Confections! (2006-2012)

[Darienne]

Thanks for all the replies and welcomes. This is the most fantastic forum I have ever seen and I am overwhelmed by it all...not to mention that I have yet to figure out all the ins and outs of it.

I am very new to the confection world and just about everything I make is a first for me. I feel very much the newbie when I read all your posts and see all the confections that you 'whip' off.

As for posting pictures...first I have to figure out mostly just how to post.

Darienne

[Darienne]

Welcome, Darienne! I just made my first batch of marshmallows tonight (they're setting up now), and just from sampling some out of the bowl I can say the same thing as you. I've never liked marshmallows, but I've only ever had the mass-produced ones. After hearing everyone hear rave about how much better homemade ones are, I decided I had to try them. What a difference! I can't wait to try making different flavours too.

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Hi Emmalish,

One thing I did find is that the marshmallows were VERY intense in flavor and sweetness...and I am not a sweetness buff. However, dipping them in the 70% chocolate completely changed the taste. The intensity of the marshmallow was so nicely tempered (ha! play on words...no doubt very familiar to you all) them and they were splendid.

I also learned...another learning experience...is that the less icing sugar/cornstarch combo I used with them, the better the chocolate adhered.

I am going to try chocolate next. I don't know what this obsession is about, but I am going with it!!!

[emmalish]

Emmalish,

One thing I did find is that the marshmallows were VERY intense in flavor and sweetness...and I am not a sweetness buff.  However, dipping them in the 70% chocolate completely changed the taste.  The intensity of the marshmallow was so nicely tempered (ha! play on words...no doubt very familiar to you all) them and they were splendid.

I also learned...another learning experience...is that the less icing sugar/cornstarch combo I used with them, the better the chocolate adhered. 

I am going to try chocolate next.  I don't know what this obsession is about, but I am going with it!!!

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Darienne, I'm not a fan of sweet things either, so I'll probably enrobe these in dark chocolate as well (but I'm giving half of them to a friend of me who loves marshmallows, so I'll keep some plain as well).

I'm pretty sure someone upthread (Kerry maybe?) mentioned that when she knows she's going to enrobe her marshmallows, she doesn't coat them with powdered sugar/cornstarch at all.

Oh, and I'm very new to making confections too, and I know there are quite a few of us newbies around here, so you're not alone in that. But this is a great place to learn and share. You're gonna love it!

[prairiegirl]

If I enrobe my marshmalows, then I don't coat in any starch.

[Darienne]

If I enrobe my marshmalows, then I don't coat in any starch.

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Hi Prairie Girl,

Good advice and one that I am going to follow from now on. Thanks

I was reading another one of the eG forums...Fine Chocolate I think...and someone made curry flavored marshmallows which intrigues me greatly.

I think this is definitely my 'marshmallow' phase...

[Darienne]

I think this is definitely my 'marshmallow' phase...

[Spring]

Does anyone have any experience making sugar free marshmallows?

[Kerry Beal]

Does anyone have any experience making sugar free marshmallows?

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Post #940 in the big marshmallow topic here. Pringle007 successfully used splenda in place of sugar in nightscotsman's marshmallow recipe.

Edited September 7, 2008 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Spring]

Thanks Kerry

I cant get sugar free honey here, any ideas what I could use instead? Would sugar free maple syrup be a possibility?

[Kerry Beal]

Thanks Kerry

I cant get sugar free honey here, any ideas what I could use instead? Would sugar free maple syrup be a possibility?

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I'd give it a try.

[Pam R]

Thanks Kerry

I cant get sugar free honey here, any ideas what I could use instead? Would sugar free maple syrup be a possibility?

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I know Elite has a s/f honey on their list. It must be available somewhere, no?

[Spring]

Pam R: As far as I know its low calorie but ill be in the supermarket tomorrow and check again. Thanks for the help

[Sue Casey]

I'm relatively new to this forum and was wondering where I might find the ganache checker spreadsheet posting.

I have been using the ganache checker spreadsheet posted by Schneich to tweak the recipes and this has worked very well for the first few I have done.

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[alanamoana]

clicky here for link to thread on ganache

the excel spreadsheet is linked in the first post

[tammylc]

I love Easter! It always seems to bring out the kid in me, and I have more fun than usual playing with chocolate.

The half eggs and the round box in the front were my Easter collection. The eggs and bunny are turtle (caramel/pecan) and the chocolate flavors are blackberry, peanut butter, rosemary and ginger.

Behind that are my first experiments with hollow eggs. I'm still figuring out what the right amount of chocolate for my molds is, so the first batch I did had shells that were too thin, and in the second batch there was too much and the chocolate pooled on one side. But it was definitely fun having my 5 year old son help me decorate the molds - he did one side, I did the other, so each egg is truly a team effort.

Then behind that the tulips I made last night, inspired by the ceramic bowl thread.

[prairiegirl]

Nice job Tammy!

[lapin d'or]

I bought some bunny moulds on ebay this year and have made a few to sell and have given some to family too.

This is my home Easter dispay with the medium size bunny. They all gave me problems with dull spots in places and cracking. They were behaving quite well until I took orders and then they really starting to play up; I should have waited until I knew it was not beginners luck. But it has been lots of fun.

I quite like playing with moulded chocolate, at least you can melt it all back down again if it goes wrong.

Happy holidays everyone

Lapin

[Lior]

Nice !! Itis fun to see all your things Tammy and Lapin d'or!!

I guess Easter is very soon- so I wish you all a very happy Easter! I bet it was fun for the 5 year old to decorate chocolate eggs!!

[Kim Shook]

tammylc – gorgeous stuff! I am especially amazed by those tulips!

Lapin – Your bunny is adorable and the eggs look wonderful!

Some candy I put together for the kids in our family for Easter:

It’s called Jelly Belly bark. The original recipe called for white candy coating and I hate that stuff. So Kerry and Lisa Shock suggested that I just use good quality white chocolate. You just melt it and top with jelly beans. I am not a white chocolate fan (too sweet for me), but it’s pretty and nothing is too sweet for my nieces and nephews!

[Lior]

Lovely -just for the kids!! Happy Easter to you and yours!

[Amy D.]

these were my first attempts at eggs, these are hollow half shells, just slightly bigger than a cream egg in size.

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/12375261...6581_118468.jpg

These were some of the more successful of my Christmas efforts (given as gifts for the family)

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/12375261...6581_424190.jpg

These were some of the more successful of my Christmas efforts (given as gifts for the family), not brilliant but not bad for my first venture into dipping. The top is a salted caramel , the middle a raspberry butter ganache, and the bottom one a toasted hazelnut marzipan

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/12375261...6581_187574.jpg

[Amy D.]

(I'll try again)

these were my first attempts at eggs, these are hollow half shells, just slightly bigger than a cream egg in size.

These were some of the more successful of my Christmas efforts (given as gifts for the family)

These were some of the more successful of my Christmas efforts (given as gifts for the family), not brilliant but not bad for my first venture into dipping. The top is a salted caramel , the middle a raspberry butter ganache, and the bottom one a toasted hazelnut marzipan

[cmflick]

Very nice. I especially like the eggs with yolks!

[lapin d'or]

Yes, Amy's eggs with yolks made me smile and I love the look of Kim's jelly belly bark, so colourful.

[Amy D.]

the eggs with the yolks were a stolen idea I thought I'd have a go at - but as there were so many different versions of these in the shops this easter (in the uk) i'm not sure who actually started it!