Archive for the 'Beaux Arts' Category

Three Ways of Tempering Your Chocolates

Auto Date Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

If you are always having grayish-white imperfections on your chocolates, then you probably sidestepped the one critical process in chocolate confectionery making, the tempering. When chocolates missed the tempering process, you will never be able to get the right features that chocolates must have such as the glossiness and smoothness.

Since chocolates are naturally not creamy and shiny, it needs to go through the different processes to be able to get all the right features that real chocolates should have. Real chocolate should be made of cocoa butter since this is the one responsible for the rich texture. Once you grind and roast the cocoa beans, you obtain chocolate paste that contains 55% to 60% cocoa butter. If you bypass the process of tempering, you will definitely have an unappealing chocolate.

You can temper chocolate in three ways. Chocolate tempered the hard way is usually done by hand. The first thing to do is to melt the chocolate till it’s wholly liquefied. Then you fold two-thirds repeatedly on a heat-absorbing slab until it’s temperature is lowered; then you add in the remaining one-third till it’s of the same consistency and coolness.

Seeding is another way of tempering chocolates. This is done by cutting the chocolate in pieces and melting three-fourths and adding in the remaining non-melted fourth. The crystals in the non-melted chocolate will serve as models for the crystallizing structures in the melted chocolate to copy.

Since chocolate is considered the critical process of chocolate making, it is said to be a tedious task. You have to be on guard of the temperature since over-mixing and under-mixing the chocolates can ruin its texture and taste. The easiest method of tempering your chocolate will require you to use a chocolate tempering machine. This machine will do the chocolate tempering for you, without you worrying and checking the temperature at all times.

The gazebo spa

Auto Date Thursday, June 5th, 2008

A gazebo is a pavilion structure usually octagonal and often found in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Most gazebos are freestanding but a few can be attached to a garden wall. Gazebos are roofed and open on all sides. Gazebos offer shade and a basic shelter. They are also a great place to rest. A spa is a large circular tub or small pool full of heated water. Spas are used for soaking, relaxation, message, and hydrotherapy. Most spas are made of our wood or plastic tubs. Spas are heated using an electric or natural gas heater. A Gazebo spa is a spa enclosed by a gazebo.

A gazebo spa is the ultimate relaxation combination. They are also capable of being used all year long. Many of the gazebos provide an elegant style to match that of any garden or patio. Spa gazebos are commonly made out of all kinds of different types of wood as well as metals and vinyl. They often range in price from three thousand dollars to ten thousand dollars. These types of items are commonly seen in resorts and other vacation hotspots. All models come in many different sizes allows you to fix one in any location or fit any spa into the gazebo.

Peruvian Poems (while in Transition 5 & 6)

Auto Date Saturday, April 5th, 2008

5) Lima’s Political: Pot of Crickets (2005)

There is a ‘Pot of Crickets’ called death

(in Lima, Peru)
and they can hear its heartbeat,
sense its pulse

(and in the darkness, see even the eyes,
lips, and nakedness, of its people).
And they can hear the breath (oh yes, oh
yesthese crickets ((of and for the people));
they have time to spare,
they whisper, condescending

(the pulse that speaks their name))
life is but a little flame));
the love they speak in, is in vain;
this pot of crickets: Lima’s politicians…!

#892 10-12-05; dedicated to Cesar Hildebrandt, and his TV Talk Show

6) Chilled in Lima

It is Sunday morning, in Lima, Peru

October; the silence of the night
has been broken
by the house’s human chilled voices.
We all sit at the dinning room table:
Coffee, tea, watching Cesar Hildebrandt
on TV.

Noises, noises of this ruffled early
morning(akin to a running brook
of chilled water): life has a sweet scent to
it: a soft touch, a cool breeze; the tea is
warm: like drinking a thawing out frozen

shadow: a good, shadow!…

#887 (October 9, 2005) written in Lima, Peru

Note : Cesar Hildebrandt, International Commentator, for Channel #2, in Lima, Peru, on October 7, 2005, introduced Mr. Siluk’s book, “Peruvian Poems,” to the world, saying: “…Peruvian Poems, is a most interesting book, and important….”

More than 84,000-visit Mr. Siluk’s web site a year: see his travels and books…!

Nota 2: César Hildebrandt, Comentarista Internacional, en Canal 2, en Lima, Per, el 7 de octubre del 2005, introdujo el libro del Sr. Siluk, “Poemas Peruanos”, al mundo, diciendo: “…Poemas Peruanos es un libro muy interesante, usted debera leerlo…”

Dennis Siluk - EzineArticles Expert Author

See Dennis’ web site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com