Tag: chocolate

Posted in Daily, Food

Sparkles on the Cups

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Originally referred to as number cakes or “1234 cakes” (based on the measures of the ingredients), these sugary delicacies of 1700s have reached their own level of importance and appeal for the dessertarian of the present era.

“Cupcakes take the cake.” Unknown Author

While the earliest description of today’s cupcake was based as a recipe for “a light cake to bake in small cups” as written in American Cookery (1796) by Amelia Simmons, the term “cupcake” itself was seen earlier as per Eliza Leslie’s Receipts cookbook in “Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats” (1828). Though the early 19th century saw the distinction between “cup cake” (based on measures or cups” and the cupcake, the difference was more for the baker’s perspective. Over the years, cupcakes turned from the simple delights to those with frosting, icing, sprinkles and sparkles. With the redesigning and reassembling and additions of ingredients, flavours and colours, the “cupcake” became a palatable fest and an art by itself. For special occasions, elaborately designed and frosted cupcakes have replaced the specially designed cakes, for a while.

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With the arise of a variety of cupcakes, many other variants to the regular baking techniques have been seen. Like the popular “cake in mug” (made in a microwave) or “cake in a jar” are other ways of making cupcakes. By the latter technique, a glass jar instead of muffin tins or cupcake liners is used to bake the mix. Of the specially designed variants, are the fairy cakes or butterfly cake, a variant of cupcake made from any flavour of the cake. The top of the cupcake is cut off or carved out with a spoon and cut in half. Butter cream, whipped cream, jam or similar sweet fillings are spread into the hole. Finally the two cut halves are stuck into the butter cream to resemble butterfly wings with the “wings of the cake” being often decorated using icing to form various patterns.

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Likewise “cake balls” are individual portion of cake, round like a chocolate truffle, coated in chocolate and made from crumbled cake mixed with frosting (than being baked) made as a sphere. Yet the specialty are in the “gourmet cupcake” of today, a recent variant of the routine cupcake. These “gourmet cupcakes” are large filled cupcakes, based around a variety of flavor themes like Tiramisu, Cappuccino, Oreo cookie shards, M &M rich and other exotic flavours.

“When you look at a cupcake, you’ve got to smile.” Anne Byrn

With each cupcake getting it’s special days, for the Chocolate Cupcake Day (October 18th) it would be fun to redesign the simple chocolate cupcakes as elaborate fairy cakes, sprinkles and icing or simply experiment and enhance the available recipe to an exotic twist. For that’s the fun with the sugar rush and art of dessert.

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Source:Bella’s cupckaes. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/451345193881029361/

Posted in Food, Photography Art, Stories Around the World

Shape in Style

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“Life is a cake and love is the icing on top of it. Without love, it becomes difficult to swallow life.” Mehek Bassi

Accompanying my cousin to the bakery was an enlightening event yesterday. With the twins birthday approaching in two weeks time, it was time for the placing the order for the cake. Like all to-be-four year old minds, they had very specific ideas for their cake; from the “Cars” based theme to the Disney’s “Frozen” theme, the possibility of getting one big cake design was the heart of the discussion with the main baker.

Source:https://www.amazon.com/Frozen-23-Piece-Birthday-Contrasting-Arendelle/dp/B00H9THUB2
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While waiting, scanning through the cake design books and available cakes on display was a feast for the artistic eye. While my childhood consisted mostly of cream with icing birthday cakes, these days fondant designed and themed cakes are the rage. Today, the early methods akin to construction of a structure by cutting shapes out of cake and piecing them together have been superseded by preformed character based designs and the shaping of cakes out of fondant and different forms of marzipan. From fondant (sugar paste or ready roll icing), royal icing, marzipan, modeling chocolate, gum paste and latest of few, edible ink printing, the design over cake has been transformed greatly.

Cake decorating had originated in Europe around the 17th century. With the production of baking powder and temperature controlled ovens (1840s), baking cakes became easy and the presentation more elaborate. The exact origins of cake decorating was believed to from a French bakery (1840s) when prices were increased on their cakes as the latter were decorated. With decorative shapes, cakes were adorned with icing, formed into patterns, flowers and food colouring was used to accent the frosting or layers of cake. Over the years depending on the occasions, cake decorating styles have been enhanced along with the ornamentation being more artistic.

