Santa's Spectactular Tonawanda Workshop

[Kerry Beal]

I'll let Anna explain the spectacular reference if she has time today.

 

I'm down in the Buffalo area, staying over the weekend with @patris to help her out with her first (?)annual chocolate making extravaganza. She has invited a couple of sisters (of which she has a number) and a few of her pottery making friends over to produce their Christmas treats. Preparation has been ongoing for at least a couple of weeks - with procurement and prep at a fever pace in the last couple of days. 

 

 

Must begin with last night's cocktail - Cuatro Naranjas - determined by putting our possible ingredients into Kindred Cocktail. Thanks Dan! 

 

 

This is the ingredient table.

 

 

 

Chocolate melting in a few spots.

 

 

@patris's EZtemper - there is cocoa butter and a few containers of coloured cocoa butter in there as well.

 

 

Airbrushes heating on their own little bun warmer, compressor ready.

 

 

Campari and Grapefruit double layered PDF - recipe courtesy of Michael Laiskonis. Also two of the 3 bins of @patris's marshmallows - Mint and Cinnamon. There are vanilla in another spot.

 

 

 

 

Greweling's PB meltaways - can I just tell you how smooth, tasty and amazing these are - we used to EZtemper silk to temper them - it made all the difference. The batch that didn't get tempered properly got melted down this am - silk added, and within an hour they were ready to cut and just perfect!

 

[Kerry Beal]

 

Eggs over Trader Joes Giant Baked Beans in Tomato sauce!  Breakfast before the hoards arrive.

[Anna N]

So first the "spectacular" reference. Not really food related but....  I used to listen to a radio station that carried news from the Buffalo area and almost daily they would report a "spectacular fire" in Tonawanda.  It amused me greatly and when I go down to Buffalo with Kerry to visit with @patris I can't help but mention it. 

 But what is spectacular to me is how Kerry and Patty have managed to make use of every inch of what is in fact quite a small kitchen!   It sounds as if they will have a fun day today. At least I hope that comes true.

[patris]

I can tell you that for a variety of reasons, today would be a shadow of itself without @Kerry Beal - between bringing what seems like her entire chocolate workshop full of tools, pitching in to make recipes, doing dishes before I can even reach the sink, and  patiently answering my every idiot question, she has once again proven herself to be an amazing friend. I may not be able to make this an annual event without making sure it's on her calendar first!

Edited December 11, 2016 by patris (log)

[patris]

5 minutes ago, Anna N said:

So first the "spectacular" reference. Not really food related but....  I used to listen to a radio station that carried news from the Buffalo area and almost daily they would report a "spectacular fire" in Tonawanda.  It amused me greatly and when I go down to Buffalo with Kerry to visit with @patris I can't help but mention it. 

 But what is spectacular to me is how Kerry and Patty have managed to make use of every inch of what is in fact quite a small kitchen!   It sounds as if they will have a fun day today. At least I hope that comes true.

 

 

To be honest, we are making use of just about every one of my house's 988 square feet!

[patris]

Because no day at my house is complete without too much of whatever it is, the beginnings of the food table: cheese pastry-covered olives and a plate of cast offs from the meltaways and grapefruit-Campari PDF. Guests are bringing nibbles as well, and I have spinach-red pepper-feta pinwheel sandwiches in the fridge to put out closer to kickoff.

 

[patris]

25 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

 

 

 

 

 

Kerry asked me to tell you about that cutter - it's a simple stainless taping knife from the hardware store. It's 12 inches - just the perfect size for PDF, meltaways, marshmallows, and I'm sure so many other things without a ton of hand fatigue. I also use it to scrape excess chocolate off the molds when I am making bonbons.

[Anna N]

 I am incredibly happy that you two are taking us along for what's going to be a spectacular chocolate day.

Edited December 11, 2016 by Anna N (log)

[patris]

16 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 I am incredibly happy that you two are taking us along for what's going to be a spectacular chocolate day.

 

 

I wish you could be here - we could use you in the dish pit (insert appropriate emoji here - I tried to post with one inserted and got told it was not an allowable character...). Rest assured, Kerry will be returning with a special treat for you!

[Kerry Beal]

 

Pinwheels heading out!

[Kerry Beal]

The airbrush 'station'

 

 

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

 

 

 

Tempering and starting molds

 

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

This is very, very fun - in fact, if I were invited, I'm sure I'd say spectacular!

Thank you for sharing!

[Anna N]

Hard to find anyone who doesn't love playing with chocolate.

[Kerry Beal]

 

the food pile 

 

 

the truffle roll

 

 

clusters and barks in a bedroom

 

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the molded chocolates 

 

 

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

 

my glasses after taking the probe out of the melter - the wall got the worst of it

 

 

 

 

 

caramelized rice krispies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RobertM]

That looks like such a fun day!  I'm jealous!  

[Anna N]

Like having a mini eG workshop!  

[RobertM]

Now I'm depressed.....

[Anna N]

40 minutes ago, RobertM said:

Now I'm depressed.....

Don't be depressed!  Won't be long before the next eG workshop in Vegas. 

[patris]

  What a wonderful day it was! Kerry has begun her journey home, and all the other elves have packed their goodies and headed off. Now that the house is empty, all that is left is to sort out the leftovers and clean up. The aftermath:

 

The ingredients table.

 

Bedroom barks (peppermint and toasted coconut/toffee).

 

Abandoned confections of every kind.

 

The kitchen, with more treats.

 

My mother is currently in a rehab unit at a nursing home, so the staff there will benefit from much of the leftover goodness.

 

All in all, the day was a smashing success, which it would definitely not have been were it not for @Kerry Beal and her endless patience and boundless energy.

 

Edited December 11, 2016 by patris (log)

[Shelby]

I'm exhausted just seeing all of this.

[Kerry Beal]

Sitting at home - enjoying a cup of tea. Have all my Wegmans and Trader Joe groceries unpacked. Enjoying the chance to put my feet up. It was good fun - but next year perhaps slightly less lofty goals!

[patris]

1 minute ago, Kerry Beal said:

Sitting at home - enjoying a cup of tea. Have all my Wegmans and Trader Joe groceries unpacked. Enjoying the chance to put my feet up. It was good fun - but next year perhaps slightly less lofty goals!

 

Understatement of the century!