Easter Carbs

What better way to break forty days of fasting for Lent than with carbs?

It's common among my friends and coworkers to give up sweets, potato chips, and/or pop during Lent. I admire their commitment and will power. I know we talked about this sort of thing when I was a kid attending a Catholic school, but I don't actually remember giving anything up myself. Maybe I did and was so traumatized by it that I've blocked it from my memory. Or maybe because it was a "small t" tradition, it wasn't overly emphasized in my family. Whatever the case, I don't normally participate in fasting for Lent.

In more recent years, though, I've picked up alternative practices. For example, for a few years in a row, I collected 40 food items to donate to the food bank. Another year, I selected 40 items to donate to charity (inspired by a 40 bags for 40 days challenge that just seemed to be a bit too much of a commitment). When you shift your perspective in this way, you find that there are many options to make an impact that don't involve food. Donate $40 to a local charity. Volunteer for 40 hours with a non-profit organization. Engage in 40 random acts of kindness. This is my preferred way to observe Lent, but everyone should do what works for them. 

Now, despite the fact that I haven't fasted, I'm still happy to participate in the breaking of the fast. From chocolate Easter bunnies to hot cross buns and everything in between, this is one calendar custom with delicious traditions.

Today, I'm happy to have an invitation to a turkey dinner. Naturally, I felt compelled to make dessert. Inspired by Facebook memories of Easter past, I decided it was time to make cupcakes again. French vanilla sponge with vanilla buttercream dyed a pale yellow and topped with rainbow Eggies (and a few with Junior Mints Eggs). The colour is on point and the flavour is top notch. 

But before I get to that, I'll start my day with one of the raspberry Easter eggs that I made earlier in the month. Alongside a cup of coffee, I'm sure it will be heavenly. 

I know I've said more than once that I thought a particular confection was my best work yet, but the response to these raspberry Easter eggs has been incredibly positive. The raspberry ganache centre had a beautiful texture and the addition of the lemon juice really brought out the fresh berry flavour. One day, I'll sell these in a very chic chocolate lounge. 

And of course, I can't forget to mention hot cross buns. Ever since moving to Cape Breton, I've been hunting for the best hot cross buns. Almost every year, I take off Holy Thursday and visit local shops and bakeries, buying all of the delightful things I can find. It's less about Easter and more about the start of Spring (which brings with it balcony coffees, gardening, and Birkenstock season). I've bought hot cross buns in North Sydney, Sydney River, Sydney, and Glace Bay. But there are two key issues. First, it's not uncommon to have to buy hot cross buns in large quantities. One year, the smallest pack I could find was 8. Now, as one person, I can't possibly eat 8 hot cross buns before they go stale and hot cross buns are the sort of thing were you eat one or two to get your fix and then you're over it for another year. The second issue pertains to the icing cross that is common here. I've seen it made with a very loose royal icing and I've also seen it made with buttercream. While it adds a delightful sweetness if consumed immediately after buying, leave it even a few hours and the sugar begins to absorb moisture from the air and the icing begins to weep and melt. It's a sticky mess (and that impedes toasting them when they're a few days old). 

Consequently, for the last few years, I've made my own hot cross buns. I use a small batch recipe that I found online, which makes only 6 small buns and I riff on that to make it my own. (Next year I may try cutting the recipe in half, because really 3 would be the ideal number to make.) This year, I used a bread lame to cut the crosses into the buns, thereby eliminating the need for an icing cross (I realize that traditionally a flour paste is used to bake the cross into the top of the bun, but it seemed like an unnecessary step). And I also glazed them with apricot jam, which gave them a delicious flavour. Next year, I plan to substitute apricots or blueberries for the more common raisins. (I may have to write a note to my future self so that I remember to try one of these variations.)

Until then, I'll enjoy this year's Easter carbs while I can, for Eggies and hot cross buns come but once a year.  

Happy Easter!

Raspberry Easter Eggs

Over the years, I've made many different Easter eggs. Peanut butter fudge, Cadbury creme egg dupes, strawberry cream, orange creamsicle, Oreo cookie, potato chip, Rice Krispies, peanut gianduja... They've all been delicious and it would be easy to just pick one and repeat it (especially a peanut butter one). But Tuesday night chocolate study and this blog aren't about what's easy! They're about trying new things and learning in the process. And so as much as I'd like to be making myself a gianduja bunny again, this year's Easter eggs will instead have a dark chocolate raspberry ganache filling.

