Make Chocolates for Easter yourself at home
The traditional Easter eggs can be bought or homemade. Here is a recipe for making eggs, rabbits, chickens in the panache.
Easter is almost here. It is time to buy chocolate in subjects that you hide in the garden to please the children. But they can also do it yourself, it's not that complicated. Just follow the recipe step by step, it is a breeze.
The quantities are given for two large eggs. It takes about three hours to make.
Ingredients:
250 g cooking chocolate
20 cl cream
250 g chocolate, chopped
80 g butter, diced
Material:
egg mold cavities (half-shells of medium size)
brush
bowl
pan lice bath
cooking thermometer
Preparation of chocolate shells
Melt the chocolate: put 250 g of cooking chocolate, chopped in a bowl and melt in a bain-marie (water should just simmer), stirring constantly until the temperature of chocolate is between 50 and 55 ° C. Remove the bowl once the chocolate is melted and continue mixing until the temperature of chocolate is back down to 27-28 ° C.
Return the bowl containing the chocolate in the bath for the temperature to rise until 31-32 ° C. Remove from water bath.
With a brush into the molds, greased with melted chocolate. Refrigerate to harden the first layer of chocolate, then make 2 or 3 other layers, making sure each coat to harden before. The different layers must reach a thickness of 3 mm.
Store in a cool time to prepare the ganache to decorate eggs.
Preparing the ganache :
Heat cream in a saucepan and pour in 250 grams of chopped chocolate and whisk quickly to obtain a homogeneous mixture and smooth. Then add 80 g of butter cut into cubes. Cool, stirring occasionally.
Assembly of eggs :
Carefully unmold the half-shells and fill them with chocolate ganache cooled but still pliable. Glue the half-shells with a little warm melted chocolate.
Place eggs reconstituted at least 1:30 in the fridge.
Tips for successful chocolate eggs :
We must choose a chocolate coating of high quality: with at least 32% cocoa butter.
There couverture chocolate pellets: it's more convenient to use.
Trick to keep the temperature of chocolate 30_32 ° C: 10 seconds to pass the bowl in the microwave and check the thermometer.
The melted chocolate can be reused if it has not been mixed with another ingredient, let it harden and then reuse it.
The stripping of shells is tricky: you have to carefully lift the chocolate and let a little air between chocolate and the mold, it facilitates removal.
Friday, April 15, 2011
History of Chocolate Manufacturing
A French person consumes an average of 4.8 kg of chocolate per year. How this has happened to delight us? What are the processes of its manufacture?
The history of chocolate begins in Central America, specifically in the area of present-day Mexico. Legend has it that Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent god, rewarded the heroic act of an Aztec princess by giving its people the cocoa. This princess was killed for refusing to reveal where the treasure was hidden in his empire.
Native to Central America
The Mayans and Aztecs cultivated cacao trees are they harvested the fruit into a drink, the "coattail" they consumed hot. To prepare, they were roasting the cocoa beans and then ground on hot rocks. The resulting paste was heated and mixed with water, chili ... and transformed into a drink.
This drink, nourishing, invigorating aphrodisiac and was reserved, it seems, to men.
Cocoa beans were also used as bargaining chips for taxes, the purchase of slaves ... For example, a turkey was worth 100 beans when fresh avocado was worth 3.
The arrival of cocoa in Europe
In 1519, the conquistador Hernan Cortes landed in Mexico, where he was welcomed by Moctezuma, the Aztec emperor, who thinks he has before him the god Quetzalcoatl who, as promised, returns after a long journey. Montezuma offers him the famous drink made from cocoa. It is assessed at its fair value by the Spaniard, in 1524, sent a shipment of beans to Charles Quint.
Cocoa made its entry into Europe via the Spanish court, where he is popular, although seen as bitter. To suit the tastes of new consumers, we add the vanilla and sugar.
Chocolate spreads gradually on the European continent: he arrived in Italy in 1594, France in 1615 (by the marriage of Louis XIII with Anne of Austria, daughter of Philip III of Spain) and Germany in 1641.
At that time, chocolate is expensive and is only consumed by the nobles, and in South America by Church people.
