Th
e history of confectionery remains obscure; although there are plenty of
apocryphal and contradictory stories. Dragee (candy dredged in powdered sugar
with almonds) originated in Eastern Europe & Marzipan (paste of ground
almonds with fine sugar) was introduced by the Italians. Praline, named after
Commander Praline of French army, is a hard paste made by mixing groundnuts
boiling syrup. Confectionery as such never originated from a particular region.
Confisere is defined as \u2018 the art of making preserves of all kinds and many other
works in sugar, pastries, cakes, wines and liqueurs \u2018. The art of confectionary lies
in sweetening the bitterness of the harshest fruits and making them into a
delicious dish. It was somewhere in 19th century that chocolates were introduced
in confectionery.

The velvety texture and rich flavour of chocolate adds a touch of luxury to
numerous cakes, cookies, puddings, desserts and it is equally good in hot and
cold dishes. Chocolate was the preserve of Aztec emperors. Highly prized and
coveted, chocolate was unknown in Europe, in the middle of the 16th century it
was introduced as a rare and wonderful beverage. As an added bonus chocolate
can be piped, shaped and moulded to make a variety of exciting decorations.

Couverture \u2013 fine quality pure chocolate with high % cocoa butter (31% fat
content), which gives it a high gloss. It is suitable for decorative use and
for making hand made chocolates. It should be tempered before using.

White chocolates \u2013 it does not contain any cocoa solids. But gets its
flavour from cocoa butter. It is sweet and smooth compared to other
chocolates. Care should be taken while melting white chocolate, as it does
not withstand heat as well as plain chocolate.

Chocolate chips \u2013 they are small pieces of chocolate of uniform size,
convenient for stirring directly into biscuit dough or for melting. It has fewer
cocoa solids than ordinary chocolates.

Cocoa \u2013 made from the pure cocoa after most of the cocoa butter has
been extracted. The most economical way of giving puddings and baked
goods a chocolate flavour.

Empty approximately 1/3rd ot the melted couverture, 45-50oC onto a marble table. Spread and fold continuously with a palette knife until it becomes thick (27oC). During this process fat crystals are stabilized. Return the stabilized couverture to the bowl and warm gently to 30-32.5oC.

Add approximately 1/3rd of grated couverture to the melted chocolate (45-
50oC), and stir until smooth. In this way, the couverture is inoculated with
stable fat crystals. Warm gently to 30-35.5oC. Grated couverture can only be
used if it has been tempered before being allowed to set.

Of the couverture has been tempered before it sets, it can be placed in
warming cabinet and left to melt for 24 hours. The temperature should never
be hotter than 30-32.5oC during this time (depending on the type of
couverture)

Temperature of the product should be around 20\u00b0Celsius. It its too cold when coated then the couverture will set quickly. As a result, the coating will be thick and dull with grey patches. It is warm, then the couverture takes time to set, as a result crystals are stabilized leaving a red-grey coating with light streaks and spots.