This One's for Q

There is, of course, an inside joke in that. But it's still pretty adorable even if you don't know why it's funny. There are also now videos up of the Laura Lopez Lecture Series from our field trip to the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park on Sunday. You can also check my comment on the last post for the multitude of pictures available for perusing if you're so inclined.

California Dreamin'

The quintessential California experience: Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge on your way to wine country in a convertible with good friends while the Mamas and the Papas "California Dreamin'" plays on the radio.

Approaching the bridge on the return trip (after Amal realized he may have just bought a 1999 Saab Lemon).

Amal races into the shot just as the camera timer runs out.

Chocolate, Part Deux

Today was the last session of my chocolate making class. (For Brandy -- we've been using Noel brand chocolate.) Unlike the previous two sessions, we were not as focused on making delicious fillings and chocolates that tasted amazing. Instead, we were aiming for our "chocolate display pieces." We could only be so creative, given that we only had the giant molds that the school owned. But I still did okay, choosing to use the creepy dwarf with two children and a dog mold. There was a debate about whether or not the "dwarf" was in fact supposed to be Santa Claus, which would explain the children and the sack, but not the dog. I wanted it to be one of the seven dwarfs... and after my cocoa butter paint job, all of us in the class agreed that this dwarf was named "Creepy."

We unfortunately ran out of time to make the "plastic chocolate" roses, but I did manage to make a little bow with some of the scrap pieces. "Plastic chocolate" is regular chocolate mixed with corn syrup and has a fondant like consistency. I took some home with the intent to try to make a rose... Chef Delphin made it look easy. I have a suspicion mine will not be as nice as his!

Creepy the Chocolate Psychedelic Wizard

Thistle truffles and a "chocolate plastic" bow

Chocolate Dolphin

A large (hollow) chocolate ball... just because

Posted by rhode at 11:54 PM | Comments (1)

Chocolate!

I did not think it was possible to become too full to eat another piece of chocolate. But tonight I took the first class of "Fine Chocolates and Fillings I" at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, and I've discovered that it is possible. I've also discovered that it's possible to have purple chocolate with passion fruit jelly and dark chocolate ganache inside. Oh, but the maple ganache made with maple syrup (inside the dark chocolate with red, yellow, and green highlights) is my favorite by far.

Overall, I came home with quite the haul.