2009 Blog resolution

First off, well.. ni dah masuk bulan Feb, and only now would I want to make my 2009 resolution kikiki... Well, to be frank, I make my resolutions every now and then, whenever I feel like it.. So, whether new year ke tidak, it doesn't matter to me. What matters is, I think my blog needs and update huhuhu.. So that its more action packed... more know hows, more recipes, more products and more more more...

So, to start with, I've made a new header for the blog ... wuhuuuuuu... That's a tough one. I spent my whole weekend trying to work on Photoshop for this. Cantik ke tidak... whatever la.. as long as there's one. And I've changed the page again to fit it into 3 columns like the original template... duh.... I hope it's much more presentable this way.

Anyway,for u guys out there, do check us out often. Insyallah, I'll try my best to keep this tiny place updated ok.. So, take care everyone.

Anyway, for those who are keen on trying your hands in candymaking, I hope I'll be able to answer all your questions and help u guys... do leave some notes on the comments or the shoutbox and I'm more than happy to help u guys whatever I can.

So, take care uolss and happy candymaking...

Memoirs of a Chocolate

Have you ever had a piece of chocolate and the memories and taste of that chocolate still lingers until today? As I can remember, the best ever chocolate experience I had was masa kecik2. My dad came home with a hamper full of chocolates and biscuits given to him during CNY by one of his Chinese friend. Masa dulu-dulu, time raya cina memang seronok. Coz we got lots of hampers. Nowadays, the only thing we always get are lokam and lokam ( at the office of coz... ha ha ha)

Back to the choc story tadi. I picked up a chocolate bar, with strawberry filling in it. Hrmm.. never tasted that before. During my time, the only chocolate yang kitorang slalu makan was Kandos ha ha ha.. Anyone remembered that? yer la coklat murahan...When I chew into that chocolate with the strawberry filling tu... errrmmmm..... the outer bar was a bit snappy.When it gets into my tongue, it melts.. Then came a slimy, creamy strawberry filing rushes into my mouth,it is liquid but not so liquid..( alaaa.. just like susu pekat like that) And its strawberry flavored... huhuhu.... arrrghhhh... sedapnyer... That was the only one time I had that chocolate. The chocolate is not sold anywhere in JB , KL or anywhere in Malaysia. My father's friend must have gotten that from overseas.

Until now, I remembered that experience. I do find some chocolates by Cadbury yang ada cream centers ni.. But too bad, the ingredients always had some bahan2 yang mencurigakan coz they aren't manufactured in Malaysia and of course no halal logo. Terketar gak bila pegang those chocolates... so tempting. Tapi tak apa la... Now I have found my own cream center recipes. Soon when I perfected my recipe, maybe I'll make it as one of my own HALAL cream centered chocolate.... But I'm afraid that even before I managed to sell it off, I might have chomped it all in my mouth. And another pest for my chocolate would be my kids. Geram bila tengok tetiba ada jer coklat yang kita buat tu hilang.. But then again... that's the joy. I hope they remembered and cherish every moment lavishing on my chocolates when they grow up....

How to taste your chocolate ?

Are you a chocoholic? How do you measure the degree at which you enjoyed your chocolate. According to the experts, in order to become an expert chocolate taster, you need to use all five senses.

Touch The point is to observe the speed of melting. The quicker - the better. The quick melt indicates a high cocoa butter content. Chocolate should start to melt if held in the hands for a few seconds. Cocoa butter melts because it is solid up to 91.4F degrees temperature and melts at 93.2F degrees.

**note : These are the reason why some chocolates just simply melts in your mouth and some don’t. ( especially the cheap ones… duhhh) . One good indication differentiating good chocolates from the lower quality is the price. But not all expensive chocolates are of good quality. But for sure those cheap ones are of course of lower quality. No “tokey” coklat would want to sell a good chocolate cheap.

Sound The crystaline structiure of the cocoa butter is what gives chocolate its distinct crisp snap. You can definitely hear the snap of a fine chocolate.

This is if you’re snapping the chocolate in a moderate room temp like in an air conditioned room. If you’re trying to snap your chocolate under the hot and humid sun in KLCC for example, you’ll surely get a good mush of chocolates in your hands. (Chocolate in its liquid state actually even taste better. Urggg hhh… )

Sight Gloss and condition of chocolate can quickly be assessed just by looking. When a bloom is observed it is generally caused either by heat or moisture.

A good chocolate normally shines. This would applies for molded chocolates and the like excluding those which are already wrapped in some foils or something.

Heat bloom indicates the chocolate was not tempered correctly or that it has been allowed to get too warm, then cold. The cocoa butter crystals rise to the surface and recrystalize. This does not affect the flavor of the chocolate but should be seen as a warning that the chocolate was not stored correctly. It can be rectified by tempering the chocolate again, thereby realigning the crystal structure.

Moisture bloom known as sugar bloom is caused by the moisture settling on the surface of the chocolate which happens if the chocolate is stored in a damp atmosphere. It draws the sugar crystals to the surface, the sugar dissolves in the water, and later recrystalizes on the surface - destroying the texture of the chocolate. The whole appearance of the texture will be grey and gritty. This chocolate must be thrown out.

