The Candy Cookbook (3 page)

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. Directions for making centers are found on page
82
. 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. Dragées 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

Coconut, shredded

Coconut caramels

Coffee beans, freshly roasted

Coffee fondant

Dates, stuffed with salted peanuts or peanut butter

Dates stuffed with opera fondant

Fig caramels

Fig creams

Hazelnut, dropped three together, in a row, or clover leaf shape

Fondant, flavored and colored as suggested on page
84
, 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.

Sweetened, unsweetened, or milk coating chocolate should be used (see page
9
), 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° to 75°F (18°C to 24°C). 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°F and 85° F (25°C and 30°C) on the thermometer.

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 oilcloth 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 10 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.

If chocolates are to be decorated, the nut, dragées, 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 coconut, 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.

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.

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.

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.

Flavor fondant with almond extract, and make into balls, shaping them high and pointed. Dip in melted coating chocolate, and put three halved blanched almonds on the sides.

Cover almonds with boiling water, let stand 2 minutes, cover with cold water, drain and remove brown skins. Put in pan, and leave in moderate oven until a golden brown. Cool and dip in melted coating chocolate.

Prepare almonds as in previous recipe. When golden brown, cut in pieces, mix with fondant, shape in balls, let dry on wax paper, and dip in melted coating chocolate.

Coarsely chop roasted almonds, mix with melted milk chocolate to make a thick paste, and drop with a spoon in small pieces on wax paper.

Make center cream as given on page
80
, and shape in small balls. Put both kinds of chocolate in upper part of double boiler, and prepare for dipping as explained in the first part of this chapter. Just before beginning to dip, add vanilla and beat thoroughly. Dip centers one at a time, and remove to wax paper. Use coating as cold as possible in order to retain the gloss.

Make Cream Butterscotch Balls (see page
115
), and leave mixture in the buttered pan. Cover with melted fondant flavored with vanilla, and when firm cut in small pieces, and dip in melted coating chocolate.

Melt chocolate over hot water, being careful that not a drop of water gets into the chocolate; then beat it until cool. Dip freshly roasted coffee beans in the chocolate; lift out with a fork, and drop on wax paper or marble slab to harden. Blanched almonds or Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, or walnuts may be coated in the same way.

Melt chocolate over hot water, and stir in all the long strip coconut it will coat and hold. Take out pieces the size of a marble, and lay on wax paper to dry. This is an excellent way to utilize a small amount of chocolate that may be left from dipping centers.

Chop figs finely, and slowly add sifted confectioners’ sugar until mixture is stiff enough to mold into small balls. Shape, let dry, and dip in melted coating chocolate.

Put figs through meat chopper, and mix with fondant, kneading together until perfectly smooth. Shape in small balls, and dip in melted coating chocolate.