Now, I've experimented with ganache a fair amount, particularly with alcohol as the flavouring. Beer, cider, port wine, Cointreau, brandy... I've also made a variety of truffles flavoured with oils (peppermint, orange, key lime, lemon, strawberry), and even a few that used pulverized freeze-dried fruit. But I can't recall making a truffle with fruit puree (though I certainly used fruit purees in buttercream frosting when I was doing more cake decorating).

In preparation for my Tuesday night chocolate study, I reviewed a number of recipes. I settled on a recipe in the Ewald Notter book The Art of the Chocolatier as a base recipe upon which I would riff. And that meant I needed to make raspberry puree.

I started with half a bag of frozen raspberries, tossed them into a pot with about 20 grams of sugar, and heated and stirred until they started to break down and become liquid. Then I pureed them and strained out the seeds, first with a mesh strainer and then with multiple layers of cheese cloth. Neither was particularly efficacious. After significant effort (and mess), I had about 120 grams of puree. I set it in the fridge and called it a night.

The next day, I prepared the ganache. Based on the quantities outlined in the Notter book, I decided to half the recipe. I have to admit, I was a little bit nervous making this ganache. I've never added lemon juice to chocolate and I worried that it might break or seize. Presumably the addition of lemon juice was meant to enhance the flavour of the raspberry puree, so once the ganache was a beautiful emulsion, I took a deep breath and added the acid to the mixture. The gods favoured me and the ganache didn't split. And the resulting flavour was incredible.

Sadly, the gods didn't favour me for long. I'm not sure if the chocolate I was using as seed was itself out of temper or (more likely) if I was impatient and rushed the process, but my first attempt at shelling was a failure. I knew when I took the mold out of the fridge that the chocolate was not in temper. So I started over. I wasn't present the first time around, but I was hyper-focused the second time and it worked as expected. 

Next I filled the shells and set the mold aside to crystallize before proceeding with capping the following day. When I tapped out the finished eggs, I had one casualty, which cracked coming out of the mold. The rest were perfect. 

As I write this, a week later, I am in the process of doing it all over again so that I will hopefully have 23 eggs in total to share with friends. The molds are shelled and filled, and tomorrow night before a museum board meeting, I hope to cap them.

Now, about that casualty. I did not discard it. Nay, I uncharacteristically ate it. (If you've been reading these blogs long enough, you know that I don't normally sample the finished product so soon after it's been made). What can I say about these eggs? They are incredible. The raspberry flavour is intense. The pairing with dark chocolate is ideal, ensuring the eggs aren't overly sweet. While I'm not a huge lover of raspberry, I would definitely make these again. I'm thrilled with how they turned out and can't wait to share them with family and friends.

Yes, I said family. I don't normally mail chocolate home, but my sister's birthday is coming up and there is a Canada Post flat rate box headed her way. Conveniently, there's a little room left in it for three Easter eggs. Hopefully she and my parents will enjoy them (though I'm guessing they won't survive until Easter Sunday). 

This experiment definitely has me wanting to try additional chocolate and fruit puree pairings. I'm curious: What fruit and chocolate pairing would you use in an Easter egg? 

St. Patrick's Day Decor

A few weeks ago, I mentioned in a post that the selection of St. Patrick's Day decor in the local area is abysmal. For several weeks in a row, my boyfriend and I searched high and low for something -- anything! -- that wasn't a gaudy plastic dollar store wonder. We found nothing. Despite the fact that this type of seasonal decor does exist at major chains across the United States, it can't be found here for reasons known only to marketing gurus. 

And so we were left to our own devices.

I purchased a 15" wooden round from Michaels. It took a few days to decide on how to finish it. Paint? Stain? White? Orange? Eventually I decided on a watered-down acrylic paint in "happy green" (or as I like to call it, "Janice Lime"). I brushed it on with a foam applicator and wiped it back off with a paper towel.

