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Fannie May began small, but it has shown that wonderful service, high quality, and an extensive variety of chocolates are the recipe for results. This famous chocolate store began trading in 1920 in Chicago, and during nearly a century of trading it has become one of the most popular sweet shops in the United States. Fannie May’s gift of blending the finest ingredients in the perfect way made them so popular they grew to just under forty eight outlets in merely fifteen years. During the second world war food rationing, the business was closed, as they refused to impair the quality of any candy. A selection of these much loved recipes are being used and enjoyed all these years later. Of course the chocolates look as good as they taste. Don’t forget to order a decorative gift box or tin when the chocolates are for a present, it will add something special. The scale of a chocolate gift is wholly up to you, ranging from only one perfect chocolate treat to a hamper loaded with each flavor of truffle, toffees and even luxury pretzels. If you would like to have special varieties you can, however a huge selection of carefully designed gifts are available too. Fannie May nowadays own branches not merely in the nation but in many other nations all over the world. This makes it easy for you to send these much-loved candies anywhere in America and internationally without ever leaving home. While they do have a couple of delivery restrictions during the hotter weather, this chocolatier can have presents delivered 365 days a year and will guarantee the freshness of the gifts when they are delivered.

Particular diets are not any problem. Fannie May’s make chocolate with no added sugar and other delicacies besides. If you want a lot of gift boxes or special gifts for a wedding feast, Fannie May have a assortment to choose from. You just have to give them a call to let them know what you want. It’s easy to see the reason why Fannie May wares are such a tremendous success. And, the only time consuming part is selecting from the wide array of options available. With everything from mints to pretzels to pick from, you’re bound to find precisely that perfect gift you are looking for!

As with most cuisines of the world, they progress into something more modernistic over time. How do you classify modern cuisine? Some say, when non-traditional foods or non-traditional cookery methods are bestowed into that culture’s way of cooking it then gets modernized by the people of that ethnicity. The most influence on cuisines and how they change stems mainly from the West. One of the cuisines most wrought by the West is Japanese cuisine.

Modern Japanese restaurants are becoming increasingly popular in the land down under. Japanese restaurants offer a diversity of menu items, which appeal to most people. There are many yummy choices to choose from, such as wagyu beef, Japanese bbq, and salmon carpaccios, just to name a few. Wagyu beef, cattle affiliated mainly from Japan, is the most moist and tender, butter and smooth taste to it according to some. It is one of best quality meats in the market, very high standards are put in palce to produce them to ensure that the best quality of meat is attained. Many people enjoy Japanese bbq. Typically, assorted meats and veggies are brought to the table raw and seared on either a charcoal or electric grille. As the meats and vegetables are cooking special japanese sauces are primarily used to season the food. Normal Asian ingredients are used in the sauces, such as; garlic, sesame, soy sauce, and sake. Salmon Carpaccio is a delicately prepared dish. There are quite a few variations on the recipe, but usually very thin pieces of salmon lay on the serving dish with pickled ginger dispersed throughout the salmon. Sometimes one would see edamame beans with the salmon as well. For the finishing touch, a sauce is drizzled over the top, usually sesame oil or miso based.

In the land down under, many Japanese restaurants offer their customers a assortment of Japanese barbecue styles and also various entrees of wagyu beef. Vegetables, seafood and various meats seemed to popular for Japanese bbq at many restaurants, with an assortment of cooking sauces to choose from. Wagyu beef can be served as: beef tenderloin with a garlic-ginger ponzu sauce, wagyu beef as a sirloin or in a roll form.

Probably because of accumulation of several years’ frustration with tempering by hand, chocolatiers readily shifted to the tempering machine as soon as it was launched. The machine has suddenly made tempering easier and straightforward. Not only that, chocolates tempered with the machine stay in that ideal state even all through the night for use the next day.

But there’s a segment of the chocolate market who prefers handmade chocolate confections. They seek the products made by artisanal chocolatiers who have mastered the art of tabliering, a French innovation in tempering chocolate by drawing heat from the warm chocolate onto a marble slab.

