Amy's chocolates

[Guest guest]

> Actually Ghirardelli (sp?) makes a perfectly nice dark chocolate.

> Many chocolates, dark in particular don't have anything I can't

> devour in them. I think the higher priced are even better. They

> don't cover their chocolate up with anything. LOL

 

I agree. Ghirardelli is one of the better ones you can find in a

grocery! I prefer dark to anything else.

 

> I don't do much with chocolates or sweet things for that matter

> except go to Sweet Life (You go to Jimbos), but I think I will spend

> the money on a plane ticket and come to visit as a professional

> taste tester. By the way Sweet Life has wonderful Venus Nipples (and

> they look just like their name). <giggle>

 

*lol* Not sure I could eat those! :-7

 

Besides, I have really done well giving up sugar for most of daily

eats, the last month. I had some on Valentine's... and not having

much it really makes you appreciate the good stuff! This is now the

8th day in a row I have not had sugar - amazing, for this addict. But

I like how I feel much more!

 

That being said, not eating it is one thing, giving up making it, I

don't think I can do that. So you just let me know when you'll get

here and I'll plan something vegan and decadent.

 

> But, I must say that your recipes give me pause. Yummers. But all

> the big words will drive me to the dictionary...couverture?

 

Fancy chocolate with a high cocoa butter content, very creamy and good

to use for coating things, and molding.

 

> Tempering? I have one of those although not many see it. <grinning>

 

*lol* Tempering chocolate is a heating, cooling, stirring process that

allows the crystals of cocoa butter in the chocolate to set in a

stable form - resulting in glossy, smooth chocolate. You don't have

to bother with this if you're putting it in something, but when you

want to actually work with it, you have to do this.

 

> As far as getting a thermometer...what makes you think we don't eat

> it before it ever gets to a cool enough stage? Having a thermometer

> certainly isn't going to control what happens to the chocolate in my

> house.

 

*lol* I meant that stage in between starting to make something and

eating it! ;-)

 

> Circumspect linda (and getting fat)

 

Uh oh...

> " Amy " <sandpiperhiker

>

> >

> > Hmm, I didn't have a particular one in mind, but I love to make many.

> > Chocolate Strawberry Mousse cake: a thin brownie-like cake set into a

> > springform, set strawberries on top, fill in with a dark dense

> > chocolate mousse, top with another cake, repeat. Cover the whole

> > thing in ganache and top with more strawberries. Pavlovas are easy -

> > a crisp almond meringue topped with fruit, whipped cream and passion

> > fruit syrup. I have a really moist dark chocolate cake that gets

> > topped with a macadamia-caramel-toasted coconut glaze... or creme

> > brulee served on spoons and topped with banana (yes, I have a torch

> > for the " brulee " part). You saw my last apple pie. Chocolate Marquise

> > (and variations, usually raspberry), which is rather like the smooth

> > insides of truffles, but you slice it like a cake... Fig and Pistachio

> > Frangipane tart: fresh figs baked on a pistachio frangipane. Roasted

> > Clementine & Chocolate Tart: sliced clementines in a chocolate cream.

> > Bananas baked phyllo, with dates, pecans & maple-lime syrup. Italian

> > zuccoto. Caramel Rum Delirium ice cream cake. Most anything you'd

> > like, really.

> >

> > I meant that if you use regular store chocolate you can make a

> > passable truffle quite easily. If you get fancy and use couverture,

> > you need to be more circumspect with tempering, and not overheating

> > etc.; it's fussier. The simplest truffles consist of making a ganache

> > (heavy on the chocolate, light on the cream), chilling it,

> > scooping/forming it into little balls, and rolling in cocoa. Pretty

> > easy huh? (Ganache is simply chocolate melted with cream, sometimes a

> > little butter is added for softer insides. (It can work with soymilk,

> > too, Linda, but I haven't tried any vegan chocolates so I don't know

> > how they react.)

> >

> >

> > > however I thought it was a cool experience low simmering the

> > > sugar/butter/milk mixture until it became syrupy. Probably the

> > > coolest dessert technique I've tried. I see the chefs do it on the

> > > tv but never have tried anything like that mahself.

> >

> >

> > Welcome to candy making! :-) Now go get yourself on those cheap

> > grocery-store candy thermometers and you can control what happens to

> > that syrup when it cools... :-)

>

[Guest guest]

Congrats! Difficult to say the least, but your body will eventually adjust.

But I don't know how you can continue to bake or concoct with it. I wouldn't

have the will power to not taste test..at least that would be my excuse.

 

There is no stage here between starting to make it and eating it. If I start

with a 16 oz package of chips maybe 8 oz gets into the recipe. If I have 3

dozen cookies to bake I end up baking about half of that. But since I don't

use eggs the dough isn't hazardous to anyone. A cake...well, that is really

touch and go. Pie...if the crust has to be pre-baked I best make two of them

since the other one gets eaten right out of the oven. How do they do this!

" You have to come see this " and various other excuses. I am coming to be

very suspicious of the " Help " word no matter in what octave.

linda

 

 

 

" " Amy " <sandpiperhiker

> Besides, I have really done well giving up sugar for most of daily

> eats, the last month. I had some on Valentine's... and not having

> much it really makes you appreciate the good stuff! This is now the

> 8th day in a row I have not had sugar - amazing, for this addict. But

> I like how I feel much more!

>

> That being said, not eating it is one thing, giving up making it, I

> don't think I can do that.

 

> *lol* I meant that stage in between starting to make something and

> eating it! ;-)

[Guest guest]

, " linda " <lindai81 wrote:

>

> Congrats! Difficult to say the least, but your body will eventually

adjust.

> But I don't know how you can continue to bake or concoct with it. I

wouldn't

> have the will power to not taste test..at least that would be my excuse.

 

Thanks. I sure hope so! :-) I actually do ok not taste testing,

because I'm such a perfectionist that I don't want to spoil the recipe...

 

 

> There is no stage here between starting to make it and eating it. If

> I start with a 16 oz package of chips maybe 8 oz gets into the

> recipe. If I have 3 dozen cookies to bake I end up baking about half

> of that. But since I don't use eggs the dough isn't hazardous to

> anyone. A cake...well, that is really touch and go. Pie...if the

> crust has to be pre-baked I best make two of them since the other

> one gets eaten right out of the oven. How do they do this! " You have

> to come see this " and various other excuses. I am coming to be

> very suspicious of the " Help " word no matter in what octave.

 

*lol* I am totally ok as long as the item is still intact... but as

siin as it's cut into, opened, whatever, forget it. So hubby has some

and it goes out the door.