Now, originally I wanted to make a sign that would hang near my coffee station, so I was hoping to find a cutting design for a St. Patrick's coffee shop. I did, but I didn't like the fonts that were used or the overall look of the design and I just didn't have the energy to create my own. Instead, I grabbed the one for St. Patrick's Brewing Company (available in Megan Hardy Designs here). I pulled a piece of green permanent vinyl from my stash and cut the sign as large as my 12" piece would allow. Mercifully, it was easy to weed away the excess vinyl, revealing the design. 

Strangely, there was nothing in the centre of the beer bottle. My eye kept returning to it, feeling it looked odd. So back to the computer I went. I pulled one of the shamrocks from the original design, resized it, and cut it on a corner scrap of vinyl. I added it to the larger design and decided it was a definite improvement. A piece of transfer tape and about a dozen attempts at positioning it on the circle, using a ruler to try to centre it, and I was done!

Ta-da! 

Now, I still look at this and think it needs a little something more. Maybe a rope border around the edge, for example, to set it off. Though I've strolled the craft supply sections of multiple stores, nothing has spoken to me yet. But until then, this is my St. Patrick's Day door hanger. 

I also purchased a few items to spruce up my space from Temu, including a green shamrock table runner, a fabric table runner with a leprechaun on a truck, and a set of shamrock mini lights. And, of course, our St. Patrick's Day gnome that we made a few years ago is out. This year, instead of hanging on the door, he's sitting on my china cabinet. Finally, there's the little chocolate leprechaun house that I made last week. 

It's feeling festive here. And that's just what we need at this time of the year -- as Fool's Spring fades once more to Winter's last hurrah.

See you next week for this year's Easter eggs!

Leprechaun House

Last week I was in the mood to make something with my chocolate supplies. I went to the sideboard they are stored in and pulled out a new silicone mold I had purchased from Temu before Christmas. In November when I saw it, I had ambitious ideas that I would make a series of small chocolate houses to give to friends. Of course, time got away from me and I made tiny gingerbread houses instead. Still, I have been thinking about that mold and wanting to try it. Who says "gingerbread" houses are only for Christmas? There is a trend on YouTube right now for crafters to make gingerbread crafts for Valentine's Day and Easter. And my sister, who was very late taking down her Christmas tree this year, has taken to saying, "There are no rules."

Well, if there are no rules, then why can't I make a chocolate gingerbread house for St. Patrick's Day?

I grabbed a bag of green candy melts and set about guessing how much (compound) chocolate I would need to fill the cavities for the four walls and two roof pieces. It wasn't particularly scientific, but I piled chocolate wafers into each well and then tossed in an extra handful for good luck. It was approximately 8.5oz of chocolate based on how much is left in the bag. And it did the trick.

Now, I have to pause here to comment about candy melts. The selection available lately is dreadful. Bulk Barn has the Merckens brand, but only has three colours (yellow, orange, and blue as of writing this post). Atlantic Superstore carries Wilton brand, but only in chocolate and bright white. Michaels stopped carrying Wilton brand a few years ago and ever since has only stocked Sweet Tooth Fairy brand, and while they have a better selection of colours, the colours are not true. The red and blue that I've had in the past are much lighter than the packaging would suggest. And the green? Well, the bag is lime, the name says "light green," and it looks like mint. Good candy melts are hard to find.

Anyway, as I mentioned last week, silicone molds are a little finicky to work with. Nevertheless, using a bench scraper I was able to level the chocolate in the mold (mostly). After it had set in the fridge for 15 minutes,  I carefully unmolded the pieces. I was very impressed with the detail. Originally, I thought I would assemble the house using royal icing, but decided to try assembling with leftover candy melts instead. It worked great and set up far more quickly than I would have anticipated. I left it for a few days while I contemplated how best to decorate it.

Now, I don't have any St. Patrick's Day chocolate molds. (Shocking, I know!) So I had to get creative. First I tried melting some dark green candy melts left over from another food craft project, but no matter what I did, they wouldn't melt. I'm not sure if the humidity of last summer got them or if candy melts actually do have an expiry date, but they simply would not cooperate. So instead, I melted some of the light green ones and added oil-based food colouring. I got the colour I wanted, but I hope no one eats it because the taste is incredibly bitter. 

