Showing posts with label White chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label White chocolate. Show all posts

Extreme Chocolate Mousse! – How to Make the Best Chocolate Mousse Ever!

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Chocolate mousse recipes abound in all shapes and sizes, some are complicated, and some, like this one, are very easy to make. However, that doesn’t make it any less delicious. This one gets made frequently in our house, and doesn’t last long! I use a blend of white and milk chocolate because I feel that creates a perfect complement to the baileys, and the amaretti biscuits.

This is the sort of recipe that can be easily adapted with all sorts of different flavours, as long as you retain the same ratio of chocolate to cream, and don’t add too much of any ingredient that contains a lot of water, as this could affect the ability of the chocolate and cream to blend together smoothly. I’ve included some other varieties we frequently indulge ourselves in at the end of the recipe, which will hopefully spur you on to dream up your own concoctions.

HELPFUL HINTS: The trick with this recipe is to get the chocolate and cream to the right temperatures so that when they are blended together, the chocolate doesn’t “melt” the cream (which has all the lovely little air bubbles in it because of all the whisking you’ve been doing), and the cream doesn’t make the melted chocolate instantly solidify into little bits. For that reason, I’d suggest you get the cream out of the fridge about half an hour before starting, so that it can warm a little, and don’t forget to let the chocolate cool a little before adding it to the cream!

INGREDIENTS:

300ml (10 fl oz) Double Cream
100g (3.5 oz) Milk Chocolate
200g (7 oz) White Chocolate
100ml (3 fl oz) Irish Cream (Baileys, or any other brand)
Half a dozen small hard amaretti biscuits

METHOD:

Melt the Milk and White Chocolate together gently in a double boiler (or a pyrex bowl over a saucepan with a bit of water in the base), and then set aside to cool a little. Meanwhile, whip the double cream until it just shows the trail of the whisk. Gently fold the cream and melted chocolate together. Then add the Irish Cream, a little at a time, stirring constantly and gently. Pour into individual ramekins, and top with an amaretti biscuit to garnish.

Leave to set in the fridge for a couple of hours. The finished dessert should be consumed within 3 days of making, unless it is frozen, in which case it will keep in the freezer for at least 3 weeks, if kept inside a tightly sealed box.

Calories per portion: 585 kcal
Fat per portion: 44g

Makes about 6 portions


OTHER OPTIONS:

Substitute dark chocolate for the milk and white chocolate, and add about 200g of fresh raspberries to the mix at the end, folding them in gently to avoid squashing them.

Replace the milk chocolate with white chocolate, and add a few drops of peppermint oil to counteract the sweetness of the white chocolate.

Make some caramel by boiling up 90g of granulated sugar with 3 tablespoons of water in a heavy-based saucepan until it is a pale golden brown. Pour it onto a greased baking sheet, and leave for a few hours until cool, then put in a bag and break into small pieces using a rolling pin. Replace the white and milk chocolate with 100g dark chocolate, and 200g milk chocolate to make a really richly chocolatey milk chocolate, and stir the little pieces of caramel into the mousse at the end.

Double the batch size, omit the Irish cream and amaretti cookies, and split the chocolate content into dark, milk and white (i.e. 200g each of white, milk and dark chocolate. Mix them up in separate batches, and either pour into a loaf tin in layers (allowing them to set in between), or pour small amounts into a large serving bowl, stirring together gently at the borders between the colours, to achieve a marbled effect. Delicious served with a fruit coulis!

Article Source: http://www.bigfreearticles.com

If you like chocolate, you’ll love this recipe – it’s rich, smooth, superbly chocolatey, and a generous splash of Baileys makes it utterly irresistible and totally indulgent. It is also surprisingly quick and easy to make too.

About the Author:
Joe is a keen amateur confectioner, and runs an online Chocolate Delivery service, Chocolate Now! with her husband Nigel. You can find more of her chocolate recipes at www.chocolate-now.co.uk/recipes


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Do You Crave White Chocolate?

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White chocolate is so delicious, it is actually one of my favorite types of chocolate and I get my quick, cheap fix with the new white chocolate M&Ms that just came out!

So, how is this tasty concoction made? The main difference between white chocolate and other dark chocolates is that white chocolate is based on cocoa butter, which gives the ivory white confectionary delight its appearance and distinctive taste. White chocolate also contains milk solids, sugar, and lecithin as well as other flavors, most notably vanilla. Cocoa butter is the active ingredient used in other chocolates to keep them solid at room temperature yet melt easily in your mouth. Does that sound familiar?
This is why I feel white chocolate has a texture like that of chocolate but does not have quite the same taste. Some will find the taste similar to milk chocolate.

