1 no ingredients
Directions
MELTING CHOCOLATE
Chocolate scorches easily, so always melt it over hot - not boiling
~ water. It is best to use a double boiler, but you can improvise by
using a c or bowl in a small saucepan over very gentle heat. The
water must be kept below simmering to prevent steam from curling up
and hitting the chocolate. If steam gets into the melted chocolate it
will immediately thicken the mixture to a stiff mass. If this does
happen, however, you can rescue the chocolate by softening it again.
To do this, add 1-2 tb of vegetable shortening (never use butter as
it contains moisture which will cause the chocolate stiffen even
more!) to the chocolate and stir vigorously. You can also melt
chocolate directly over very low heat in a heavy gauge saucepan, but
you must watch the mixture carefully.
HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE CURLS
Use a vegetable peeler with a long narrow blade and a chunk or bar
of chocolate. Warm chocolate and blade slightly. Be sure your peeler
is absolutely dry. Draw the peeler along the smooth surface of the
chocolate.
HOW TO GRATE CHOCOLATE
Be sure that the block of chocolate is cool and firm. Grate on hand
grater, cleaning the grater often so that the chocolate doesn't clog
the surface of the blade. You cn use a blender, but be sure to cut the
chocolate into sm pieces first.
HOW TO STORE CHOCOLATE
Chocolate should be stored in a cool, dry place at a temperature of
about 60F. If the chocolate becomes too warm, the cocoa butter rises
to the surface and forms a dusty gray film known as "bloom." This
"bloom" is not harmful and, once the chocolate is melted, it returns
to its natural rich brown color. If you do store chocolate in the
refrigerator or freezer, take in out and let it stand until it
returns to room temperature before you use it in a recipe. Chocolate
is very sensitive to sudden changes of temperature and you will not
get the best results if you do not treat it with respect.
Origin: Farm Journal's Choice Chocolate Recipes Posted in COOKING by:
Sharon Stevens 8/10/93
Servings: 1 servings
All About Chocolate - Cooking Tips Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Chocolate; Dessert
The History of Recipes
We are able to follow the history of meal recipes far back into the distant past, certainly as far back as ancient Egypt, and possibly even further. Interesting though that is, in the main part, these early cook books were just very simple pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for food preparation.
The truth of the matter is, the oldest recipe discovered, according to food historians is a collection of ancient tablets in Sumerian which describe the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making people feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. Later on, in The time of the roman empire around 25BC a roman called Apicius created a few documents describing recipes enjoyed by his fellow Romans. In his scrolls, he recounts how the meals were divided into hors d`oeuvre, main meal and desserts, a style of dining still practiced today. Additionally, he describes how the cooks of his times made use of a wide range of aromatic flavours, including many that are still in use today like thyme, fennel and asafoetida. Later, in the fifteenth century, people returning from the crusades brought us many foods and herbs from the holy lands, such as parsley, basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new tastes prompted a surge in recipe manuscripts, most of which are now in private libraries. The introduction of the TV brought us TV cookery programs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everybody to search through massive numbers of recipes such as those found on this site. |
We hope you enjoy this All About Chocolate Cooking Tips recipe.
