tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post3429990678122767807..comments2023-04-16T10:39:30.884-04:00Comments on French Laundry at Home: Concord Grape Jellies and Peanut Butter TrufflesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-27797228288255123872010-04-29T18:54:24.327-04:002010-04-29T18:54:24.327-04:00Hi, I'm just now finding your blog. I had the...Hi, I'm just now finding your blog. I had the same reaction to the French Laundry cookbook - I knew it would change the way I cook, and it has. I've made many recipes in the book, all of which have turned out well except these stupid jellies!!!!! I tried a second time and had essentially the same results you did. So thank you for making me feel better and I'm sorry yours did not turn out. <br /><br />By the way - I love your writing and I love it that you wrote this blog on TFL - I can't wait to read the rest of it!Pam Priestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-87629454249327020112008-12-12T08:14:00.000-05:002008-12-12T08:14:00.000-05:00Pectin's highly dependent on the acidity of a solu...Pectin's highly dependent on the acidity of a solution/jam/jelly. It should be around 3.5 (or rather, at least 3.5) or it will not set. Grape juice, especially concord, is less acidic, and probably adding lemon juice would have fixed up the setting issue.<BR/><BR/>(Too much acid and the jelly sets but then falls apart some later on).<BR/><BR/>- AndreaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-71751872373514821562008-05-07T17:14:00.000-04:002008-05-07T17:14:00.000-04:00I think your jellies didn't work out because the t...I think your jellies didn't work out because the temperature of 219 seems way too low. I make jam at home and cook to 220, if I'm remembering correctly. But with grapes, you have to really be careful with burning them (I made concord grape jelly-jam in the fall, without a recipe and let me tell you how delicious that was!) Okay, so, I boiled it just until it thickened, and it did take longer than I had initially thought. Once it started to thicken, I tasted it, then did a cold plate test and immediately put it into the canning jars. BUT, you were not trying to make jam you were trying for jelly candies... My bet is that your sugar/pectin/water ratios were off and that's what made everything so blobular. If you do try it again, I'd try cold plating the jelly to see what's going on before you do the whole plastic wrapped pan she-bang.<BR/><BR/>If I decide to try them, I'll let you know what happens!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05398678208930003330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-5048094958973280142008-04-04T12:24:00.000-04:002008-04-04T12:24:00.000-04:00i just made some carrot jellies/gum drops from a d...i just made some carrot jellies/gum drops from a different recipe. it uses mostly the same ingredients, but asks you to cook the sugar/corn syrup to 280, then add it to your boiling pectin/juice mix. they turned out, although they taste a lot more like corn syrup than carrots.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01489620251782402982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-23061168023064505772008-01-21T16:29:00.000-05:002008-01-21T16:29:00.000-05:00A little late, but from a scientific standpoint, y...A little late, but from a scientific standpoint, you're basically trying to form a supersaturated solution. So when it cools it ends up hardening, from all the solute (like the pectin and sugar)...more solute than liquid. Probably why the reboiling thing works...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-11832046544180681402007-03-01T23:58:00.000-05:002007-03-01T23:58:00.000-05:00It's got to be a bunk recipe. We ran into the sam...It's got to be a bunk recipe. We ran into the same issues.sneksehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15121253025671052849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-6000990465528278262007-02-18T22:25:00.000-05:002007-02-18T22:25:00.000-05:00Fabulous idea to cook through the entire French La...Fabulous idea to cook through the entire French Laundry Cookbook. Looking forward to reading about it. <BR/><BR/>These truffles sound very tasty and I'm sorry the jellies didn't work because that's what really intrigues me about this. But I have no useful information to offer. I've never used pectin and the whole making things jell thing sort of intimidates me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-66941537107769918642007-02-18T14:26:00.000-05:002007-02-18T14:26:00.000-05:00I had the same problem with the jellies as well. O...I had the same problem with the jellies as well. On the second attempt, after buying apple pectin from an online professional chef source, I still had to boil the crap out of it to get it to thicken. The end result, though set enough to cut and roll in sugar, looked nothing like the picture. All the more disappointing for being one of the first FL recipes that I tried because it looked so simple. I still can't make a FL or Bouchon dish without being reminded of the jellies failure.