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These days even homemade cakes are being embellished with something simple as powdered icing, chocolate layer with sprinkles or the good old coloured icing. With the numerous designs and models of 2-D or 3-D made, no wonder that cake shows and related artistry are the all time rage not just for the special occasions or celebrations but also for avid dessertarian, dessert chefs or simply for the love of baking and art. 

“Whether you’re a bride or a birthday boy, your options are much the same. Cake comes in chocolate, yellow, or white. Frosting comes in chocolate or vanilla buttercream, or you can opt for whipped cream. Fillings are either chocolate or vanilla custard, fresh bananas, or strawberries or raspberries in season. For birthday cakes, you can have either flowers or balloons in your choice of colors. For wedding cakes, you can add either fondant or marzipan covering, or either smooth or basket-weave buttercream, in white or ivory, with either pearl-like dots or ribbony swags made of frosting, and fondant faux flowers are extra.” Stacey Ballis ( author of Wedding Girl)

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Posted in Daily, Food

Of Colours and Flavours, Simple and Sweet

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

One of the necessities of having a good meal family, besides sitting down together and enjoying home cooking is to close the meal with the “sweet finish”. Preparing the big family luncheon, even though it may be a pot luck dinner at times; getting the final finish right is what makes the meal complete. With a big joint family, dessert includes something sweet for the children, sweet and healthy for the adults, balanced dessert for the diabetics, health conscious and the ultimate dish for the professed dessertarian.

“Dessert is probably the most important stage of the meal, since it will be the last thing your guests remember before they pass out all over the table.” William Powell

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Originating from the French word “desservir” ( means to clear the table), dessert as a term was in known use in the 1660s. Although this term may have been in use from the 14th century, the present meaning may have arose around the beginning of the 20th century as the setting a variety of dishes on the table at the same time (service à la françaisee) was replaced with the serving of a meal in courses (service à la russe). As described in A History of Dessert (2013), Krodnl states that dessert was served after the table had been cleared of other dishes. While sweet were a part of the Mesopotamian era, Persian Empire, the Greeks, ancient India and other civilizations; dried fruits and honey were perhaps the first sweeteners used. With the spread of sugar and trade, the modern dessert dishes slowly began taking shape.

“I am starting to think that maybe memories are like this dessert. I eat it, and it becomes a part of me, whether I remember it later or not.” Erica Bauermeister

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Contrary to expectations, desserts doesn’t necessary have to be of very high standards or made of expensive ingredients. Neither does it always need to indulged in with the sense of guilt and foreboding. Desserts can be had not just to statisfy the sweet cravings or close a meal, but also to enjoy the right mix of sugar, nutrients and taste at the end of the meal. From cheese board, parfait of berries, nuts and yogurt, cinnamon on ice cream and biscuits or bananas slices and covered in dark chocolate and crushed nuts to the elaborate fairy cakes or mousse; desserts can be had elaborate or whipped out of thin air with basic ingredients, creativity and an artistic eye. At times, desserts need to sticky sweet and loaded with calories for that little bit of sugar high or as basic as fruits with a sprinkling of the sweet stuff. Either way, there is always plenty of variety to choose from.

“There is no better way to bring people together than with desserts.” Gail Simmons

With the colours of autumn slowly setting in, what better way to ring in October than to get the sweet tooth going in a healthy manner. With the National Dessert Month setting in and the fall harvest closing in, it would be easy to stock on the fruit preserves, enlist creative ideas and set a traditional family dessert trend.

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Posted in Daily, Food, Uncategorized

Of the “Mocha”….

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

With the heavy downpour being tempered down, the cold winds still bring forth the occasional morning chill. Little wonder then, as the rainy blues slowly creep in, with piles of unfinished work piling about; the morning combination of coffee and choclate keeps the day and the evening going fine.

