ChocoMom

Patrick....there are no words in the English language to adequately describe that sexy caramel yumminess you posted. Dear Lord! Did that ever look amazing! WOW! Gfron... thanks. I am now drooling on the computer keyboard again. Those pies are fabulous! Have a lovely Thanksgiving everyone!

The Kabocha seeds aren't easy to come by, I've found. While it is closely related to the Buttercup, its definitely in a league of its own. Even the heirloom seed company I order from doesn't have any of those seeds listed. And elsewhere, I can only find the Shokichi Green which is a mini, spotted-version of the Kabocha; the Shokichi Shiro- which is solid green; and the Cha-Cha, which is a mid-size version. I wonder if the crops here in the states might not have flourished, and there is a shortage of seeds? On another note, I just cooked up my largest New England Sugar Pie pumpkin, and am about to launch into making pumpkin pies for tomorrow! YAY!!!!!

Our family is full of munchie-lovers. The must-haves are : Stuffed mushrooms crackers/pretzels/bagel chips and dips ricotta boats Sometimes, I add in smoked salmon with a dill-cream cheese on toasted pumpernickle The latest dip I just tried involves merging the flavors you'd find in a Martha's Vineyard salad. So, I started with a couple blocks of cream cheese for the base. Added in 1 TB of local honey and mixed it well. Added in 6oz of crumbled bleu cheese, 2-3TB finely chopped red onion, roughly 1/2 c chopped dried cherries. Now, you can add in pine nuts- which is classic. But, those yummy little candied walnut pieces are SO DELICIOUS! 1/3 to 1/2 c works just fine. You can form it, and chill it however you'd li And if you save a few chopped cherries, and chop up a bit of fresh parsley, to sprinkle or lightly pat on the outside, it looks incredibly festive! And the flavors all together like that...are amazing. I did the "fancy roast beet" last year, and they want it again this year. It's done in a slow-cooker - with pearl onions, sundried tomatoes in olive oil, mushrooms; and about an hour before serving, add in black olives and artichoke hearts. I served it with olive-oil-garlic-rosemary new potatoes, sour dough rolls, and Martha's Vineyard salad. The only issue with doing it this year is..our butcher can't take our cattle in until December 19th, so, I won't get the beef back until after New Year's. =( So...we may end up with turkey, as I still have 5 left to butcher.

Well, the stuffing my grandmother made took me about 15 years to replicate. She rarely wrote down her recipes, and I only learned from standing in the kitchen watching her. It was hard to remember everything, though. The only other thing that came remotely close was the stuffing at the Bavarian Inn at Frankenmuth, MI. Grandma used the giblets (diced up) and broth from the turkey; dried bread cubes (from her homemade potato bread), onion, celery, more onion, more celery, sage, salt, and the key ingredient that eluded me for so many years: white pepper. I think there are a few more things that went into it- like garlic, - but that was the basic recipe. While that is the one recipe I am most fond of, I do enjoy the addition of wild rice, mushrooms, and chestnuts added into it. And, raising free range, organic monster-turkeys affords me the luxury of fixing this meal whenever the mood strikes, or when company comes. =)

Oh, what a fantastic topic this is! I grow a variety of heirloom squashes every year, and I'm always on the lookout for new ways to serve them. The New England Sugar Pie Pumpkin is a favorite around here. Most years, they grow very, very well despite our short growing season. I make fresh pumpkin pies, pumpkin bars and pumpkin bread. It results in a bright orange pumpkin pie that everyone loves. And, I salt/roast the seeds for my kids to snack on. (I save a few seeds to grow the following year, too.) This year, I harvested butternuts, Golden Hubbards, and Blue Hubbards, and a 36-pound Big Max pumpkin. (I had scores of acorn and buttercups, but my turkeys discovered them while foraging, and annhilated the whole patch.) The butternuts, I've found are an excellent candidate for the veggie peeler. After they are halved, seeded, and peeled, I dice them into half inch cubes, toss with EVOO, garlic salt and pepper, and roast them. It makes a fine side dish to poultry! The Hubbards are a little more difficult to peel and dice, but they also hold their firmness well when diced and baked. I've mashed the butternut and the hubbard, and used in place of potatoes a couple times, and it went over well. They need to be thinned a bit with broth, and garnished with a slab of butter. =) I prepared a farm-to-table dinner for some visiting relatives last month, and made the diced squash, roasted chicken, honey-buttered carrots, potatoes, kale salad, and apple pie. Very simple foods, but after raising and butchering the chickens myself, and growing all the veggies (and apples) myself, I think it was all the more satisfying and tasty! Thanks for the great ideas!