Moisture spoils the result of tempering by congealing chocolate. This phenomenon is called “seizing” and can happen when chocolate is heated rapidly or frozen as well.

For tabliering, prepare a pound of chocolate (dark, white, semi-sweet) as well as such utensils as a knife, chopping board, rubber spatula, stainless steel bowl, double boiler, cookie sheet, and a thermometer that can gauge temperatures to as low as 80F. Pat-dry all these items to make sure they’re thoroughly dry.

Using a knife, chop up the chocolate bar into pieces. On the upper pan of the double boiler, place these strips and on the lower pan, fill in water for boiling over low heat. The chocolate should melt to temperatures of 108-115F so that the chocolate melts. Once melting is complete, move the mush to the stainless steel bowl. The mush should flow smoothly and not fall like lumps.

Initially, scrape and fold 2/3 of the mush on the marble or stone slab. The objective is a cool-down temperature of 80-82F. While cooling this 2/3rd portion of the chocolate is going on, the temperature of the remaining 1/3rd chocolate shouldn’t reach anywhere below 100F or the mush sets, rendering it useless.

Once cooled, add the remaining 1/3 into the other 2/3 portion, working the same ’til the whole mass achieves a cooled uniform temperature. After cooling comes re-heating. There-warming temperatures are as follows: if the chocolate is of the dark chocolate variety, 86 to 90F; if it’s the semi-sweet chocolate, it’s 86 to 88F; and if it’s white chocolate, the range is at 82 to 84F. Chocolate that has undergone successful tempering becomes a glossy and hard shell around the tip of a knife when it’s dipped in the mush then dried for five minutes. Only after this whole process is finished can you commence with the molding and the dipping.

Tempering by hand is complicated and tedious because of the need to maintain specific temperatures accurately. If there are temperature seesaws, chocolate tempers will be ruined making you repeat tempering. Chocolate can stay tempered longer by keeping it warm on a bain-marie, though moisture can still set off seizing of the mush.

It is wrong to assume that chocolate candy making’s an easy job. You need a few things for this, including an accurate thermometer, a double boiler, a rubber spatula and candy molds apart from the basic ingredient of dark or semi-sweet or milk chocolate. In addition to this, you’ll need cream if you’ve a mind to make chocolate truffles.

You start the process of candy making by melting the chunks of chocolate on the double boiler and you need to constantly stir the contents so that you don’t scorch the chocolates. You can make fruit-filled chocolates by mixing the melted chocolate with the appropriate fruits in a bowl. You can use the candy molds to make candies of various shapes. After this step, you could keep them in a chiller for cooling and thus your chocolate candies are ready for serving.

It’s the step of maintaining specific temperatures during tempering that makes candy making a wearisome job. But at the same time, this step of tempering must not be skipped because it’s tempering what makes the chocolates glossy and firm. You need not strain to carry out this step if the candies are made for your own use but if they are intended for sale, you should take the time to temper.

As a matter of fact, the original temper that chocolate has is lost when you melt it; what you’ll be attempting now is only re-tempering. If this isn’t done, blooming may happen resulting in the chocolates becoming unsightly with the crystals of the cocoa butter pervading the surface of the chocolates.

The fatty acids of the cocoa butter have a unique quality of crystallizing into six types and these six types of crystals again behave uniquely by being dominant at six different temperatures. This must be managed well and to do so, you should maintain correct tempering temperatures for producing more of type V crystals, the ones that make chocolates glossy and firm. Every type of chocolate, dark, semi-sweet and milk chocolate produce type V crystals at different temperatures. You may observe that type IV crystals also take shape along with type V crystals but since type IV crystals melt faster without difficulty, type V crystals remain stable to accord the gloss and firmness to chocolates.

To keep specific temperatures accurate during manual tempering, you need an excellent thermometer. Even slight deviations will pose a big problem and you will be forced to repeat the tempering process till you perfect tempering. But you can overcome this challenge by using a tempering machine that is fully preset. Monitoring formation of type V crystals to the desired level and maintaining the right tempering temperatures are also covered by the machine’s automated operations through the use of computer chips. A lot of your time and energy remain saved if you use a tempering machine and you can devote your attention on developing your business acumen and improving of your products.