The redder and the lighter in color the cocoa, the finer the flavor.

Smell It is the nose which is the most highly tuned instrument to detect the greatness of food. Too much sugar interfered with the smelling process, just like in wine tasting. Too much salt can overwhelm the palate. Smoking dulls smelling and strong flavors, such as peppermint and chili, affect smell.

Taste Although we do not spit out chocolate as do wine buffs, neither do we eat it. A small piece of chocolate should be placed on the tongue and allowed to melt of its own accord. Try three or four different chocolates with a water sip between each taste session.

Gula-gula babi anyone???

Dah agak lama juga isu gula-gula jeli babi yang banyak terjual di Malaysia yang telah digembar-gemburkan. Kalau tak silap, dari tahun 2006 lagi dah isu ni. Kebanyakan gula-gula ni selalalunyer di impot secara bulk dari China dan kemudiannya di'repack' semula oleh sesetengah syarikat pengeluar gula-gula di Malaysia ni yang kebanyakkannya dimiliki oleh kaum Cina. Bukannya saya berniat untuk memburuk-burukkan mereka ini. Cuma yang saya kesal, mereka ni tidak sensitif kepada hak pengguna islam di Malaysia ni. Sejauh mana lagi kah kita nak lihat majoriti Islam di Malaysia ni ditipu oleh Syarikat-syarikat yang hanya rakus mengaut keuntungan sahaja. Sosej babi, ayam sembelihan tak sah status halal, mee yang dijual bersebelahan kandang babi... Isy isy isy... entah berapa banyak la benda2 haram ni dah masuk dalam urat darah kita tanpa kita sedar. Patut ler gejala sosial berlambak2 kat Mesia ni kan.. Nauzubillah..mintak di jauhkanlah dari anak2 saya yang sedang membesar ni semua.

Ok... back to my intention of putting up this blog... saya nak kongsi bersama cara-cara pembuatan candies ni. Sebenarnya bukan susah sangat pun nak buat sendiri all these confectionaries di rumah. So... tunggu posting saya nanti tentang Candy.

For more articles about gelatine, go to this site.
http://halalgelatine.com/Artikel_satu.html

Chocolate Jokes

Finding a bottle on the beach, Jake uncorks it and releases a genie.

"Ah, now you get three wishes," says the genie.

"Great!" Jake replies. "First, I want one billion dollars."

Poof! There's a flash, and a paper with Swiss bank account numbers appears in Jake's hand.

"Next, I want a nice ocean-side house in Hawaii."

Poof! Another flash, and he is holding the deeds to an ocean side property in Hawaii.

"Finally," Jake says, "I want to be irresistible to women."

Poof! There's another blinding flash ...

and Jake turns into a box of chocolates.

What's more irresistable than chocolate?!#^#%#*$(?

Eat Chocolate and look younger

Chocolate as an anti-aging technique, is this some type of joke? Nope! The facts are in chocolate is bursting with antioxidants. An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. The chemical reaction of oxidation can produce free radicals, which start a chain reaction of cell damage. Antioxidants actually stop these negative chain reactions. Many fresh fruits and vegetables have a high quantity of antioxidants, but pure raw chocolate is chocked full of flavonoids, which are some of the most powerful antioxidants on earth.

There is a trick to the chocolate though, you have to eat it raw. Now you are wondering, what is raw chocolate? Well, it helps to start from the beginning. Until recently I never really took much thought about where chocolate comes from. I just figured it came from the Hershey chocolate factory. But there is in fact a "chocolate tree." The tree was named Theobroma cacao, in Latin that means 'food of the gods.' Well, this 'food of the gods" is actually cacao beans. They grow on the tree. Some people call them nuts, but they are actually seeds. Once you remove the skin you have the cacao or chocolate. Now, before you roast it, process it, and load it with refined sugar -that is raw chocolate.

Heating the cacao beans kills most of the antioxidants and other minerals and vitamins in the chocolate. In order to preserve the nutrients the beans must be dried at a low temperature, typically below 120 degrees. Then they can be enjoyed whole as nibs (the bean with the skin removed), in bits, or as a powder.

Raw cacao has a bitter flavor like dark chocolate. Some enjoy it just like that. Others prefer to sweeten it by blending it with other natural ingredients like fruit or honey. I prefer it mixed into a fruit smoothie with other raw, fresh fruits.

Any way you enjoy it raw cacao is one of the most, if not the most, nutrient rich and complex foods known to man. Loaded with antioxidants, it neutralizes free radicals-rogue oxygen molecules that can accelerate aging and the problems that come with it. So to help you look younger, feel younger, and live longer -eat chocolate it is important to your health. Visit your local health food store and pick up some organic, raw chocolate today!

Carolyn Pennington is the author of this article and editor of http://www.raw-food-for-families.com Raw food for families is a web site dedicated to helping families incorporate more fresh fruits, vegetables, and living foods into their diet. Whether they eat a raw vegan diet or simply want a few tips to add more live nutrients into their existing diet they can help.


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