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Show f i Chocolates; A Tantalizing Treat " By DONET A GATHERUM y It is hard to think of candy or desserts without includ- 'Zmt ing chocolate. This South American gift to the confec- """" tion loving world is universally popular. NEARLY EVERYONE knows that chocolate comes fT from the beans of the cacao tree. Few realize that the (J J substance was not originally used as a sweet additive to h candy. I JM ' : The Aztec Indians of Mexico made a thick, bitter drink from the cacao beans. Columbus presented some of the brown beans to Ferndinand and Isabella who i considered them a useless curiosity. In 1519, Cortez and his Spanish explorers were treated to a cold bever- age called "xocolatl," meaning "Bitter water." Later the spelling was changed to "chocolatl." The Spaniards f"fy did not like this Aztec drink. They experimented and .I added sugar and spices to the juice of the cacao beans. I' i Soon "chocolatl" was the most popular drink in the iK ) ' Spanish royal court. 1 1 CORTEZ RETURNED to Spain with a supply of J f beans and some plants. Soon the evergreen cacao tree J tj was growing in the Spanish colonies that were near the Equator where the climate is hot and humid all year. J p! The popularity of chocolate spread from Spain to 'it France and England. , I , " THE DRINK was high priced because the beans had A ,' to be ground by hand. With the development of steam-i steam-i driven grinders and other equipment in the early 1700, A , the price of chocolate was lowered to a point where all v people could enjoy it. iA In 1765 the first chocolate factory in America was iJ established in New England. J if IN 1875 Daniel Peter, a Swiss inventor, found a way Jy to make milk chocolate that could be molded for eating as a candy. Today most chocolate is eaten, not consumed as a beverage. TTl I WHEN THE Hershey chocolate factory opened in Pj!, I Pennsylvania in 1900, cocoa and chocolate products I ( really came of age. Today this factory, one of the largest in the world, is a major tourist attraction. I One simple way to enjoy chocolate treats is to follow the Chocolate Plus recipe and its variations. The recipe uses ready-made plain chocolate like the semi-sweet m chocolate bits or a plain chocolate bar. Dipping choco- lt late or chocolate bark can also be used. mi lj CHOCOLATE PLUS 1 1 cup chocolate bits , 1 Vt cup light corn syrup f j I I 2 tsps. water : I tsp. vanilla It is hard to imagine candy or a dessert without including chocolate. PUT THE chocolate, corn syrup and water in a greased saucepan. Apply low heat and stir the mixture gently as the chocoiate melts. When the mixture is smooth, take the saucepan off the heat. Stir in the vanilla and one or a combination of the ingredients listed below. Drop by spoonfuls on a piece of wax paper. Chill in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate. Additives to the Chocolate Plus recipe: 2 cups shredded coconut or 2 cups of any plain dry cereal or 2 cups chopped nuts or any 2 cup combination of cereal, nuts, coconut, seeds, raisins etc. Fudge, the most popular chocolate candy, was a fad in the late 1800's at women's colleges like Vassar and Smith. After "lights out," the young ladies would cook fudge candy over a gas lamp. CHOCOLATE FUDGE with unsweetened chocolate 2 one-ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate 2 cups sugar 23 cup milk 2 Tbsp. light corn syrup 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine 1 tsp. vanilla additional butter or margarine CUT THE squares of chocolate into small pieces. Put the sugar, milk and corn syrup in the saucepan. Heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add the chocolate pieces to the sugar mixture and stir until the chocolate has melted. Put a candy thermometer into the mixture and cook to 236 degrees. Remove from the heat. Add butter or margarine. Don't stir. Let the fudge cool until the bottom of the pan feels comfortably warm. This may take 45 minutes. Grease lightly a pie pan or a deep plate With butter or margarine. STIR IN the vanilla. Beat the fudge as hard as you can. It will already be quite stiff. Pour into the pie pan or plate. Before the fudge is completely hard, cut it into squares with a knife that has been dipped into hot water. |