The chocolate in the industrial era
With the advent of the industrial era, making chocolate is changing and access to its consumption is becoming more democratic. The development of competition on the one hand and manufacturing automation on the other hand, can sell the precious commodity cheaper.
In 1815 the Dutchman Van Houten installs the first chocolate factory, soon followed by five Swiss. Among them, Cailler (1819), Suchard (1824) and Lindt.
In 1819, Cailler manufactured the first chocolate bar.
In 1821, the chewable chocolate was invented by Britain's Cadbury.
In 1822 to meet growing demand, we proceed to the first cocoa plantations in Africa.
In 1824, the French Antoine Menier installs Noisiel-sur-Marne (94) the first chocolate industrial world.
Making Chocolate
The beginning of the string course begins with the harvesting of cocoa pods. Each one contains between 20 and 40 beans to be extracted from their envelope. They are then left to ferment for a few days, which allows them to lose some of their bitterness. They are then exported.
Arrivals in the factory, they are crushed. It remains to remove the shells and roasting.
Cocoa is then milled to obtain the liquefaction of cocoa butter and the production of cocoa paste.
To reduce the butter content of cocoa, a portion of the dough is pressed again. We are then faced with three different ingredients: cocoa liquor, cocoa butter and cocoa fat (or cake).
To get the chocolate as we eat, dark or milk, mix the dough, butter and sugar and vanilla (and milk in the second case). The result of this mixture is conched, that is to say refined by stirring at 80 ° C, which melts the chocolate and gives it flavor and texture.
The history of chocolate begins in Central America, specifically in the area of present-day Mexico. Legend has it that Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent god, rewarded the heroic act of an Aztec princess by giving its people the cocoa. This princess was killed for refusing to reveal where the treasure was hidden in his empire.
Native to Central America
The Mayans and Aztecs cultivated cacao trees are they harvested the fruit into a drink, the "coattail" they consumed hot. To prepare, they were roasting the cocoa beans and then ground on hot rocks. The resulting paste was heated and mixed with water, chili ... and transformed into a drink.
This drink, nourishing, invigorating aphrodisiac and was reserved, it seems, to men.
Cocoa beans were also used as bargaining chips for taxes, the purchase of slaves ... For example, a turkey was worth 100 beans when fresh avocado was worth 3.
The arrival of cocoa in Europe
In 1519, the conquistador Hernan Cortes landed in Mexico, where he was welcomed by Moctezuma, the Aztec emperor, who thinks he has before him the god Quetzalcoatl who, as promised, returns after a long journey. Montezuma offers him the famous drink made from cocoa. It is assessed at its fair value by the Spaniard, in 1524, sent a shipment of beans to Charles Quint.
Cocoa made its entry into Europe via the Spanish court, where he is popular, although seen as bitter. To suit the tastes of new consumers, we add the vanilla and sugar.
Chocolate spreads gradually on the European continent: he arrived in Italy in 1594, France in 1615 (by the marriage of Louis XIII with Anne of Austria, daughter of Philip III of Spain) and Germany in 1641.
At that time, chocolate is expensive and is only consumed by the nobles, and in South America by Church people.
The chocolate in the industrial era
With the advent of the industrial era, making chocolate is changing and access to its consumption is becoming more democratic. The development of competition on the one hand and manufacturing automation on the other hand, can sell the precious commodity cheaper.
In 1815 the Dutchman Van Houten installs the first chocolate factory, soon followed by five Swiss. Among them, Cailler (1819), Suchard (1824) and Lindt.
In 1819, Cailler manufactured the first chocolate bar.
In 1821, the chewable chocolate was invented by Britain's Cadbury.
In 1822 to meet growing demand, we proceed to the first cocoa plantations in Africa.
In 1824, the French Antoine Menier installs Noisiel-sur-Marne (94) the first chocolate industrial world.
Making Chocolate
The beginning of the string course begins with the harvesting of cocoa pods. Each one contains between 20 and 40 beans to be extracted from their envelope. They are then left to ferment for a few days, which allows them to lose some of their bitterness. They are then exported.
Arrivals in the factory, they are crushed. It remains to remove the shells and roasting.
Cocoa is then milled to obtain the liquefaction of cocoa butter and the production of cocoa paste.