White chocolate was first introduced in Switzerland after World War I. It was first popularly distributed in America in the early 1980's with the introduction of Nestl?'s Alpine White Chocolate bar containing white chocolate and almonds.

Because of the fact that white chocolate does not contain cocoa solids or cocoa mass as in the finer dark chocolates, it does not meet the standards to be called chocolate in many countries. Since 2004, the United States has required that white chocolate needs to be at least 20% (by weight) cocoa butter, at least 14% total milk solids, and less than 55% sweeteners such as sugar. Before 2004, US chocolate marketers had to obtain temporary marketing permits to sell this cocoa solids-free chocolate. In the European Union white chocolate needs to contain not less than 20% cocoa butter and not less than 14% dry milk solids. Did you ever realize that there were such stringent regulations on chocolate?

Because of the high concentration of cocoa butter, white chocolate can be very difficult to work with as sometimes when it is melted the cocoa butter can come apart and create an oily mess that cannot be recovered and must be thrown out. As with any other form of chocolate, the introduction of water into the melted product makes it rapidly turn lumpy, grainy and unusable. It must then also be discarded. Some brands respond better to baking more than others; some even have a tendency to brown from being baked which is why there are specific kinds of chocolate made just for cooking.

Just like any other chocolate, white chocolate can be bought in large or small bricks, but these can often be difficult to work with as one must cut off sections with a knife, which often results in inaccurate portioning. Small chips are more often than not a more precise way to make use of white chocolate.

White chocolate can be used for decoration of milk or dark chocolate confections or in any way the chocolates might be used. Some people such as myself actually prefer the white chocolate. I like it more not only because of the taste, but because the milk and milk chocolate gives me ulcers as I have an allergy to it.

Source: Free Articles

About the Author

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida. Get fine chocolate at http://www.chocolates-plus.com .com

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How to make your wedding chocolate cake special

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Your wedding is going to be one of the best days of your life and it should be memorable for everyone. Why not make it extra special with an amazing caterer that will go beyond everyone else. Go ahead and get an ultra special favor, place card, save the date cards or anything you desire, all personalized for your wedding. The best thing is they all can be done out of chocolate! Not only that but you place an image of your choice on a candy bar, on a cookie or lollipop and they will be 100 percent edible. I recently went to a wedding where the cake, the placecard, the date cards, all were made out of chocolates and looked so special. Everything was crafted with the utmost care and attention and not only that, everything seemed to be made with love. The provider for the wedding was Chocolate Dreams & Wishes, a PA based chocolate firm that personalizes in making delicious tasting chocolate especially for weddings. They even make chocolates with edible images. These would make amazing favors for the guests. No, these aren’t keepsakes; though I’m not sure how long one would keep them for long as they taste so amazing. What about having some personalized chocolate lollipops for your wedding? You can put the picture of your choice along with your wedding date or any message that you wish. Put them in a beautiful gift bag, so not only they look great but taste spectacular! Why not add something different to your wedding and have chocolate place cards for your guests. They are 100 percent edible and they are not only the sweetest thing to look at, they are also the sweetest thing to taste! Plus you are saving money since the place cards act as the favor too. You can even put the guest’s names and table numbers on each card. For the people who love Oreos and I know there are a lot of you, you can also make special photo chocolate covered Oreos. They can be put in a gorgeous gift box and they are a delight to eat. If you want to give someone that extra special gift at your wedding, then you can do individual chocolate covered Oreos with a photo and personalization. You don’t have to just use these special chocolates for your actual wedding day. Why not use them for a bridal shower or maybe even a bachelorette or bachelor party. Your limits are endless. If you and your guests want truly delicious and edible treats for any special occasion then chocolate is the way to go. You could even announce your engagement on r special chocolate gifts. It doesn’t matter if you have guests that prefer white chocolate to dark, or maybe they are a milk chocolate lover. You can cater for all needs and offer special low carb and low calorie chocolate in milk and dark. You may wonder how much all of this is going to cost you! Well there is no need to worry, there are lots of places that offer all the above at low prices so everyone is able to enjoy the great taste and flavor of chocolate.

Ken Bonine is the co-owner of Chocolate Dreams & Wishes, LLC - located in Pittsburgh, Pa. We think you will be pleasantly surprised at the amazing taste of our chocolate as well as the price. Give us a call and let us help you make your wedding gifts a little more exciting. For all your wedding cakes and chocolate cravings , do contact visit our site.

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Making Chocolate from Molds

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In the late 1800’s, chocolate makers already used molds made from metal. This made it possible to shape them either as flat or three dimensional. Plastic soon replaced that as these were expensive to produce making it possible for amateur chocolatiers to make these at home.

When you buy chocolate molds from the craft store, make sure that this is made from strong plastic that has intricate designs so the finished product will come out beautifully after it comes out of the freezer.

Remember that this must never be washed using soap as this can mare the taste of the chocolate. You should simply use hot water and then dry it thoroughly using a dry cloth.

Each time you use the plastic mold, make sure to wipe it clean. Greasing, spraying or dusting is not needed as this will ruin the appearance of the finished candy.

But there is an exception to that rule. If you will be mixing your chocolate with some marshmallows, candy sprinkles, jellies or cooked candies, then you must first grease or spray the chocolate mold with oiling spray. This will make the chocolate easy to remove from the mold and if you are going to make another batch, the good news is that you only have to oil spray it once.

Next thing you need to learn is how to properly put chocolate filling into the plastic sheet. For that, you use a regular teaspoon and fill each cavity with chocolate. Some of the chocolate might spill out but don’t worry because you can clean that up later on.

There may be some air bubbles trapped within the chocolate. To release it, tap the filled mold on the counter to settle the chocolate. Another way is to hold the mold horizontally then gently drop it on the counter. You will probably have to do this several times until there all the air bubbles have been removed.

When the chocolate is ready, this is the time that you put this in the freezer. This is because it is the coolest place in the house taking it less time for the chocolate to harden so you can reuse the mold if you are making another batch of chocolates.

You will know when the chocolates are ready by looking at the back side of the mold. If the cavity appears to be graying, this means that the second you turn this over, the chocolate will easily fall off to the tray.

If it doesn’t fall off on its own, you can tap it firmly. If this does not work, perhaps it needs a little more cooling time in the freezer so put it back in for a few minutes and then try again.

If you happen to have some leftovers from filling the mold, don’t throw it away because you can use it again in the future. Just wait for the chocolate to harden so you can scrape it off and then wrap it in waxed paper.

You don’t always need to make chocolate creations from molds even if this is the conventional way of doing it. The other option is to dip it in with other things like cookies or fruits so you have your own chocolate fondue as part of your dessert.

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Tips for Making Chocolate

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Making chocolate is challenging. To help you along the way, here are some tips you should know.

First, water is the enemy of chocolate so make sure that the two do not come into contact with one another otherwise, your chocolate will become grainy.

If you are using white colored chocolate and want to add coloring to it, never use regular food color or food color paste since this too contains water. You should only use powdered or gel varieties.

When you are adding color to chocolate, add this in small quantities and stir before adding more. This is because putting in might change the color of your chocolate making it too bright. If this happens, this can be remedied by diluting the shade using some more white chocolate.

Apart from powdered or gel varieties of color, you can also use artist brushes to paint designs into your mold. Another option is to use lollipop sticks or even toothpicks so you will have better control in making the finished product.

When you are done using the chocolate mold, never wash this with soap as this removes its stickiness. Just use water and after rinsing, dry this properly to prevent spots from appearing that will also make it difficult to release the chocolate from the mold.

But if it is already difficult to remove, the next time you use the mold, apply a light coating of vegetable oil as this always does the trick.

Should there be some chocolate on the edges of the mold, remove it using a butter knife. Remember this can be reused by simply melting it again and then pouring this to the next batch of whatever you are making.

If your melted chocolate is too thick to paint, add some parafinflakes until you get the right mixture. If you don’t have this, you can also use vegetable shortening or cocoa butter.

Chocolate when melted and poured into the mold was immediately be placed inside the freezer for several minutes. To remove it, you simply have to turn this over onto a tray. If it does not come out on its own, you can tap it gently or pour some hot water in the back.

Some people paint the chocolate after it has been taken out of the freezer. To do this, you must hold the mold over you head so you can see it from the right side. If there are any air bubbles, tap the area where they are using your fingers until it pops.

If you happen to make a mistake while painting, don’t worry. You should just put the mold back into the freezer so it will be easy to remove when it hardens and you can easily correct it. The rule of thumb when it comes to painting is to finish one color first before moving on to the others.

If you are not good painting all the details, do what many people do and that is to simply use just one solid color.

By following these chocolate making tips, you will be able to make chocolate for any occasion all year round. You can give this away as gifts or serve this as part of your dessert which will make you feel proud knowing that you made this yourself instead of buying this from the store.

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