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Christmas 2009


Gary

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The Hot Chocolate on a stick looks very interesting.

The Hot Chocolate on a Stick is interesting. It tasted very good in my mug of steamed milk. Melted well, and stirred in well enough.

However, it presents a number of challenges which will have to be thought out...for next year.

The stick: what to use? Popsicle sticks, plastic spoons? Stir sticks swiped from Starbucks (don't report me please. Think of all the stir sticks I never used in the past. :wink: ) When the chocolate melts, a stick is not the optimum stirrer.

The instructions on how to use: hmmmm... and where to put them? One photo showed a sort of banner stuck at one end. Not only useful, but also decorative.

The mold: ice cube trays are the correct size: 1 oz. But you cannot smooth them off properly. The deep cheapo chocolate molds worked well. No problem getting a clean shape. However, you need 2 to a 8 oz cup of steamed milk...but then 2 sticks needed. I could have purchased something more useful...but have no time, etc.

Packaging: In a long cellophane bag? Several in a box? Oh heck. :raz:

Too many variables for this tired mind. Back I go to truffles, dipped ginger anddipped Montelimar nougat.

Just had an 'AHA' moment :biggrin: Candy Canes! Could you spear two of the chocolate chunks on a candy cane, or straight peppermint stick, so they could both be submerged in the steaming milk at the same time? Maybe a mini-cane? Could experiment with other flavors, too, like cinnamon or raspberry, or even vanilla creme... HTH! :wink:

"Commit random acts of senseless kindness"

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Just had an 'AHA' moment :biggrin: Candy Canes! Could you spear two of the chocolate chunks on a candy cane, or straight peppermint stick, so they could both be submerged in the steaming milk at the same time? Maybe a mini-cane? Could experiment with other flavors, too, like cinnamon or raspberry, or even vanilla creme... HTH! :wink:

Methinks the girl is flaming brilliant! :wink:

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

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nakji - what absolute delectable looking shortbread :wub: ! The drifts of salt across the top are beautiful! I cannot imagine what it took to take that to work to SHARE! You get major points for that!

Thanks! The salt was mixed in with sugar for a crunchy topping. Sharing was strictly a defensive mechanism for my waistline. I find I can make it through the holidays without any weight gain as long as I give away anything I have the urge to bake. I brought in a whole batch of World Peace cookies to work today, and they all disappeared too. Next up: mince pies and tourtiere. I just hope I can make decent pastry without a food processor.

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Thanks Darienne! I'll look forward to making it. I hope it doesn't involve a thermometer, like I said I am a dunce at candy making. Likely due to my traumatized childhood memory when I used a regular thermometer from the medicine cabinet and it exploded mercury into the candy I was attempting to make. I was like 9 I think :blink: I love the candy cane idea too, just brilliant!

Nakji - I know how you feel! I usually bring stuff to the office and practically everything I bake gets wrapped up as gifts so I hope to have just a little bit leftover to nibble.

I have just one more cookie to bake - Badener Chrabeli and yeah this is my first time and don't know how it tastes. I hope to finish decorating my gingerbread cookies tonight then onto the sugar cookies and assembling the linzers, suvaroffs and spitzbuebe.

Well here's a question, I like to decorate some of the sugar cookies with chocolate, is there such a thing as Chocolate Royal Icing? I need it to harden like Royal Icing for ease of transportation. I am afraid piping with tempered chocolate as I am kind of a slow piper.

.........................................

http://petitateliercuisine.blogspot.com/

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Many thanks to those who praised my previous post. I've been inspired by some of the lovely things I've seen here, but all my pre-Christmas treat making time has been taken up by stuff already planned; I may have to do some post-holiday experimenting.

I've had enough time to post the Torrone recipe to recipeGullet - Follow this link. If you make it, please send me a message to let me know if it turned out well for you, or if I can offer tips beyond those in the recipe.

I haven't been able to transcribe the Irish Cream fudge yet; I can type anything at work and it looks like work, but having an open Candymaking book on my lap does not. I haven't forgotten.

In my not-at-work time, I've been making these:

Coconut Bon-Bons (Kendrick and Atkinson recipe)

gallery_62420_6809_2084.jpg

Chili-Lime Caramels (my recipe, still under development)

gallery_62420_6809_80836.jpg

Cappuccino Truffles (my recipe)

gallery_62420_6809_91742.jpg

Bourbon Truffles (Gourmet Magazine recipe)

gallery_62420_6809_67952.jpg

Black Walnut Apple Caramels and Raspberry-Chambord Truffles (my recipes)

gallery_62420_6809_85153.jpg

Trust me, I'm a better confectioner than photographer - they look nicer in person and taste better than they look.

Only pralines and marshmallows left to go!

Little surprises 'round every corner, but nothing dangerous

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Two so far ready to photograph - Irish Cream Fudge:

gallery_62420_6809_13820.jpg

And for the first time, Torrone - I finally got my recipe to the point I wanted:

gallery_62420_6809_60816.jpg

Truffles and caramels yet to come!

Torrone recipe here looks great - thanks Patrick.

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I am getting tired, but having too much fun to stop now. Yesterday after work it was chocolate chip cookies and egg nogg cupcakes. Today it is candy to send to a friend, snicker doodles. My hubby came home yesterday and commented that he is tired of the sweet smell in the house. LOL.

"I eat fat back, because bacon is too lean"

-overheard from a 105 year old man

"The only time to eat diet food is while waiting for the steak to cook" - Julia Child

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I checked out the torrone recipe here and had a question. It calls for 100 grams of egg whites (2 eggs). I was under the impression that a large egg white was about 30 g, so 100 grams of egg white would be more than 2 egg whites. Could you clarify the amount of egg whites for the recipe?

The torrone does look wonderful! Thanks for the recipe.

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I checked out the torrone recipe here and had a question. It calls for 100 grams of egg whites (2 eggs). I was under the impression that a large egg white was about 30 g, so 100 grams of egg white would be more than 2 egg whites. Could you clarify the amount of egg whites for the recipe?

Certainly. I confess it never occurred to me to look for a standard conversion; When I made the batch specifically to test the recipe and check the volume to weight conversion, I just weighed the two egg whites I had separated. I got 107g, and rounded down for convenience. When I make it I just pick the two biggest eggs I have to hand and don't bother to weigh, but I might have to edit the recipe. We get our eggs from a small farm and they do tend to be bigger than most I see in supermarkets.

Since I've made the recipe about 10 times and only weighed once, I can only guess the exact amount of egg white isn't critical, but I should probably mention that in the recipe. Do you think the notation "2-3 egg whites (100g)" or "2 large egg whites (100g)" would be clearer?

The torrone does look wonderful! Thanks for the recipe.

You're most welcome. Please tell me how it turns out for you, and how much egg white went in.

Little surprises 'round every corner, but nothing dangerous

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I am getting tired, but having too much fun to stop now. Yesterday after work it was chocolate chip cookies and egg nogg cupcakes. Today it is candy to send to a friend, snicker doodles. My hubby came home yesterday and commented that he is tired of the sweet smell in the house. LOL.

Eh, cook him a pan of pork ribs with kraut, onions and garlic. He'll stop whinging! :laugh:

"Commit random acts of senseless kindness"

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Baker woman is baking bread...

I mixed up the dough for 6 small loaves of baked potato bread. This is one of 4 things I'm giving for the holidays; there's also rosemary potato bread, brownies, and gingerbread.

I'm going to be so tired. Apparently having a baby 7 weeks ago isn't stopping me from doing anything this year. :D

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