[Illustration: Fig. 1]
[Illustration: Fig. 2]
[Illustration: Fig. 3]
[Illustration: Fig. 4]
Pour on the slab 1½ pounds of the melted chocolate. Assume the
position of the hand as shown in figure 1; draw the fingers through
the chocolate with a “pawing” motion as shown in figure 2. Each time
that the fingers touched the chocolate on the downward motion, close
the hand, and lightly squeeze the chocolate that is held between the
fingers and the palm. The chocolate flows through the fingers and from
the sides of the closed hand. Repeat this motion until the chocolate
is spread out over the slab, (it will only be a few times), then
encircle the outer edge, drawing the chocolate toward the center, as
shown in figures 3 and 4. The thin layer of chocolate which remains is
the foundation for the base which keeps the chocolate within bounds.
Never draw into the center any of the chocolate that has become hard or
that which is getting stiff. It will spoil the entire lot. Continue the
“pawing” process, following it with the operations as shown in figures
3 and 4. Occasionally take up a handful and squeeze it as shown in
figure 5. The chocolate in these illustrations was allowed to become
cold, so as to give you a better idea how it should be done.
[Illustration: Fig. 5]
When the chocolate is warm it is thin, but by the time it has cooled
enough it will be thick enough not to run off the center. You must
continue working the mass of chocolate until the heat has all left it.
There are several ways of telling when it is cooled enough.
For a beginner, we might advise you to use the thermometer until you
have had a little experience. Slide the scale with the glass on, out of
the case, so that the chocolate will cover all of the bulb, and after
you have worked it for about five minutes, stand the thermometer in the
center of the mass of chocolate until the mercury stops rising. If it
registers about 82, it is then ready. If it is higher, continue working
until it has reached the required degree. In cool weather the chocolate
may be cooled sufficiently in from five to eight minutes, but in warm
weather it may even take as long as twenty minutes. After you have used
the thermometer a few times, you will know just how cool the chocolate
should be, and then you can get along without it.
Another way to tell when the chocolate is cooled enough is, when you
have worked it for five or six minutes, and it seems cold to the hand
that is in it, simply dip the back of the fingers of the other hand
in the chocolate, and if it is in reality cold, or you are sure the
heat has all left it, then dip a piece or two, and cool them quickly,
and you can soon tell. The chocolate has a high gloss, and retains the
markings if it is cooled sufficiently.