All About Chocolate – Cooking Tips

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

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  From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at
www.synapse.com/~gemini

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