Whether your fashion is cosmopolitan, country, sweet, or traditionalistic, a brilliant table with personalized touches is sure to be a hit with all your Thanksgiving dinner invitees. Adorning your table to reflect the personalities of your household and self make the festive dinners all the more grand. From the table to centerpieces, a well-set arrangement creates a warm and merry occasion climate. With bright themes, a Thanksgiving tablescape needn’t be a Broadway production.

Thanksgiving decorations are all about the table, so with a couple of bouquets of blossoms and tasteful settings, your home is ultra-jubilant in no-time.

Keep your home ornamentations simple, yet gleeful with small bouquets of conventional fall flowers at the dinner table. The glorious berry and gold mums blend wonderfully with the bright colors of your Thanksgiving feast.

For table place settings, go for incremental colorings of berry, hunter, gold and the like. Coordinating Hoop Napkin Rings work to set off the rich colours and a cream or berry tablecloth accentuated with a matching Berries Runner will perfect your table.
Another way to ornament your Thanksgiving table is with plumes. Though not what you would call conventional, colorful plumes is a beautiful and jubilant decorative element that will save money. Pull this design off by adorning your tables with bright, colorful vases of all shapes and sizes. Fall colors such as orange, yellow and red look posh and keep with the fall feel. Purchase a bundle of peacock feathers (from your local craft store) and a bouquet of ferns and arrange as you like in the vases. Voila! An quick and easy centerpiece that wont sacrifice style.

Even with so much emphasis placed on the menu, these tips promise to deliver a festive table setting worthy of your Thanksgiving meal. Make this day extra special for family and friends by sprucing up your entire home to get them all in the holiday spirit. Simple DIY crafts like Thanksgiving wreaths, homemade place cards and decorative cornucopias all add to the holiday table and the feast you will serve.

Steps to creating melt-in-your-mouth chocolate candies

Shine and smoothness, which are not natural for chocolates, can be imparted if you do chocolate tempering. Further, tempering makes chocolates break cleanly and blooming is prevented as well.

Crystals or blotches form on the chocolates is due to improper tempering. While the chocolate is heated during tempering, it loses its natural temper and hence re-tempering needs to be done.

Cocoa butter, the basic ingredient of chocolates, has a large quantity of solids and when heating is done during tempering, these solids and the cocoa butter’s crystals get suspended together. But melting separates solids and crystals and the crystals rise to the surface.

Cocoa butter re-crystallizes into six types of crystals and this is one of its unique characteristics. These six types of crystals rapidly dominate at six specific temperatures and hence close monitoring of temperatures is essential. The snap and shine of the chocolates are given by type V of these crystals.

The type V crystals have to be created in large quantities in tempering to dominate the process. Both type IV and type V crystals are formed during melting. By reheating, you can eliminate type IV crystals and retain type V crystals. Maintaining accurate temperatures is necessary so use a digital laser thermometer if possible.

Different varieties of chocolates have different heating and cooling temperatures. The popular methods of tempering are tabliering and seeding by hand as well as microwave method. Although you can use chocolate tempering machines to simplify the process, learning tempering by hand will prove beneficial for chocolate makers.

In tabliering, you cut a large chunk of chocolate into small strips then melt them on a double boiler. Half of the melted chocolate is worked it on a marble surface, using a rubber spatula, and then it is cooled to a specific temperature. The remaining half of the melted chocolate is also worked so that a uniform temperature is distributed to the whole chunk. The chocolate now ready for dipping and molding. You should ensure during the whole process that the mass does not harden or lose temper.

The process of seeding consists of using tempered chocolate as “seed” to “inoculate” the melted chocolate to enable type V crystals to dominate crystallization. This method requires maintaining accuracy in temperatures to avoid repeating the whole process of tempering.

If you maintain accuracy in temperatures and avoid over-mixing or under-mixing, you can greatly avoid difficulty in the tempering process. During humid weather conditions, even expert chocolate makers take a great care. The marketing merits of tabliering prove it to be a great boon to artisan chocolatiers.