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-42972510518927498792007-02-18T13:55:00.000-05:002007-02-18T13:55:00.000-05:00pdxblogmommy -- yes, I'm sure god is smiting me as...pdxblogmommy -- yes, I'm sure god is smiting me as we speak for blaming kosher grape juice. Just for that, I'm going to videotape myself sucking the grape gel through my teeth while singing "Singe Sur Baton... Pardon" and email it to you. p.s. Rodger Berman loves you.Carol Blymirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08573307850587096182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-6623518164973876762007-02-18T13:13:00.000-05:002007-02-18T13:13:00.000-05:00Perhaps the Concord Grape Jellies didn't work out ...Perhaps the Concord Grape Jellies didn't work out because you blamed the KOSHER grape Juice. And that got the Big Man Upstairs mad at you. I'd think that the Kedem is far superior to Knudsen's or whatever. Direct to your table from G-d.<BR/><BR/>Nevertheless, gelatinous squares of jelled grape juice dusted in sugar seem like the kind of thing I'd feed to people I dislike. Or people who dislike me would (to torture me) suck that shit through their teeth because they know how that skeeves me.<BR/><BR/>HOWEVER, having HAD Aunt B's fudge, I am aching now to try the balls >heh<. I might have to borrow that recipe. I thank you and my ass thanks you.pdxblogmommyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07424710962818464421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-43603832436543179072007-02-18T12:24:00.000-05:002007-02-18T12:24:00.000-05:00Best. Blog. Evar.Best. Blog. Evar.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-6219506307194877322007-02-18T10:50:00.000-05:002007-02-18T10:50:00.000-05:00[rubbingitin]I just go down the street to Kroger's...[rubbingitin]I just go down the street to Kroger's and pick up whatever flavor I want.;)[rubbingitin]<BR/><BR/>Oh, and I'll take a seat next to catherine on the blame-the-candy train. Bad, bad candy!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-34229207709854284242007-02-18T10:42:00.000-05:002007-02-18T10:42:00.000-05:00Spoonie -- yes I do. It's become somewhat of a tr...Spoonie -- yes I do. It's become somewhat of a tradition every summer with certain friends of mine. At their beach house, they order it by the case and on the day it arrives it's like a chorus of angels singing on high. I order it once a year because more than that would render me single forever.Carol Blymirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08573307850587096182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-54888984026550407772007-02-18T10:41:00.000-05:002007-02-18T10:41:00.000-05:00I tried to make a large batch of the jellies one t...I tried to make a large batch of the jellies one time to and had the same problem. I think some of Kellers recipes are a little bunk...One thing that did work for me with the jellies. After they cooled and were still liquid, I scraped them back into a saucepan and re-boiled. They worked after that, not sure why??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-84086112987343564002007-02-18T10:37:00.000-05:002007-02-18T10:37:00.000-05:00You know you can have that stuff shipped right to ...You know you can have that stuff shipped right to your door, right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-13877967781472075452007-02-18T10:19:00.000-05:002007-02-18T10:19:00.000-05:00Oh, Spoonie... you win! And a big ole WHOOT to yo...Oh, Spoonie... you win! And a big ole WHOOT to you! And now you've got me thinking about Graeter's ice cream, which I am begging my local co-op to "import" for summer... not gonna happen. <BR/><BR/>Catherine, thanks for jumping on the blame-the-candy bandwagon. You are the best.<BR/><BR/>And FjordEvryStream (do I know you?) -- good advice on the candy. Not sure if I'll try them again or not. I do have leftover grape juice, but...... the jury's out on this one.Carol Blymirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08573307850587096182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-61687896740461980802007-02-18T10:11:00.000-05:002007-02-18T10:11:00.000-05:00Oh DG--you took the melon baller out of storage AN...Oh DG--you took the melon baller out of storage AND let the peanut butter SET UP in the fridge!!! I'm calling a SLoP Intervention, stat. Hee! ;)<BR/><BR/>In other news, the truffles sound way better than the lame stale tasting Buckeyes that are made around here. Have you been eating Buckeye Blitz again??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-17021293511380535012007-02-18T09:04:00.000-05:002007-02-18T09:04:00.000-05:00Mmm, truffles. MMMM, peanut butter and chocolate ...Mmm, truffles. <BR/><BR/>MMMM, peanut butter and chocolate truffles! Those look delicious.<BR/><BR/>I'm sorry the candy did not work out. Stupid candy. Yes, I am blaming it and not you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4543389752792247888.post-56470273595342658402007-02-17T23:32:00.000-05:002007-02-17T23:32:00.000-05:00I tried to make the Yuzu jellies once and I had th...I tried to make the Yuzu jellies once and I had the same problem. IF you want to try the jellies again (and I'm not saying you have to), you might want to keep it simmering until it's really thickened (which might take longer than 10 minutes) but without scorching or burning it. Just keep it at 219 degrees and keep whisking it until you really feel resistance from the jelly in the saucepan. Then, pour it into the baking dish and let it set. If it doesn't work then, then I don't know what to tell you. I don't think you have to crush your own grapes to make homemade grape juice for this to work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com