July 15, 2008
Posted by admin on Cake And Cookies

Gourmet Candies

In this article about Gourmet Candies, we will discuss why this subject is so important and how you can benefit from this information.

When I was growing up, gourmet food was a luxury we simply could not afford. My mom’s idea of gourmet was tuna casserole once a month. We did not have the money to live high on the hog. My parents tried to feed us in a healthy manner, and we grew up strong and fit, but I couldn’t help but feel like I had missed out a little bit. That is why I decided to go to culinary school. Now that I had the chance to make my own way in life, I wanted to know everything I could about gourmet food. I didn’t know it at the time, but gourmet candies would become my specialty. They would soon be at the center of my life.

At the time I entered chef school, I had no idea that there were such a thing as gourmet chocolate candies. When I thought of gourmet, I immediately pictured steaks and French cuisine. Gourmet candy was beyond the scope of my limited world. After all, what could be better than a Hershey’s chocolate bar? Quite a bit, it turns out!

As we continue, we will take a look at how this new information can be implemented in very special ways.

During an apprenticeship to a chocolatier following my culinary education, I became enamored of gourmet chocolate candy. Every day, I would spend morning till night making gourmet candies. It was a lot of work, and it would have burned some people out, but I was loving every moment of it. Although the hours were long and the job did not pay very well, I didn’t mind. I was learning a valuable skill, and I got to eat all the gourmet candies I could possibly want. It wasn’t until later, however, when I discovered my true love.

Don’t get me wrong, gourmet chocolates are good. Gourmet hard candy, however, is even better. I was hired by a toffee maker, and was exposed to tastes that completely blew my mind. The gourmet candies we made were like nothing I had ever imagined. Soon, I was coming up with my own recipe ideas and they were selling like hotcakes. After a while, an idea occurred to me. Although I liked my job, it didn’t make sense to stay on and work for the candy maker when I could use my own recipes in my own shop. I quit as soon as I could scrape some funds together, and started a gourmet candy store of my own. It has done very well.

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Tags: chocolate bar, french cuisine, gourmet candies, gourmet candy, gourmet chocolate candies, gourmet chocolate candy, gourmet chocolates, recipe ideas, recipes

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June 1, 2008
Posted by admin on Food And Recipes

Herbs De Provence Is Tasteful

The French are known for their artful combinations of herbs with foods and sauces which bring out the perfection of the individual ingredients, making your palate come alive with the taste sensations you’ll never find in a fast food burger.

Even a burger is dressed to the nines in France. There is a restaurant at the Louvre which serves a burger to die for – a polite pleading of the waiter revealed the secret of its exquisite flavor to be attributable to “ciboulette”, the common chive, in a mixture resembling thousand island dressing as the dressing for the bun. You must try this combination!

There are various classic savory herb blends in French cuisine with which you may already be familiar, including quatre epices, fines herbes and bouquet garni, each particularly suited to specific ingredients, bringing out the flavors to perfection.

Less well known, but equally superior, is the blend called herbs de Provence. As the name suggests, it consists of herbs native to the region of Provence, growing wild and carpeting the Provencal landscape. As with Italian cuisine, French cooking is typically regional, with dishes composed of fresh, in-season ingredients combined with local herbs. With wonderful coincidence, these foods and herbs combine divinely. Herbs de Provence is a formula which has been in use for hundreds of years and are signature to Provencal cuisine.

Although encompassed in a single name, recipes for herbs de Provence vary and substitute different herbs according to the cook’s preference. However, all recipes for herbs de Provence include thyme, oregano, marjoram and rosemary. According to Madeleine Kamman, a modern master of French cooking, the four herbs of the fines herbes blend,chives, parsley, tarragon and chervil should also be included in your herbs de Provence recipe. Other herbs which may be included are lavender, mints, basil and fennel.

Ms. Kamman cautions the cook to not overwhelm your herbs de Provence with too much oregano or savory,as these stronger flavored herbs will then tend to dominate, losing the delicacy of a more balanced mix.

Herbs de Provence may be used to advantage in dishes with tomato, chicken, lamb, soups like bouillabaisse, stews, pizza, and fish, particularly trout. In fact, herbs de Provence will enhance most Mediterranean dishes.

If you don’t feel confident enough to try a mixture of your own, you may wish to try some original French blends, which are available in beautiful small ceramic hand-painted jars filled with this highly aromatic mixture. When your jar of herbs de Provence is finished, or you feel you’d like to try your hand at your signature blend,just let your nose and imagination guide you to some delightful results.

Tags: all recipes, french cooking, french cuisine, herbs de provence, herbs de provence recipe, italian cuisine, recipes

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