Microwave tempering has fixed parameters in variables like wattage of the oven, the level of cocoa butter in the raw chocolate and the quantity of chocolate added to the bowl for melting purpose and you should strictly adhere to them.

Though tempering is a tedious process, you will forget all your pain when you experience the elation in gifting your chocolate boxes to your people.

The sugar-laden, attire centric Halloween we experience and love holds little resemblance to the holiday’s ancestors. Read on to find the story behind America’s second-favorite holiday (just behind Christmas)!

The Modernization of Halloween

The All Souls’ Day begging and cake passing, along with the custom of bequeathing treats on one’s doorstep to placate spirits, evolved into trick-or-treating. Halloween became progressive throughout the 19th century, as Americans made it a occasion about getting together to enjoy parties, treats and fun attires. By the dawn of the 20th century, Halloween was hardly about religion anymore and was widely celebrated as a purely non-religious holiday loaded with all forms of attires and Halloween treats.

The Tradition of Pumpkin Carving

The Irish Legend of Jack: The thought of pumpkin carving started in Irish folklore. According to fable, a man named Jack (who was fond of clownings and booze) tricked the Devil into climbing up a tree. Once the Devil was in the tree Jack made a cross on the tree trunk, trapping him there. This naturally made the Devil highly furious, so when Jack passed, he was refused by both Heaven (for his antics and drinking) and by Hell (apparently the Devil doesn’t enjoy antics). With nowhere to go for the afterlife, the fable says that Jack was left to meander through cold wickedness solo. The devil chucked him a single burning ember from Hell to light the way, which was then located in a hollowed-out white turnip to last longer. Thus, Jack’s lanterns were hatched. From Turnip Lanterns to Spooky Pumpkins: Turnip lanterns finally turned into pumpkin lanterns in America, where pumpkins matured more plenteously than turnips. And that was the birth of the modern Jack-o-Lantern, a carved pumpkin with an coal interior to light the way.

Visits from the ghosts of the dead could be life-threatening, naturally, so the Celts and Druids wore animal attires for shelter. After the rise of Christianity, the dark before the fall fete became legendary as All-hallows Eve. The American celebration came out from the combining of some peculiar immigrant customs.

Grilling flavorsome Wagyu beef at the comfort of your own table is a new japanese restaurant concept.

Long gone are the days of grilling dinner and being surrounded in a haze of oily smoke while trying to talk to friends. Modern Japanese BBQ technology has created a grill set combined into a stylish tabletop. The smoke-free table invention vents the smoke instantly down and out through a duct system. Creating a smoke-free ambience in the restaurant!

Thinly-sliced and cubed Wagyu beef marinaded in salt or miso are prepared by the japanese chef. Plates of beef and veges are served to the table and everyone loves cooking their own dinner. The technique is to grill only a few slices at one time in order to fully savor the extreme flavor of the wagyu beef. Chefs recommend grilling the beef mainly in the central of the grill. Sliced wagyu beef needs 30-60 seconds per side, while diced takes 2-3 minutes per side. Grill the veges around the edges of the grill until they arrive at the desired tenderness.

Dipping sauces such as tare (a sweet thickened soy sauce) and ponzu (a thin citrus-flavored soy sauce) heighten the flavor of the grilled wagyu beef.

Wagyu is written with two Japanese characters meaning “Japanese style” and “beef”. Wagyu beef is delicately tender. The flavorful flavour comes from its rich marbeling of fat. Various of wagyu are called after the area of Japan where they are raised, such as the familiar Kobe beef.

For the American palate Japanese Wagyu cows were crossbred with Angus. This formulates a redder beef with slightly less marbeling. Rich in Omega-3s, wagyu beef is tender and full-flavored.

Every Japanese restaurant has its own unique ambiance and presentation. What you’ll find in common is the fantastic experience visitors have preparing at their table grill, and the exceptional flavor of wagyu beef.

