Day Thirty-Three

Chocolate candies are starting to form; slowly but surely.  We completed a few more tasks today in our chocolate making class.  One of these tasks was pouring chocolate on top of a stencil, then swiping off the excess.  Then we placed a trio of caramelized hazelnuts on top.  I think we might be hand-dipping these in chocolate either tomorrow or Friday. 



We hand dipped our almond nougatine that we made yesterday, but I did not take a picture.  I thought I did a pretty good job with it, though.  Later in the week we’re going to be using some sort of machine that coats the candies with chocolate.

We made another ganache today; this one is a milk chocolate-coffee ganache.  Yum.  It’s made with milk chocolate coins, coffee beans, trimoline, heavy cream and butter – also known as a Frappuccino.  We used it in the same way as we did yesterday (poured it on top of acetate on top of plexiglass).



Earl Gray ganache made with dark chocolate and Earl Gray tea leaves.


I’m pretty good about not eating too much during class, but the next two weeks are going to be rough.  I’m sneaking bits of chocolate and caramelized hazelnuts left and right.  They give me energy and happiness.  I keep thinking of this I Love Lucy episode. 

All of the pictures I’ve been taking lately have not been with my usual camera.  I’m using the camera on the new HTC One X.  AT&T sent me the phone to try out for a month to collect some information on how I use the HTC One X.  They would like to get a sense for how technology supports recipe creation, documentation and everything in between.

I’m loving the new phone and will most likely continue using it after this month.  It’s a big step up from my old phone.  It’s brighter, bigger, thinner, faster, and… just cooler.  It’s been getting a lot of attention from people.  I feel so hip.  I’ve been using it to research and develop a few recipes for my blog (and read food blogs), mostly on the L and the bus.  There’s been a lot of commuting lately, and the phone is keeping me sane.   

I’ll have a full review for you at the end of the month, along with an HTC One X giveaway!