and unusual punishment. And, with a foot of snow on the ground, and another foot on the way.....I NEEDED to bake bread. We were snowed in--ain't no way were gettin' to the grocery store. So....I made 2 loaves of my Grandma's potato bread. What a treat! It came out exactly like hers used to. I'd love to post a picture, but....my kids and hubby scarfed it down. Such a lovely, browned crust, too. Its a shame it disappeared before the camera could capture it. \ Then had to switch gears for a large chocolate order this afternoon-- I just finished doing a sugar plum ganache. If it makes it into the piping bag, I'll try to post a pic on the confections thread. Staying out of that blend of plum, spices, fruits and nuts in chocolate is proving to be quite a challenge. I have no willpower with stuff like this. The photos here just kill me. Shelby's Upsidedown Caramel Banana Bread has had me drooling for 2 days straight now. (thank you very much!) Happy baking everyone! Andrea

For a "Crisp", I always buttered the dish; then mixed sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and ground cloves-with a tiny bit of cornstarch. The topping consisted of brown sugar, butter, flour, oats and pecan pieces. Baked until it was bubbly and gooey. Served with ice cream. We had an early frost up here, and most of the apples fell off the trees way too early before they were ripe, so I didn't get any. (The turkeys were kind enough to gobble them all up, though.) What kind of apples do you all use in your crisp? Just curious. I'm a sucker for a good heirloom, so I'd normally pick a Northern Spy. They're firm enough to hold some shape when baked, and have a great flavor. We have some Wolf River apples at our house also, but they're way too soft to bake like that. It would turn to apple-sauce crisp, instead.

I can't answer the "how to fix" question, but if you go to Chocovision' website, and click on the "Ask Joe" link...you can explain in an email the problem, and Joe (Crevino) will help you with it- if possible. He's a fantastic person to talk to, and tremendous help with the machines. He spent over an hour on the phone with me last time I had an issue. HTH....Andrea

Yep, that's Culver's. You place your order at the counter, they give you cups for drinks, and a number. You get own drinks, condiments, etc... Then they bring the food out to you. They will get plastic silverwear, or extras- like mayo or pickles, if you ask. And, you bus your own table. The nice thing about Culver's is the selection. Its far more than your run-of-the-mill burger joint. Aside from decent burgers and chicken strips, they have wonderful frozen custard, with a new flavor of the day- each day; Roast beef dinners w/ mashies, roasted chicken, battered cod, meatloaf, salads, etc. My favorite burger is still Fuddrucker's....but its a 9 hour drive to the closest one. :+(

Well, early on when I started, I didn't have the funds to have a huge selection with packaging. So I picked an insert from one company, a classy looking box from another company, and went from there. All I did at that point were 12 pc, hand-dipped truffles; 6 flavors/ 2 of each per box. The packaging was a little expensive, so I limited how much I'd purchase. I didn't want to end up with a huge inventory of packaging. That, coupled with a shortage of time...I could only produce so much at once. That's why I only had 30 boxes of truffles. (If I were doing it today, I'd make far more!) I'd still take orders at the craft show, and sell them from my house directly to the customers. (I used a restaurant to make the candies, then store them at my home.) Now, I can afford to purchase more packaging, and have expanded the options to 12 pc, 6 pc, 4 pc,; then 16 pc small cavities, for sea salt caramels or liquor cubes. I keep an inventory of packaging on hand now. After I got started with the peppermint bark, I found a box that matched the pattern of the truffle box- and would weigh out each package. I can't remember if it was 12 or 16 ounces. But, I cut the pieces and fitted them in neatly. The boxes are approved for direct food contact, and have a window on the top. The presentation was very nice, with all matching packaging and color schemes. I took additional orders for that item as well, and would make more for sales later. The smaller items, like the cherries, espresso beans, etc.....I did not have the machinery or space to work with. So, I purchased them from a quality source, repackaged them with again- classy, matching packaging and labeling. I made sure people knew I didn't make them, but since I was able to package them in smaller quantities- classy packaging, and make it all coordinate---people would still purchase it like crazy. The almonds, spiced nuts, etc....Those I could do at the restaurant. Presentation is incredibly important. I will send you a PM with some of the selections I've used in the past. HTH!

Scharffen Berger's Nibby Bar---when I really want some texture AND flavor; Felchlin....any type, any time....it's like chocolate-butter heaven! Hershey bar with Almonds... only when I'm sad, missing my Dad and Mom. I know its a far cry from the quality brands we can get now, but here's why: Daddy used to smuggle the giant-sized bars home from school in his briefcase. We'd eat them while I helped him check papers, hiding it from my Mom. Daddy and I would just snicker like little kids- while hiding it from her. This went on for years and years.....never told my Mom- as it was our secret. Mom would've have stopped all that sugar consumption dead in its tracks. She found out our secret the day of my Dad's funeral, and the resulting look on her face was priceless. When Mom died 2 years later, my brother and I found her freezer jamb-packed with chocolate bars. We were stunned. Brings a smile to my face every time I think about it!

