On occasion I'm reminded why many people prefer to purchase rather than make things like, say, chocolates. Ugh. I guess I thought that making chocolates entailed only melting and pouring. I stupidly did not question why my new book, Chocolates & Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner, is 388 pages. I don't know why I thought that discussions of the formula, theory, and technique of simply melting-and-pouring chocolate into molds would require 388 pages. Turns out, artisanal chocolate-making is, in fact, an art. There is much to consider: viscosity, hygroscopicity (don't ask), equilibrium relative humidity, tempering (heating, cooling, re-heating, re-cooling at precise temperatures), tabling, seeding, slabbing, crystallization, emulsion...you get the point. Heck, I don't have the time to acquire this kind of knowledge, let alone put it to use. So here I am, with two fancy artisan chocolate textbooks, pretty molds, festive packaging, and zero patience. Sometimes it's hard out there for an urban cowgirl. Today was a little disappointing, but I suppose that having lots of ideas that never pan out is better than having no ideas at all.
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