“Suave molecules of Mocha stir up your blood, without causing excess heat; the organ of thought receives from it a feeling of sympathy; work becomes easier and you will sit down without distress to your principal repast which will restore your body and afford you a calm, delicious night.” Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Though the caffè mocha or mocaccino ( or mochaccino, mochachino) is in fact a chocolate-flavored variant of a caffè latte; it can also mean a simple mix of hot choclate and coffee. Essentially caffè mocha is based on espresso and hot milk but with added chocolate flavoring and sweetener, typically in the form of cocoa powder and sugar. Many varieties, at times signature style of certain cafes’, use chocolate syrup, may contain dark or milk chocolate, with distinctive milk froth on top or with whipped cream, cinnamon or cocoa powder. For the more artistic coffee connoisseurs, marshmallows plain or coloured, nutmeg powder, bits of sprinkles with cream and the like may be added on top.

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Interestingly, the word “mocha” didn’t have anything to do with chocolate. Originating in the 1770s’, the word “mocha” referred to a variety of coffee beans, named after the the port of Mocha (Al Mokha) in Yemeni (or Yemen), where the beans were shipped from. As their popularity increased in Europe, these beans became a part of the coffee culture. Today, these beans are commonly referred as Arabica beans, with “mocha” being the mix of coffee and chocolate.

“Coffee and chocolate—the inventor of mocha should be sainted.” Cherise Sinclair

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Over the years, mocha variants like white caffè mocha (made with white chocolate), as well as more exotic sounding names like black and white mocha, marble mocha, tan mocha, tuxedo mocha or zebra; all varying as per as the amount of choclate (dark or milk) and coffee mixed in. Variant as an espresso shot (double) with either a combination of steamed milk and cocoa powder or chocolate milk is known as mochaccino. Another variant on the caffè mocha is to use a coffee base instead of espresso with the combination be coffee, steamed milk and the added chocolate ( akin to sip of coffee with a shot of hot choclate).

No matter the way it is made, cafe mocha is essentially a drink that can be made in the kitchens of all coffee lovers. For keen experimenters, nothing would be better than the National Mocha Day (September 29th) to indulge in the crazy but delightful combinations and enjoy the flavours of the two C’s, chocolate and coffee.

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Posted in Daily, Food, Stories Around the World

Of Chocolate

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

“Can I offer you a slice of this amazing caramelized white chocolate apricot brioche made by my favorite granddaughter?” “You may indeed.”
When you slice the rich, buttery bread topped with crunchy bits of pearl sugar, you get a swirl of white chocolate, which now also has hints of caramel flavor from having been roasted, and chunks of apricot. ” ? Stacey Ballis ( Author of Wedding Girl)

One of the drawbacks of reading books revolving or having a bit of the food factor, is the sudden trigger for that particular dish or meal. Using this as a justifiable excuse to dig into my toddler’s stash of white chocolate, would satisfy the sudden craving for the chocolate, creamy and white.

Interestingly white chocolate isn’t exactly chocolate. Made from cocoa butter, milk solids, sugar, lecithin and flavorings (most commonly, vanilla); it doesn’t include chocolate liquor. The latter beside s giving the bitter flavour and dark colour to chocolate, by the FDA Guidelines state that chocolate liquor has to be present in a product to be known as “chocolate”. Though today as per the US Guidelines (2004), white chocolate (by weight) should have at least 20% cocoa butter, 14% total milk solids, 3.5% milk fat with maximum of 55% sugar or other sweeteners. On a plus point, white choclate has very minimum caffeine as compared to the regular chocolate.

 

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On tracing to the exact origin of chocolate being white, no definite person or country can be given credit. While the Swiss company Nestlé takes almost sole claim to being the initial source of marketable white chocolate (1930s, Milkybar) in Europe; rumours exist of a New Hampshire man producing white chocolate shortly after World War I. Other records state of Kuno Baedeker, who had developed white chocolate (1945) and is widely considered the first creator of the same in North America. Though as records mostly show that Nestlé was the heart of creation and development of the modern white chocolate.