Curls: those look fantastic! I love the rustic finish, too. The thought of Pumpkin caramels makes my mouth water. Last fall, I was coerced into making a pumpkin-ale caramel.. and I am so glad that I did! I didn't think that the flavor would come through very well, but it proved me wrong. Have fun with it! -An

Ann T.: THANK YOU for posting the Apple cake! I found the recipe online and could not resist making it. The lemon zest makes it incredible! That recipe is a keeper! =) Kim: Those cookies and cupcake look amazing! Makes me want to spend more time baking, and less time on chocolate. WOW! Shelby: Why, oh why do I end up drooling all over my computer whenever you post pics????!!! You're a fabulous baker! And, truly, there is no such thing as "too much frosting"!!!!

Somewhere in the past few weeks, I recall one of our members posted pics of concord grape PdF. And that made me think...what about dusting grape PdFs in PB powder, or mixing it with a little sugar and then rolling or dusting? I know that idea might seem completely childish and elementary...but, with three kids running around here....my mind tends to gravitate toward "kid-foods". And, PBJ definitely falls into that category. A PB-Chocolate smoothie sounds darn good too! For a savory sort of application, if you make a breading for chicken, add some of the powder to that and fry/roast to your liking. Not sure why it tastes so good with chicken, but...that might be an option to experiment with.

On the Cocoa Outlet's homepage for sugar free chocolates, it states that the sweetener used in the SF chocolates (all brands on the page), is Maltitol. So, I'd guess that applies to the Felchlin as well. Here is the link to the page... http://www.cocoaoutlet.com/index.php/chocolate/sugarfree.html While I have not tried the SF Felchlin, I would guess its top notch, as the other offerings I have tried were nothing short of fantastic. Hope that helps. A

Kris, Even considering the waste, those have got to be some of the coolest looking beauties I've ever seen! If the mixed colors aren't too muddled after casting the molds, they could be used to make some swirled chocolate lollipops for kids. ..just a thought. Thanks so much for sharing your "mojo", and inspiring me so much!

All good information, Jim! I appreciate the breakdown between the different brands. I'd love to get samples of several types, but that can be a wee bit costly since they don't offer little samples. I don't do a whole lot of work with white chocolate, thankfully. I've not tried the Opalys before, so that will go next on my list, before the Edleweiss. Thanks so much for all the great input! =) Andrea

Hey there....Just wondering if anyone has tried the Edleweiss 36% from Felchlin? I'd like to know what kind of flavor profile it has--like very vanilla-y or caramel notes, etc.... Currently, for white chocolate applications, I am using Soie Blanche 35% from Guittard- and am pleased. But, I saw the Edleweiss the other day when I was doing some ordering, and was curious about it. I love Felchlin, but I didn't want to invest in it without getting some advice/input from all the masters here. So, any thoughts you have would be most appreciated! Thanks! =)

Lovely work, excv! Is that an edible gold flake I see on a few of those? =) Nice touch. I'd be all over those...Earl grey is my fav!!!

You might try http://www.usbox.com/Candy/Sweet I didn't see that exact box, but that's not to say it isn't there. This is a pretty large co. Best wishes on your search. -Andrea

Its been awhile since I lived in down there, but, if I recall correctly- there is a place called Aladdin's Markey on Packard Road in Ann Arbor. Hashem's Nut and Coffee Gallery in Dearborn carries Halva as well. Depending on where you live, either of those might be a good option. Best wishes in your search! An

Piping it directly into the mouth is the first choice for my 16 yo daughter. (This is the same kid who ate WHOLE BAG of Felchlin in two days.) My 10 yo will just grab the bowl and take a spoon to it. My sister-in-law like to warm it up, and use it dip fruit in- like a fondue of sorts. (She made me gag when she dipped bananas into the chocolate mint a few years ago. Ewwww!) I, on the other hand, like to spread it in between cake layers, or use in place of frosting on brownies. If its a soft ganache, dippling cookies or graham crackers in it is a real treat. I've used the thicker ganache to make graham-cracker sammies. My Mom used to put frosting in between the crackers, which we loved. But, ganache makes a wonderfully rich treat!

