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 can track the history of written recipes way back into antiquity, in fact as far back as ancient Egypt, and maybe further still. Having said that, these, early recipes were just very basic pictorial recipes for food preparation.
Fascinatingly, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to academics are a few tablets in the Sumerian language describing the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel exhilarated and blissful. Moving our culinary historical trip onwards, we have two interesting recipe books from the 1300s ; a cookery book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another called `Curye on Inglish`. Although the titles sound familiar, these are nothing to do with the indian food that is familiar to us all today, but rather accounts of the types of meals on the menues of the upper classes of that period. In the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought us many new foods, spices and herbs from Arab countries, including spices such as parsley and basil. The introduction of these new herbs and spices prompted an outbreak in recipe publications, most of which are now in private cookery archives. Over the following few centuries, the wealthy families of Europe tried to offer the best banquets, and as a consequence, chefs and their recipe collections were at a premium. Even so, it wasn`t until the 1800s that haute cuisine and recipe books rose to prominence. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the USA, spent years to collecting, testing, and recording recipes common in their social group. When we get to the 1900s, recipe books were starting to become popular due to more people being able to read, increased leisure time and having more disposable income. The arrival of TV brought us celebrity TV chefs and the spin-off recipe books. And that neatly brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, allowing us all to access thousands of recipes like the ones you can find on this recipe site. |
We hope you enjoy this All About Chocolate Cooking Tips recipe.
