Truffles, Candies, and Confections: Techniques and Recipes for Candymaking

374 Pages·2004·3.06 MB·English

by  Carole Bloom

Copyright © 1992, 2004 by Carole Bloom
Photography © 2004 by Sheri Giblin
Illustrations copyright © 1992 by Amy Sibiga All rights reserved. Published in the United States
by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House,
Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com
Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House,
Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bloom, Carole.
Truffles, candies, and confections : techniques and recipes for
candymaking / Carole Bloom.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Candy. I. Title.
TX791.B6523 2004
641.8’53 dc22 2004010545
eISBN: 978-0-30779130-6
Cover design by Jeff Puda
Photography by Sheri Giblin
Photo assistance by Selena Aument
Food styling by Dan Becker
Prop styling by Leigh Noë
v3.1
D
EDICATION
This book is dedicated with love to my husband, Jerry,
and to my mother and the memory of my father.
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
My biggest thanks go to my husband, Jerry Olivas, who is a constant
source of support, help, and encouragement. He is always there for me
no matter where I am. During the writing of this book he ran to the store
for a needed ingredient, washed dishes and cleaned up the kitchen after
a busy day of recipe testing, and, certainly, tasted the day’s work. His
creativity is an inspiration and he has a great flair for finding just the
right word when needed. Also, his computer knowledge is invaluable.
Without his help and support throughout the process, this book would
not exist.
Thanks to my dear friends and colleagues Lily Loh and Kitty Morse for
their constant encouragement, and for letting me bend their ears and use
their shoulders to lean on when needed. Thanks, also, to Betz Collins for
her valuable suggestions.
Thanks to Lorena Jones, editorial director of Ten Speed Press, for
giving me the opportunity to revise and update my book. I’m delighted
to be able to share more of my knowledge and inspirations with other
truffle and candy lovers. And thanks to my project editor, Meghan
Keeffe, for taking such great care of my book during production.
Many thanks to Robert Steinberg of Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker,
Bernard Duclos of Valrhona Chocolate, Pierrick Chourand representing
Michel Cluizel Chocolate, Gary Guittard of Guittard Chocolate, Rand
Turner of El Rey Chocolate, and Y. Hans Baumann representing Felchlin
Chocolate for providing me with their excellent chocolates to use in
developing and testing the recipes in this book.
My mother, Florence Bloom, is excited about my work and brags
about me to all her friends. Thanks, Mom! My father, Milton Bloom,
always believed that I could do anything I wanted to do. He was a great
candy lover. If he were here, he would be very pleased to see this book.

Contents
Introduction to the First Edition
Introduction to the Revised and Updated Edition
I
NGREDIENTS
E T
QUIPMENT AND OOLS
T
ECHNIQUES
Working with Chocolate
Kneading Marzipan
Working with Nuts
Cooking Sugar
Packing Candies and Confections
Pastry Bag Techniques
Paper Pastry Cones
Do-Ahead Tips
T
RUFFLES
M C
ORE HOCOLATE CANDIES
C C
ARAMEL ANDIES
N B M
UT RITTLES AND ARZIPAN
F , N D
UDGE OUGAT, AND IVINITY
F C
RUIT ANDIES
A
PPENDICES
Weight and Measurement Equivalents
Sources
I
NDEX
Introduction to the First Edition
This book is about pleasure. The pleasure of making and eating truffles,
candies, and confections. Anyone can go to the store and buy something
to satisfy their craving for candy. But what is bought most likely has
been mass produced—it won’t be fresh, it will have been made with
artificial additives, and it won’t taste nearly as good as if it were
homemade. The recipes in this book make it easy and fun to create what
may well be the most delicious homemade truffles, candies, and
confections you have ever eaten.
When it comes to eating something sweet, candy tops the list for most
people, myself included. I have fond childhood memories of buying and
eating candy from the neighborhood candy store. Standing in front of
the counter and trying to make a choice was difficult, but fun. The clear
glass shelves were stocked with all manner of candies—some wrapped in
colorful foil, some stacked high on trays, some glistening in jars. My
favorite candies were round red licorice coins. They were chewy and
lasted a long time. As I got older my tastes changed, and chocolate
became my great love, the darker the better.
My professional experience in the culinary field began in the early
1970s as I was completing my bachelor of arts degree in fine arts from
the University of California, Berkeley. I worked as a cook in several
small gourmet restaurants in Berkeley. Although I enjoyed all types of
cooking, I especially liked making desserts. I decided that I would
specialize in desserts and traveled to Europe to study and work.
In Switzerland I saw and ate some of the world’s finest truffles,
candies, and confections, and I was determined to create them myself.
One confectionery shop that really excited me was Sprüngli on
Paradeplatz in Zurich. Everything in their display windows was picture-
perfect and everything tasted as good as it looked.
As a pastry chef, I perfected the art of making these delights. I have
been able to share these skills teaching classes on truffles, candies, and
confections. I have taught my students how to easily and quickly make
wonderful sweets. I stress the need to use the best ingredients and