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Assorted Chocolates: Chocolate
Centers for Chocolates Chocolate creams may have centers that are hard or soft, and of many different flavors, colors, and shapes. Fondant either cooked or uncooked, made by recipes in Chapters II and III, may be used. They should be small, as the chocolate coating adds to their original size.
Caramels should be cut smaller than when used without coating, as should fudge, nougatines, marshmallows, candied fruits, or fruit pastes. Nuts should be shelled, and sometimes blanched, and be perfectly dry. Dragees and other decorations for the tops of the candies should be ready for immediate use. Several kinds of centers may be made ready at one time, and then dipped one after another. A pound box can be soon filled with assorted chocolates. The name of the center gives the name to the chocolate; thus almonds dipped in melted chocolate are called chocolate almonds; almonds dipped in fondant and then in chocolate are chocolate cream almonds.
The following suggestions for centers for assorted chocolates may be extended almost indefinitely.
Almonds Almonds blanched and dipped in white fondant Almond paste shaped in balls, or cut in strips or cubes Apricot paste in cubes or fancy shapes Brazil nuts, shelled Brazil nuts, brown skin removed, mixed with chocolate opera fudge Butterscotch wafers Butterscotch wafers, with peanuts Center cream, with and without nuts, and variously colored and flavored Checkerberries, dipped in fondant Cherries, candied, dipped in fondant Chocolate caramels Chocolate fudge with walnuts Cocoanut, shredded Cocoanut caramels Coffee beans, freshly roasted Coffee fondant Dates, stuffed with salted peanuts or peanut butter Dates stuffed with opera fondant Fig caramels Fig creams Filberts, dropped three together, in a row, or clover leaf shape Fondant, flavored and colored and mixed with nuts, candied fruits, or jam. Fruit cake Ginger, preserved, mixed with opera fondant, bit of ginger on top of chocolate Grapefruit peel, candied Maple cream Maple cream with walnuts Maple cream with blanched almond or walnut on top of each chocolate Maraschino cherries dipped in fondant Marshmallow caramels Marshmallows Mint jelly Nabisco wafers cut in pieces Nougatines Opera fudge, all flavors Orange peel, candied Oyster crackers Peanuts, roasted, dropped in bunches of three or four Peanut brittle Peanut butter cream Peanut butter fudge Pecan nut meats, whole Pecans dipped in coffee fondant Pecans dipped in maple cream, whole pecan on top Peppermints Pineapple, dried canned fruit, or candied pineapple, dipped in cherry-flavored fondant. Bit of pineapple on top of chocolate Raisins, large, seeded, dipped in fondant or stuffed with fondant flavored with vanilla Raspberry jam mixed with opera fondant, bit of candied rose petal on top Turkish delight Vanilla caramels Walnut meats whole Walnut meats dipped in maple cream, whole walnut on top Wedding cake The centers should be kept in the room in which they are to be used, that they may be neither too warm nor too cold. When a sufficient supply of centers is ready, the chocolate may be prepared.
To Melt Chocolate Sweetened, unsweetened, or milk coating chocolate should be used and it is not wise to start with less than one pound. More than that is desirable even for a small amount of candy, as it keeps at the right consistency for dipping for a longer time, and that which is not used at once can be melted and used later. Some authorities say that never less than five pounds should be melted at one time.
The room in which the dipping is to be done should be free from steam and of an even temperature of about 65 degrees to 75 degrees F. On a hot or a rainy day, chocolate dipping should not be attempted at home. Break chocolate in pieces, and put into a double boiler or saucepan over hot water. The two pans should fit closely, that the steam may not escape. Set both pans over the fire until water boils in the lower pan. Remove from fire, and stir until chocolate is melted, then remove dish from hot water to ice water, and beat chocolate gently until it feels a little cooler than the hand, or registers between 80 degrees and 85 degrees F. on the thermometer. This will take from five to twenty minutes, depending on the temperature of the room and the amount of chocolate used. At no time should temperature of chocolate go above 125 degrees or below 80 degrees F. To Dip Chocolates When large numbers of centers are to be dipped, the melted chocolate is poured on a marble slab, and the beating is done with the hand and the dipping with the fingers. Much experience is necessary to produce the markings seen on the best chocolates. The amateur will probably prefer to use a wire bonbon dipper or a two-tined fork. For small centers, like nuts, a small pair of tweezers is useful.
Set the dish of chocolate on the table with centers to be dipped on the left, and chocolate dipping paper, paraffin paper, or white table oil-cloth on the right. It is well to have the paper on small boards or tin sheets that candies may be easily moved.
Drop a center into melted chocolate; with the dipper move it around until covered, then lift out, upside down, scrape off superfluous chocolate on the edge of the pan, and place bonbon on the paper right side up. Make a line of chocolate over the top of the bonbon when removing the dipper. Different designs on top sometimes indicate the kind of center. Between the dipping of every bonbon the chocolate must be thoroughly beaten. Chocolates sometimes harden very quickly. On a warm day they must be put in the refrigerator as soon as coated, for ten minutes or until hard. If the chocolate is neither too warm nor too cool and was beaten sufficiently, and chocolates were cooled quickly enough, they will have a gloss and retain the markings perfectly. If they are gray or streaked, they did not cool quickly enough. If spotted, the chocolate was not beaten enough. If chocolate runs off and forms a thick base, it was not cool enough. If the least bit of steam or water gets in it, the chocolate will become thick and unfit for coating but may be used for cooking purposes. If it does not remain thin enough for dipping, a small piece of cocoa butter may be added, or the water underneath may be heated slightly, when chocolate must be beaten again. Chocolate may be left in the dish in which it was melted and be ready for use at any time.
Decorating Chocolates If chocolates are to be decorated, the nut, dragees, candied fruit, or other decoration must be put in place as soon as the bonbon is placed on the paper. Chocolates may be rolled in cocoanut, chopped roasted almonds, or pistachio nuts immediately after dipping. Chopped nuts may be stirred into the melted chocolate before the centers are dipped.
Do not remove dipped chocolates from wax paper or oilcloth until the bottom is glossy and chocolate is firm.
Keeping Chocolates Chocolates should be packed in boxes between layers of wax paper as soon as hard. A few of the chocolates may be wrapped in gold or silver foil. They should be kept in a cool, dry place, and should at no time be exposed to the rays of the sun. They should not be placed in the vicinity of articles that give off strong odors, as chocolate is very absorbent. Solid Chocolate Shapes Prepare coating chocolate as for dipping and beat until cool enough to hold its shape. Put into a cloth or paper pastry bag with a small tin rose tube in the end. Force chocolate upon chocolate dipping paper, paraffin paper, or table oilcloth in small fancy shapes, as roses, spirals, or bars, and leave until firm. Some of the pieces may be sprinkled with a very little coarse granulated sugar, flavored with peppermint, and colored pink or green. Milk coating chocolate is particularly good in this way. Green Mint Sugar 1/3 cup sugar 2 drops green color paste I drop oil of peppermint Put sugar in a small bowl, add a drop of oil of peppermint, then, using a spoon, work in the green color paste, a tiny bit at a time, until the desired shade is obtained. Pink color paste and oil of wintergreen may be substituted for green color paste and oil of peppermint. Other colors, with or without flavor, may be substituted for either.