Have you ever been to a place to eat and not had hot food served to you? Most people don’t like it, while some really love it. It can sometimes just be too hot and really get your mouth burning up. A lot of places in the world like their food to be served around room temperature or just a bit above. Some people like to sit and eat a meal for like four hours or something, and this is the best thing for your health and digestion. It is so good to take your time while you eat and let your food digest before putting more food in. If you do get the food out there piping hot then you can take the four hours and enjoy the meal and the company of others. You might not want to take up a table at the restaurant for four hours unless you have specific plans for that, it really depends on what your plans are with it. If the food comes out real hot, make sure to take a couple of minutes and let it cool down before taking a bite, it is real bad when you burn off your taste buds and can’t taste the high quality of flavor from your meal.

Questions:

1. ‘Olive oil is good for you’ (True/False)

2. ‘Light’ olive oils are more palatable than ‘extra virgin’ olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil has a strong smell and taste’ (True/False)

3. ‘Real extra virgin olive oil should have sediment at the bottom of the bottle.’ (True/False)

4. ‘Italy is the world’s largest producer of olive oil’ (True/False)

5. ‘The best olive oil comes from Italy’ (True/False)

6. ‘Large brands sell olive oil for less because they buy in large bulk quantities’ (True/False)

7. ‘If is says ‘extra virgin olive oil’ on the label – it must be true’ (True/False)

8. ‘Pure’ olive oil is good quality’ (True/False)

9. ‘Olive oil’ after a time needs to be refrigerated’ (True/False)

10. ‘Olive oil good for frying’ (True/False)

Answers:

1. True. Studies have revealed that real extra virgin olive oil has the following health benefits: anti-inflammatory, protect against bowel, breast and colon cancer, fight heart disease, prevent wrinkles, reduce blood pressure.

2. False. By definition the taste and aroma of real ‘extra’ virgin olive oil is ‘irreproachable’. Any olive oil product with a overpowering smell or taste is not ‘extra’. ‘Light’ olive oils are refined oils with a very small amount of virgin olive oil mixed in. The smaller the amount of virgin olive oil mixed in the ‘lighter’ the oil.

3. True (sometimes). Extra virgin olive oil is a natural product, the amount of sediment will depend on many different factors. Extra virgin olive oil can be passed through a clay-cellulose filter which will remove most of the sediment. Remaining sediment may be absorbed by the olive oil or collect at the bottom of the bottle.

4. False. Spain is by far the largest producer of olive oil.

5. False. Olive oil is classified by quality not geography. ‘Extra virgin’ is the highest quality of olive oil regardless of origin. Italy produces more than it consumes, most of what is sold as ‘Italian’ olive oil is imported and packed in Italy, then resold as Italian.

6. False. Olive oil pricing is commodity based. Bulk quantities are already factored in to the commodity pricing. The only way to reduce the price is to mix the oil with cheaper oils.

7. False. In the olive oil business the ‘F’ stands for ‘Fraud’. Fraud is a major problem. Any olive oil you purchase should look, smell and taste like olive oil. The price should be commensurate with commodity pricing. If it is too cheap – it’s not olive oil.

8. False. As far as olive oil is concerned ‘Pure’ is a misnomer that actually means ‘impure’. Olive oil sold as ‘pure’ is refined by a heat and chemical process. It is not natural and should not be confused with ‘virgin’.

9. False. Olive oil should not be refrigerated. Cold temperatures will cause the oil to go cloudy. Olive oil should be stored out of direct sunlight. Real extra virgin olive oil will maintain it’s properties for many months.

10. True. Olive oil is the most stable of oils, it resists temperatures of 320 – 392 (Fahrenheit) and is the slowest oil to decompose. Another advantage – olive oil impregnates fried foods less than other oils so it the calorie content is actually lower.

Score:

8 -10 = Excellent
5 – 7 = Good
3 – 5 = Needs Improvement

1 – 2 = Needs a lot of Improvement

Kelly Martinez – Managing Director Antonio Celentano Extra Virgin Olive Oil
http://www.antoniocelentano.com

Antonio Celentano Extra Virgin Olive Oil is 100% real extra virgin olive oil extracted from locally grown olives, bottled on site in Crdoba, Spain.