I used the darker green to pipe two shamrocks on a piece of wax paper. I also filled a few candy-shaped molds to use as architectural columns. And finally I made a green teddy bear (because there are no rules, right?). I eventually also made another trip to Bulk Barn (it's getting to be a weekly thing) and acquired some orange, green, and rainbow candies. Armed with a small bag of royal icing, I began decorating.

With sour punch straw columns, cry baby trim, life saver windows, and a sour strap walkway, it's a Leprechaun's ultimate dream home! I particularly like the orange door and the molded candy ridge cap. 

As for the silicone mold from Temu, I'm very happy with it. It's not perfect -- the roof pieces could be a little wider to create an overhang. But it's detailed and cute, and the heart on the back reminds me of a claddagh ring. I can imagine making little chocolate "gingerbread" houses in a variety of colours -- and I'm betting a white one would look great as part of my Christmas decor. 

Until then, this leprechaun house is perfect for St. Patrick's Day. 

 

Silicone Molds and Online Retailers

Unless you live under a rock, you've likely heard of Temu. The app is taking the world by storm, providing access to deeply discounted products produced in China. Cheaper than a dollar store and delivered directly to your door, it's easy to see the appeal. 

More importantly, from my perspective anyway, is that it seems to have those things that you search for but can't seem to find after hours of hunting locally. I can't tell you how many times I've spent an afternoon searching 5+ locations for something only to return home and order it online. For example, have you gone looking for St. Patrick's Day decor? The options, at least where I live, are abysmal. Michaels and Winners have dropped the ball (despite the fact that in the US Michaels has an impressive selection of decor for the March holiday). The only options are cheap glittered items and plastic garlands at Dollarama (though, to be fair, they do seem to have expanded their St. Patrick's Day apparel). Temu, on the other hand, has all kinds of St. Patrick's Day decor! Table runners, shamrock mini lights, door hangers! It's a veritable treasure trove!

Now, listen, I know Temu has its issues. There's the environmental impact of shipping goods halfway around the world; the ethical concerns associated with production of the items (brand name dupes and labour practices) and consumption culture more generally; the safety of products and the chemicals that may (or may not) be used in items; the access to and security of personal information shared through the app; and the generally addictive nature of gamified shopping. It's not without it's faults (or its critics) and it may not be for everyone. Nevertheless, it's a thing and it won't be going away anytime soon. If anything, it's poised to grow, given their intense social strategy which is setting the stage for group buying in the future.

But that's not the point of this blog. (Though I will say that I'd love for someone to calculate the environmental impact of me driving around searching for something for an entire afternoon compared to an online purchase that is delivered to my door.)

You can find things on Temu that you never knew existed and that certainly aren't available at your average store. For example, while there are silicone chocolate molds available at Michaels, Bulk Barn, and Dollarama, I've never seen one of a gingerbread house. In contrast, I have seen them at Amazon and Temu. 

Now, if one's creative impulses are insisting that one mold a chocolate gingerbread house, well, what is one to do but buy the mold?

Most professional chocolatiers use rigid polycarbonate molds. They can be polished, produce excellent shine, and are easy to handle. They are also an investment at a higher price point. Silicone is generally avoided because it can't be polished, the shine produced isn't as glass-like as polycarbonate, and they are notoriously difficult to manipulate. To shell a mold, you normally fill it with chocolate, then invert it and tap so that the bulk of the chocolate drains out, before scraping away the excess chocolate. That's just not possible with a floppy silicone mold. Still, silicone has a place, particularly for intricate shapes that could easily break when unmolding and for food crafting that is more form over function. They also offer the advantage of a low price point, which is convenient if it's a one-off thing like a custom order. One common solution is to cut the mold into individual pieces to make it easier to manipulate, but I admit I haven't been able to bring myself to do that. Maybe one day.

The "building block Christmas house" chocolate mold on Temu cost $6.98 and arrived in about 10 days. The quality of the silicone is similar to that of other molds I've purchased. It was easy to unmold the pieces and clean up was quick and easy. And while it was a little difficult to manipulate, as expected, by placing it on a cookie sheet it was tolerable.

Did I need it? No. Do I love it? Yes. Will there be a chocolate gingerbread house for all seasons? Quite possibly. 

Stay tuned for next week when I unveil what I've made with this treasure from Temu.