Comments on: Halloween Wrap-up and Two Bentos (411)

By: eula

eula — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:38:51 +0000

I can’t believe you found the hand mold for that cheap! Yummy looking hand. ;) As for the ganache, I have a lot of trouble too the first (and only) time i tried to make it. Next time, refrigerate the excess ganache and if it hardens, you can roll them into truffles!

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:38:58 +0000

That hand is hideous! And I love it. ;)

By: Theresa (Craving Chronicles)

Theresa (Craving Chronicles) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:00:52 +0000

I’m really sorry to hear you had so much trouble with the ganache! I’ve made that exact ganache frosting a couple of times and never had that happen to me. I double-checked the book to make sure I had the recipe right, and I do. I don’t think semi-sweet vs. bittersweet makes much of a difference. My best guess is that using chocolate chips instead of a chopped chocolate bar must be the problem. Chocolate chips sometimes have stabilizers in them to help them retain their shape in baked goods, so they don’t melt quite as nicely as plain old bars of chocolate. I used part of a Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet chocolate bar to make the ganache for the spiderweb cupcakes. Maybe try something like that next time? Again, sorry it didn’t work out for you!

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:05:24 +0000

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by pikko: New blog entry: Halloween Wrap-up and Two Bentos (411) http://www.aibento.net/?p=1408...

By: jomamma

jomamma — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:50:29 +0000

LOL that hand is disgusting…. but I like it!

Looks like your chocolate ‘broke’ that’s what they call it when it’s cooked to long. Don’t worry it happens to lots of us.

By: Miss M!

Miss M! — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:28:12 +0000

Just like the previous poster said – heat that is too high or any sort of water (damp bowl, wet spoon, etc) will cause your chocolate to seize, which is exactly what it did in that first photo. For ganache, I always stick with cream. That’s pretty much textbook.

Your final product does look yummy though!

By: LizAndrsn

LizAndrsn — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:07:42 +0000

You know chocolate chips are engineered to retain their shapes, right? It’s not impossible to melt them. but the disc chocolates or chucked up chocolate bars are easier to melt. If your Evap. Milk seperates in the can it will screw it up too (ask how I know!). The addition of dairy for a ganache is pretty standard — I go the cream route myself, but I can see where the butter would make the chocolate shiny, just as would a TBSP of Vegetable Shortening. As you learned, heat that is up too high is a no-no, as is ANY water.
Luckily your end results look divine! Pass one through the screen, would you?!

By: Aimee S.

Aimee S. — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:23:11 +0000

Glad someone else’s husband reads Fark too!

By: Pikko

Pikko — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:01:50 +0000

Before you go out and spend oodles of money, try seeing what you can do with an ordinary tupperware. It’s really all about the food arranging. If after a couple of tupperware bentos you find that you want to stick with it, try shopping for a couple of inexpensive boxes at the store by you. After that, try the little food picks. Those are great for making a bento cute without much effort at all!

By: naomi

naomi — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:58:40 +0000

Seriously Im not sure what it is I love more about your bentos, the boxes? the food? the pair? Im not sure but you make me so excited to start doing my own, what would you suggest I start out with? I have a great Japanese store near me as well as a Japanese sister in law who can get me anything I need ;) I must make the cute boxes of food haha I (I think thats what I like most!) I love cutesy stuff!