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All said and done, one can melt it, chip it in, drink it or just have it like that. Like the regular choclate, white choclate has become a very prominent add on in the cookie dough, cake mix, quick desserts, melted with hot choclate and a regular combination with ice cream. Which is why, a bar of white chocolate has it’s own role of cheering up the depressing bits of life, no matter how old one grows.

“I like caramel flavors; some people prefer a lighter taste, like rose, at least to start with. The chocolate-flavored ones are lovely, of course…” I am rambling; it is like choosing a favorite child, practically impossible. “What’s in this one then?” She points at my newest creation, a pale, creamy white with soft flecks of yellow, like glints of gold in white marble.
“Reve d’un Ange. It means ‘dream of an angel.'” She tilts her head, interested, and I shrug. “Hopelessly romantic name, I know. Couldn’t help myself.” “What’s in it?” she asked, lowering her voice.
“It’s my white chocolate macaron. Ganache, that’s a kind of chocolate cream, sandwiched in the middle. I’ve added a little lemon rind and cinnamon.”
-Hannah Tunnicliffe ( author of The Color of Tea)

 

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Posted in Daily, Food, Stories Around the World

Chip it In, Bake It

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Whitman, Massachusetts, 1938

“We had been serving a thin butterscotch nut cookie with ice cream. Everybody seemed to love it, but I was trying to give them something different. So I came up with Toll House cookie. Add up chopped up bits from from a Nestlé semi-sweet chocolate bar into a cookie. The original recipe is called “Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookies.”
– American Chef Ruth Graves Wakefield, Toll House Inn
(Wakefield, Ruth Graves (1942). Ruth Wakefield’s Toll House Tried and True Recipes. M. Barrows & Company, Inc.)

One of the famous drop cookies, “the chocolate chip cookie” had its’ origins in the early 1900s; wherein chocolate chips or choclate morsels were added to the regular cookie dough as the distinguishing ingredient. With a dough composed of butter, both brown and white sugar, semi-sweet chocolate chips and vanilla; the traditional recipe had evolved. Originally invented by the American chef Ruth Graves Wakefield and chef Sue Brides (1938) when the former owned the Toll House Inn (Whitman, Massachusetts); a popular restaurant that featured home cooking. Wakefield credited Brides with helping her make the famous chocolate chip cookie.

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Over the years, variations with different varieties of chocolate, change of ingredients like nuts, oatmeal, raisins and the like paved way. Variations on the original recipe may add other types of chocolate, vegan substitutes as well as additional ingredients such as nuts or oatmeal. The ‘double’ or ‘triple’ chocolate chip cookies are so called when dough flavored with chocolate or cocoa powder are used before chocolate chips are mixed in. These variations of the recipe are often referred to as , depending on the combination of dough and chocolate types.

“If you can’t change the world with chocolate chip cookies, how can you change the world?” Pat Murphy

As the popularity grew, especially during WWII, soldiers from Massachusetts who were stationed overseas shared the cookies they received in care packages from back home with soldiers from other parts of the United States. Soon hundreds of soldiers asked their families to send them some Toll House cookies. Thus began the craze for the chocolate chip cookie with Wakefield receiving letters around the world requesting her recipe.

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In proportion to the increased popularity of the choclate chip cookie, the sales of Nestlé’s semi-sweet chocolate used rose. Andrew Nestlé offered Ruth a deal to buy the rights to her recipe, as well as the rights to use her and the Toll House name when advertising his acquisition. The business proposal was accepted by Ruth for one whole dollar and a lifetime supply of Nestlé chocolate. Nestlé quickly launched a new marketing campaign that advertised the chocolate chips primarily as main ingredients for cookies, engraving the recipe for the Toll House Cookie on the package print.

