Louise nadine brill

Of course, you must know that this just makes me more curious! 😂

I don’t want to open old wounds but my curiosity is piqued. Is there a thread around here where “the incident” is discussed?

I have quite a few closed bottom 3d moulds and i have had pretty good results hand “turning” them. Fill one side not quite to the top, clip on the other side and then just turn the mould in your hands making sire every surface is covered. If you have a particularly stubborn area just flick your wrist a few times until the movement pulls the chocolate where you want it. I use a medium sized roasting rack insert that i put in my fridge and stand them upright for about 10 mins, then i turn them upside down for another 10. Sometimes you can feel where there is a heavy pocket of chocolate and i just turn them to the opposite side. This works really well for pieces up to 8” tall. A bit trickier on some of my 10 and 12 inch moulds. I just love the ease, and no mess of the closed bottom moulds. All of mine are from tomric and again, i’ve had good luck with most of them. Some have seams that i need to take a warm knife to, to smooth out. There is one bulldog in particular that ends up with a matte patch on his nose no matter what i do - thats when i whip out the coloured cocoa butter and make him an art piece 😁😁😁

Thank you for posting. It’s beautiful!

I’m looking at you Martellato! 😂😂

I agree with all of these tips - having learned them the hard way myself. My experience has also been to make a statement with decoration. It amazes me how many people will “like” a photo of one of my bonbons without ever asking what the flavour is! We eat with eyes!

Very helpful post. I know I’m kate to the game, but for anyone trawling the egullet forums like i do..here’s my 2 cents: I have both the cheap pc moulds from China, and very good Chocolate World moulds. I buy via eBay and as mentioned, as long as you anticipate a long shipping time - the cheap moulds are perfectly serviceable. I think investing in a few cheap moulds in different shapes is a good way to begin an adventure in bonbon making. However, there IS a difference. So don’t go crazy and buy dozens of them - like i did. They are thinner,- (still very sturdy though) but most importantly your release rate is going to be much improved with the CW moulds - which is something to really consider , as we all know the heartbreak of even the tiniest sliver of coca butter sticking in the mould and ruining your hard work. Also, most of the cheap moulds have 21 or 24 cavities. Your average CW is 32 to 40 which evens out the cost a little bit. I will still buy a cheap mould here and there if it is an interesting shape, that i want to add to an assortment, or something i want to see if i can work with (crevices, sharp edges) - but my modus operandi nowadays is to wait for some great sales, or craigslist, or ebay ( or if I'm buying myself a birthday present, Tomic😁😁) and spend a little extra up front for more consistent results. This is long, and a bit rambly - i apologise. Normally i would scroll back and edit myself, but it’s been a very long day. Hope this was helpful. Goodnight egullet - ❤️

Great - thank you 😊

Haha. I have used egullet for so much info...and i already have a badger 250 that i used once. I know gravity feed is preferred now - what air brushes are folks using? Price range? Do i need to spend 350 on one?

Ketchup on the side of my scrambled eggs for dipping purposes. Miracle Whip - meh. Prefer Duke’s Mayo on my sammiches.

As others have suggested - apples are the way to go. Your other flavours will dominate any true apple flavour. Basic apple jelly is used as a background for many, many fruit, and in particular - herb, jellies. Personally, i am not a huge fan of Pomona pectin. It is very easy to use, but the texture of finished product, for me, is not quite right. As you are using for a filling -perhaps this will not be an issue. However - apples and lemons are both FULL of natural pectin, so I would encourage you to just go for it! Someone else has already linked to Christine Ferber - and that is exactly where to find additional info. In a nutshell - make apple jelly, add more lemon than recipe calls for (include zest before straining), as well as ginger and you are good. 😁

I buy Callebaut in large 11 lb bars and use a Victorinox bread knife to chop up. I do the whole bar at once - make smaller bits for easy melting, leave larger chunks for seeding - and then keep in a food safe 5 gallon container.