To reduce the butter content of cocoa, a portion of the dough is pressed again. We are then faced with three different ingredients: cocoa liquor, cocoa butter and cocoa fat (or cake).
To get the chocolate as we eat, dark or milk, mix the dough, butter and sugar and vanilla (and milk in the second case). The result of this mixture is conched, that is to say refined by stirring at 80 ° C, which melts the chocolate and gives it flavor and texture.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Chips For Beginners
French fries
Seems easy to make chips, but there are people that leave some soft, others very hard and are not gold or anything. So I think it's important to start explaining this "plate" so simple.
The first thing you need is potatoes, of course. Peel and wash well under running cold water and are drying up one by one with a role.
Then the potatoes are cut one by one. They can be cut thin and elongated, with a square, etc..
Now check oil in a frying pan. The amount will be about 4 fingers.
Heat the oil to the maximum temperature that allows your kitchen.
The oil will be hot in 2 minutes or so, but to be safe, you can throw a potato in the pan and when you see it as boiling and foam, the oil is hot and ready to take the potatoes.
Reduce the heat and put a mean temperature of your kitchen.
Add some salt to the chopped potatoes and put in the pan with a slotted spoon, carefully. The safest thing is that you do not skip the oil to take the potatoes, since they have just put the salt. If ye lay before, then be formed in the potato water and it is likely that you skip the oil. Therefore I suggest you need take offense at this point.
Now you let the potatoes in the fire, over medium heat until the potatoes are made soft. To find out if they are soft, with a skimmer can touch them to see if they are soft. If you is for general guidance in 15 or 20 minutes will be soft, depending on how hot it was oil.
Once the potatoes are tender, should be brown. To do this, go up the fire, but a tad lower than the maximum temperature of your kitchen, that is, if your fire gets to 9, as you put it to 8.
The leave in the fire until you see that begin to brown, then you use the spatula to move them a little and brown on the other side.
When browned, the slowly do you find the pan and go. Do not forget to turn off heat and remove pan from heat to avoid burning (be careful not to burn you with the pan)
If you cut more chips than can fit in your pan (I usually fry maximum 4 at once), then you must repeat the operation. That is, once you have taken the first pans of potatoes, you lower the heat to medium, will ye lay salt potatoes, ye lay in the pan and, when they are soft, you go up the fire.
Seems easy to make chips, but there are people that leave some soft, others very hard and are not gold or anything. So I think it's important to start explaining this "plate" so simple.
The first thing you need is potatoes, of course. Peel and wash well under running cold water and are drying up one by one with a role.
Then the potatoes are cut one by one. They can be cut thin and elongated, with a square, etc..
Now check oil in a frying pan. The amount will be about 4 fingers.
Heat the oil to the maximum temperature that allows your kitchen.
The oil will be hot in 2 minutes or so, but to be safe, you can throw a potato in the pan and when you see it as boiling and foam, the oil is hot and ready to take the potatoes.
Reduce the heat and put a mean temperature of your kitchen.
Add some salt to the chopped potatoes and put in the pan with a slotted spoon, carefully. The safest thing is that you do not skip the oil to take the potatoes, since they have just put the salt. If ye lay before, then be formed in the potato water and it is likely that you skip the oil. Therefore I suggest you need take offense at this point.
Now you let the potatoes in the fire, over medium heat until the potatoes are made soft. To find out if they are soft, with a skimmer can touch them to see if they are soft. If you is for general guidance in 15 or 20 minutes will be soft, depending on how hot it was oil.
Once the potatoes are tender, should be brown. To do this, go up the fire, but a tad lower than the maximum temperature of your kitchen, that is, if your fire gets to 9, as you put it to 8.
The leave in the fire until you see that begin to brown, then you use the spatula to move them a little and brown on the other side.
When browned, the slowly do you find the pan and go. Do not forget to turn off heat and remove pan from heat to avoid burning (be careful not to burn you with the pan)
If you cut more chips than can fit in your pan (I usually fry maximum 4 at once), then you must repeat the operation. That is, once you have taken the first pans of potatoes, you lower the heat to medium, will ye lay salt potatoes, ye lay in the pan and, when they are soft, you go up the fire.
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