Chocolate - Cooking Tips
Source of Recipe
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List of Ingredients
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 cup
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.
Recipe
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