Hey Gfron, I can't imagine chocolate season being painful! Your descriptions and pics are absolutely stunning every time! =) This is just a guess..... The only thing that comes to mind with the emulsion breaking, is perhaps either a too cool or too hot caramel. Its maddening when that happens, isn't it?! I wonder if you let it cool down completely, then add in a bit more cream, and slowly re-warm it in either a warm oven, or a double boiler, if that might bring it all back together. If that doesn't work, I'd say swirl it around in some brownies and make a devilishly rich dessert treat. I had the opposite issue when I did passionfruit caramels Sunday night. Never had added sorbitol before, and after pondering what might happen, I decided to add in a teensy pinch to the syrup. Dang! It firmed up so quick (and a little too well), I had to re-warm it just to be able to work with it. The remains are now a tasty alternative to a Tootsie Roll. I hope it comes back together for you! -Andrea

I'm in the same boat as you, Kitchen Queen. I grow the New England Sugar Pie pumpkins, and ended up with a bunch of them this year. So, I've been baking them, (roast the seeds with some salt for a nifty snack), and then I scoop them out, blast with a little HWC. then add salt and butter. Its a great alternative side dish to mashed potatoes. When I freeze the puree, I do it in 2c increments for pumpkin pies, and pumpkin bars throughout the fall and long winter. The pumpkin bars are fantastic, and the recipe comes from my MIL.: Oven 350F; Bake time 25-30m 2c sugar 2 c flour 1/2tsp salt 4 eggs 16 oz pumpkin puree 1c oil 1tsp baking soda 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1tsp nutmeg 1 tsp cloves. Combine all the dry ingredients ( sift them together), then add the wet ingredients. Stir well, but don't over do it. I make the bars sort of thin, and use an 16 by 20 (I think) rectangular pan. Just bake and cool. MIL found that most of the whole family likes these best with cream cheese frosting. But, they are great without any topping, too. And, the bars freeze very well. Hope that helps you! - An

excv- Those chocolates are gorgeous! Wonderful job! =) Love the white with the fruits and pistachios. (I just made some dark choc tablets with dried cherries, candied ginger and pistachios.) Rajoress,This might be a bit more work, but I will throw it out there as an alternative. I was looking into the fruit powders awhile ago too, and discovered that if you buy some freeze dried raspberries and blast them to kingdom-come in a little coffee grinder, then sift through a fine mesh strainer, it makes a terrific, potent powder. I bought some of the freeze dried berries at Nuts.com. I know they have a variety of freeze dried items, and they do carry freeze dried strawberries- regular and organic. I bought a few of those cheap little coffee grinders- and have one dedicated to fruits; one for nuts; one for cookies or cake crumbs, etc. They work like a charm! I hope that helps you on your search.

HI, Its been a while since I've looked at the books to know exactly where this came from...but I recall (maybe from Notter or Shotts?) that the fruit puree was mixed with Confectioner's sugar and then added into the cream. Ratios, I don't completely recall...something like 250g or 260g puree to 40g or 50g of Confectioner sugar. I remember cooking the puree until boiling, sifting in the confectioner sugar, stirring until smooth, and adding to the cream, then pouring over the chocolate. Of course, the glucose or invert sugar goes in as well as the butter. But, I've done this with all kinds of berries and other fruits- and not had any crack and ooze. Its such a shame to lose such wonderful confections to cracking, esp. with the price you pay berries! Though, I wouldn't mind eating the rejects.=) I wonder if you might be able to get some Boiron purees? I know they're available on Amazon, or L'epicierie. Hope that helps you some. Best wishes with your shop!!

Shott's does a Jasmine Tea in dark chocolate in one of his confections books. The tea is infused in the heavy cream. I was shocked at how well the tea stands out in the dark chocolate. After dipping, the cubes are topped with just tiny piece of the dry tea. Looks cool, tastes pretty amazing. (sorry, no pics of these. They went so fast, I never got to photograph it.)

Excellent video, Kerry! I've moved the EZ temper to the top of my Wish List, after watching that. :+) And, I second the revision in your nickname... your creation is magical indeed!!!

I use Chocosphere and Worldwidechocolate. Both have great selections, although Chocosphere seems to have more of what I want- in stock. Worldwide has a great selection and decent pricing (with free shipping offers sometimes), but, alot of times- the items I want are 'out of stock'. Both companies offer warm-weather packaging too. I must have over 100 ice packs stuck in one of my freezers now! ha!

I've done this cake a few times now. When you flock it using a paint sprayer- the chocolate ends up having a velvety sort of look, which is very cool. I had the chocolate tempered, and mixed it with some liquid coconut oil to thin it out. It sprayed beautifully. Another time, I used my Wagner paint sprayer with the thinned out chocolate. I later decided that wanted more color, so I pulled out the airbrush with colored cocoa butter and went over the whole cake again. Ended up with a sunset sort of color scheme on it. The finished cake looked like a velvet fiery sunset. It was really hard to cut into that. You can do a poured ganache over the outside, and it will have a nice, smooth, sleek sort of finish. And, the poured ganache is far less messy than spraying. .

Wow, Jim....That looks great! Thank you so much for posting that! T