Bon Appetit Desserts (174 page)

Melting Chocolate

Tempering
is a technique that involves melting and cooling chocolate to specific temperatures in order to create good cocoa crystal structure. This produces chocolate that is glossy with a crisp, clean snap. Because the process can be time-consuming and difficult to master without a machine, our recipes use a simplified alternative technique: The chocolate is melted to specific temperatures, then chilled to set the chocolate quickly (this helps prevent bloom—streaks of cocoa butter that affect the appearance of the chocolate). The finished chocolates should be stored in the refrigerator, but for the best texture, allow them to stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving.

When melting chocolate
for dipping truffles and other candy centers, moisture is the enemy. Be careful not to let any steam or water come in contact with the chocolate or it will seize, or become lumpy, making it unsuitable for dipping. For the same reason, never cover chocolate when melting.

Leftover melted chocolate
that remains in the pan after dipping truffles or other centers can be used several ways:

1. Add nuts and drop by spoonfuls onto foil-lined sheets and chill to form nut clusters.

2. Dip whole fresh strawberries into the chocolate; place on a foil-lined baking sheet and chill until firm.

3. Add enough cream to thin the chocolate to a pourable consistency. Use as a fondue for fresh fruits, cubes of angel food cake, and cookies.

4. Spoon chocolate into small disks on a foil-lined sheet and chill until set. Store disks in resealable plastic bags in the freezer for future use. You can also add them to milk and heat them to make rich hot chocolate.

Ingredient Tip:
Pine Nuts

Pine nuts—which do, in fact, come from pine cones—are very high in fat, so they can go rancid rather quickly. For this reason, they should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Tools of the Trade

When making candy, which can be more demanding than preparing other kinds of desserts, it’s important to have the appropriate equipment.

CANDY THERMOMETERS
: If a recipe calls for a candy thermometer, it’s essential to use one for the most accurate results. Don’t be tempted to merely follow the cooking time provided in a recipe. Candymaking is very precise; being even a few degrees off can make a big difference in the texture of your candy.

Select a candy thermometer with a bulb attached to a metal backing that’s set low enough to measure the heat of the candy mixture, but that won’t touch the bottom of the pan. The ideal thermometer has easy-to-read numbers in 2-degree increments and a clip that will easily attach to the side of the pan. This allows you the freedom to constantly stir the candy mixtures without having to hold a thermometer in place.

Always check the thermometer’s accuracy before you get started. Place the thermometer in a saucepan of boiling water for a few minutes. It should read 212°F. If it registers above or below, add or subtract the same number from the temperature in the recipe.

When reading a thermometer, do it at eye level for accuracy.

SAUCEPANS
: Use high-quality, heavy-duty pans with evenly thick bottoms and sides. Thin, flimsy pans won’t work, as the candy mixtures will cook unevenly and may even burn at the sides of the pan. If a recipe calls for a specific size saucepan, use it, as candy mixtures can rise considerably as they boil.

WOODEN SPOONS
: A long-handled, sturdy wooden spoon is best for candymaking; it won’t conduct heat and the temperature of the candy mixture will be more accurate. Wood also allows you to stir comfortably, because it never gets hot.

PASTRY BRUSHES
: You’ll use these to brush down the sides of the pan when dissolving sugar in the candy mixture, as well as for a host of other dessert-making uses.

That’s a Wrap

The candies in this chapter are even more impressive when they’re cleverly packaged and presented. Discount and import stores are a terrific source for unusual and decorative containers, including tins, boxes, and baskets. For candies that can be stacked (bark and brittle, for example), a box or container with 5-inch-high sides is fine. But for the more delicate candies (such as truffles, or anything inside a paper cup), keep them in a single layer in a box no more than 2 inches deep.

• Create a tiered tower of decorative holiday tins in graduated sizes.
  Wrap the whole tower in colored cellophane and tie it with a French silk ribbon. Decorate the ribbon with anything you like: a Christmas ornament, a sprig of pine or eucalyptus, silk flowers. This is a great way to deliver several different types of candies—truffles, toffees, caramels—each in its own tin. Holiday tins are often sold in nesting sets at stores.
  

• Package the candies using an item of kitchen equipment that itself makes a great gift.
  Use a fluted tart pan, baking dish, or decorative platter, for example. Stroll through a house-wares store and let your imagination go. If possible, link the type of candy to the gift in some way—presenting the Layered Peppermint Crunch Bark (page 621) on a large baking sheet, or enclosing the Asian-influenced New-Wave Rocky Road (page 622) with crystallized ginger inside a Chinese bamboo steamer.
  

• Think beyond traditional candy boxes—way beyond.
  Use ceramic containers, papier-mâché or fabric-covered boxes, wicker baskets, star-shaped metal mesh containers (often available in silver or gold at import stores during the holidays), Shaker birch boxes. Line them with waxed paper, or put the candies inside a clear cellophane bag inside the container.
  

Recipe Tip:
Truffles

Chocolate truffles are a decadent treat—rich mixtures of melted chocolate and cream and/or butter, plus other ingredients that may include fruit, nuts, spices, or liqueurs. The chocolate mixture is chilled and rolled into balls, then usually coated with cocoa powder or melted chocolate. Present them in paper candy cups, available at baking or candymaking supply stores (or see Online and Mail-Order Sources on page 632).