The absolute, must-have in our family is turkey. A couple years ago, we started raising turkeys, organic, free-range. They eat the fallen apples from the trees, along with grasses, and all the heirloom veggies they can get their beaks on. We grew a 42 lb. Bronze last year, and had that for Thanksgiving. That monster barely fit in the oven. I stuff the inside with halved onions, apples, celery, sage and butter,- set it on a rack, then poured a can of Vernors in the bottom of the pan. Weird, perhaps. But, very tasty. (My Mom used to do that, and it always tasted good.) For me, personally, I must have my grandma's stuffing. Its heavy on celery, onion, white pepper, and sage. The stuffing at the Bavarian Inn (in Frankenmuth, MI) comes closest to the flavor, but Grandma's wasn't quite as mushy and salty. It's one of those childhood memory things, and I just can't do without it. A few years ago, I was finally able to replicate it--and it was absolutely wonderful. I'm almost ashamed to post this here, because its not exactly an exotic, advanced, or complex dish. But- in the interest of variety and fun.... the newest and most demanded culinary work of art around here is the Snicker Salad. (Using the term "salad" is a bit of stretch, but it conjures up a somewhat healthy picture in one's mind, right?) Its the perfect dish to take if you're short on time, and don't mind people falling at your feet, worshipping you later on..... 8-9 tart apples- like Granny Smith, chopped in chunks; 6 large Snicker bars, diced; 1 bag mini marshmellows Big tub of Cool Whip, thawed. Mix it in a really BIG bowl. (Please don't kick me off the forum for posting this simple-stupid recipe. Its just so darned tasty!) Apple pie and pumpkin pie are also standard fare. The pumpkins are heirloom pie pumpkins, straight out of my garden. The apples are Northern Spy- off the trees in the backyard. Served with ice cream or whipped cream. Its the perfect ending, with a cup of coffee. :+) Mashed potatoes: must be real, Yukon Gold potatoes (not potato pearls), with butter, cream and salt. No exceptions. The potato water, and one cup of mashed potatoes are immediately set aside for making potato-bread rolls. (I still remember grandma's voice ringing through the house, "Save the potato water!!!!") The list goes on, but those are the staples around here.

Oreos are one of the basic food groups, in our house. It doesn't matter- kids or adults- Oreos disappear at lightening speed. And, thanks to their new packaging with the peel-back opening, I've been frustrated more times than I can count. I set them under a towel, in the corner of the counter, in my workshop, thinking they'd be safe. Later, I went in to begin work, and it looked like I had an undisturbed, unopened package sitting on the counter. But no! The opening can be perfectly re-sealed!!!! My son (17) ate the entire contents, and put the package back in exactly the same place with the top perfectly re-sealed. Stealthy little bugger, he is. Now, the workshop door stays locked. Oreos and PB Oreos make terrific truffles, btw. Original Oreos work well with white chocolate; the PB Oreos go with Milk Chocolate. Pulverize them to kingdom-come, and blend into the ganache. I've often thought the imprint on the Oreo would make the perfect family crest.

Oh Lisa, I chuckled at the "free-lunch" type! Isn't that the truth?! I had someone pull that stunt with me some years ago, only it wasn't a customer---it was a fellow crafter! She had a table near mine, and she'd wander over when I was busy with customers, and snatch a couple samples, eat them, then grab more and take them back to her booth. I was stunned. By the time the show was over, she'd eaten most of the cherry bomb samples. Never bought a thing from me. She did that for a couple years before I wised up. The following year, I put the samples behind my table with a sign stating that samples were available upon request. But, I only did it for that particular show, because that problem was only at that annual show, with that particular crafter. No problems since then. On pricing, I employed the "2 -for less" method on the smaller items. The signage would reflect 1 bag of whatevers for $5.50 --- or 2/$10; or $8.00 each, or 2/$15. At craft shows, I've observed that many customers don't want to fiddle around for change...so I just go with even dollar amounts, when possible. My own experience has been about 95% of the time, people went for the '2- for less' option. If I have extra bags/packaging, I'll ask if they are for separate gifts, and if they'd like an extra bag/tissue paper. While it seems like a small gesture, people remember those little things, and they come back to you over and over. It's kind of 'learn as you go' with some of these things. As long as you enjoy what you do, and its reflected in your smile, attitude and customer service-- you'll do great. I'm so excited to hear how the season goes for you!