dried and candied fruit Archives

DRIED CALIFORNIA BLENHEIM APRICOTS ARE THE BEST ON THE MARKET

Dried apricots are available almost anyplace snack foods are sold as well as the produce section of most supermarkets. However, you can be certain; the apricots sold there are not the prized California Blenheim variety. Why not, you might ask? Well several reasons. For starts the Blenheim varieties are grown in certain selected areas and are of very limited quantity. The low quantity is due to the fact that this variety is extremely delicate, has a low shelf life and does not ship well in its fresh state. So another reason is that these apricots are going to cost more. These days when so much buying is done strictly on price, it should come as no surprise that a lesser-priced product is going to sell better. But for the dried apricot aficionado there is no substitute for the Blenheims. If you love the cloying taste of a fine apricot then go to OliveNation and order some dried Blenheims. We warn you though, they are addictive!

CHOCOLATE DIPPED DRIED FRUIT IS EASY TO MAKE

For chocolate lovers dipping almost anything into melted chocolate elicits raves. However, many people are reluctant to try it. Why? Many think it is too complicated. The reality is that it really isn’t. All it takes is a little care, a candy thermometer, a double boiler and a little bit of attention. You can create a double boiler quite easily by dropping a metal or glass bowl over slowly simmering water. The process used to break the chocolate down is called tempering. Tempering is a term used when melting chocolate and then allowing it to re-form itself at the right temperature. Watching the temperature of the melted chocolate is extremely important. You don’t want it to exceed 115 degrees. Remove it from the heat and then gradually add small bits of chocolate, stirring well each time. Don’t let the temperature go below 80 degrees. If that happens you want to bring the temperature back up to about 90 degrees. This is the ideal range for dipping. These guidelines are for dark and bittersweet chocolate. Now go ahead and dip your glaceed apricots, California Blenheim dried apricots, Australian crystallized ginger rounds, candied lemon peel and candied orange peel,to take these delicious fruits to another level. Oh yes, hide some for yourself because your guests will wipe you clean!