“ One of the best things in life- warm chocolate chip cookies.” Anonymous

In an interview (2017), Sue Brides’ daughter, Peg shared the original recipe that was passed down to her.  The original Toll House cookie recipe, according to Peg:

1 1/2 cups of shortening
1 1/8 cups of sugar
1 1/8 cups of brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 1/8 cups of flour (Peg prefers King Arthur all purpose)
1 1/2 teaspoon of hot water
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
Chocolate chips (and walnuts)
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 minutes
[The Tried and True Recipes cook book specifies “2 bars (7 oz.) Nestlé’s yellow label chocolate, semi-sweet, which has been cut in pieces the size of a pea.”]
(Source:Stephanos, Maria (2017-06-21). “Secret’s out! Here’s the ‘real recipe’ for Toll House chocolate chip cookies”)

With Chocolate Chip Cookie Day being celebrated by foodimentarians tomorrow (August 4th), making similar or own variations of this delectable treat would be a lovely weekend surprise and fun event.

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Posted in Daily, Food, Stories Around the World

Add “Milk” to “Chocolate”

Posted on by Sugar and Spice..... Among Other Things

Although this sweet, brown food preparation of roasted and ground cacao seeds have had their earliest evidence of use traced to the Olmecs of Mexico (1900 BC); adding milk to this creation has been a much later development, believed to be around the 19th century.

“Anything is good if it’s made of chocolate.” Jo Brand

Around the mid-17th century, milk was sometimes used as an addition to chocolate beverages. With drinking choclate gaining momentum and the Cadbury brothers (1820) had widely marketed it. In order to tackle the flood of chocolate that was entering the UK mainly from Switzerland and France, Fry and Son (1847) started to make tablets of roasted and ground beans, mixed with sugar which were sold as eating chocolate. With expansion of the new “eating chocolate market”, the Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter (1876) working in conjunction with Nestlé, (who had a creamery was next door to his factory), formulated the first commercial milk chocolate recipe. Only a minuscule amount of moisture was used “condensed” milk. The final major manufacturing technique to produce the “modern milk” chocolate was developed three years later by Lindt (1879). He had discovered that when choclate was repeatedly rolled from side to side (in a stone vessel) a much smooth,er textured product could be made. This process, known as “conching” can go on for as long as five days. With the invention of the “conching machine”, the chocolate industry had grown further. Milk chocolate today has 20% cocoa solids as per the British regulations, while for the rest of the European Union, the minimum is 25%. In the US, concentration of chocolate liquor of ten percent is required.

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Though proof of later historical details are present, there still exists some confusion as to the first use of milk in chocolate. As legend goes, it was believed that Sir Hans Sloane, founder of the British Museum and physician to Queen Anne and George II, had the brainwave of adding milk to drinking chocolate (1672). While on his travels to Jamaica, Sir Hans had recognized the therapeutic qualities of chocolate. On seeing malnourished, sickly babies being revived after being given a mixture of cocoa, spices and water; it was thought that he had introduced milk with cocoa, recognizing that milk had complimentary nutritional qualities. This recipe was regarded as purely for medicinal purposes.

“There are four basic food groups: plain chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate.” Jill Shalvis

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While chocolate is for something special, the making of “milk chocolate” is a labour of love, with three main stages. First is to blend milk ingredients and sugar and gently mix them with chocolate liquor and cocoa powder. Secondly is to dry the mixture where it becomes a milk chocolate crumbly powder. The final stage is where milk chocolate gets its smooth and velvety taste and texture is by ‘conching’, which involves carefully mixing all the ingredients together. The traditional long conching process guarantees a rich, subtle flavour development. While this process starts at a low temperature; as the mixing starts, the temperature is raised very slowly to help it dry and develop new delicate flavours from the heat. Delicate care is taken to gently mix for long enough to full develop the chocolate flavours, to get the most silky way possible.

Besides being a ready indulgence for any time, milk chocolate when melted can add the exotic flavours of sweet and bitter, to the regular dessert, be it from ice cream and coffee, marshmallows, cupcakes, mousse, wafer biscuits or even a chocolate pizza; the list is endless. Little wonder then, that National Milk Chocolate Day (July 28th) is being celebrated by connoisseurs of chocolate, chocolatiers as well as chocolate lovers, both young and the old worldwide. Just like sugar, salt and spice, a little bit of “milk choclate” goes a long way.

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