Discounted cialis online

Valentine’s Day has traditionally been a holiday for purchasing pre-made chocolates.  Stores begin setting up displays of cellophane packaged hearts and gift wrapped boxes of luscious creations soon after the December holidays have passed.  Taking the leap into giving a homemade gift, one with your personal stamp attached to it, isn’t as hard as it might seem.

“When you give something homemade it means more,” says Alan Tetreault, owner of Global Sugar Art in Plattsburgh.

Tetreault, an honors graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, opened Global Sugar Art in 2002 and has been serving the chocolate needs of the public ever since.  He says making chocolates is not a long process.  He estimates that in one to one and one half hours, a person could produce several dozen pieces of candy.

“It’s very easy,” he says.

Anyone can get into candy making; even kids as young as 4 can begin with simple pieces like lollipops.

“They will look forward to doing it,” says Tetreault.

Simple candy making involves pouring the correct type of chocolate into molds and letting it harden.  Choosing the right kind of chocolate is as important as choosing the flavoring.  There are two kinds of chocolate used in chocolate making.  The first is that which contains cocoa butter.  This type of chocolate needs to be tempered before it can be used.  Tempering chocolate is a process of heating and cooling the chocolate to remove any imperfections, bumps or discolorations.  Without tempering, chocolate can have light brown streaks and an off texture.

“It has a lot of flaws in it,” Tetreault says.

The second type of chocolate, which Tetreault recommends for beginners, is chocolate in which the cocoa butter has  been replaced with vegetable oil.  This chocolate does not need tempering and is ready to use.

“It’s perfect and delicious,” says Tetreault.

This type of chocolate is best used in molds.  Global Sugar Art carries brands like Merckens, Peters and Guittard that come in different colors and flavors.
Tetreault cautions against picking up chocolate chips at the store for candy making.  The chips don’t melt properly because they contain cocoa butter, and the chocolate will stick to the mold.

“It’s a disaster,” he says.

Visitors to Tetreault’s store can find anything and everything they need for their adventures in chocolate making.  And while the store does not carry pre-made chocolates in heart shaped boxes, it does carry all the molds, packaging and even flavoring for making chocolates at home.

There are “all kinds of neat flavorings you can add to chocolate now,” says Tetreault, who carries over 15,000 in his store, including the more common like apple and banana to the more exotic like chili pepper and Kona coffee.  
For those with absolutely no experience with candy making, Tetreault has produced an instructional video,  which  is available at his store.  The video shows the correct process for making simple chocolates like lollipops, as well as, more complicated candies like truffles and specialty candy bars.

Getting a group of friends together for a chocolate making party is a fun way to celebrate loved ones and spend time with family and friends.

“It’s a lot more than the chocolate, it’s about the camaraderie,” says Tetreault of candy making.

For anyone planning a chocolate making party, Tetreault recommends following these tips when making candy:
1. Check your chocolate – Tetreault suggests using a high quality chocolate brand and remembering that the chocolates with cocoa butter need tempering.
2. Be careful not to overheat chocolate – chocolate can burn, so watch out when melting.  Burned chocolate will become impossible to use.  
3. Water is an enemy to chocolate – Tetreault says that if you put a wet spoon into chocolate, it will solidify.  Even when adding flavoring, you must make sure that the brand you choose is oil based.  “Water and chocolate do not mix,” says Tetreault.

Remember, have fun and make sure to share your creations!

www.globalsugarart.com – Here you can find and order many of the items featured in the Plattsburgh store. *Keep your eyes out for one of the candy making classes Tetreault plans to offer this spring.  They are held at the store, but interested parties can sign up at Clinton Community College.  In the class, Tetreault teaches candy making basics, as well as,  how to make specialty candies, like truffles.  Check out www.clinton.edu for more information.

---

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites