Tabliering: The Artisan’s Secret to Luscious Chocolate Confections

With the help of software, tempering has become as easy as loading chocolates into a bowl; defining settings; and pushing a couple of buttons. The automated magic of these new-fangled equipment ensure that chocolatiers produce consistent-quality chocolates all the time without the labor of monitoring temperatures and keeping them constant; and heating, cooling, and re-heating chocolate to its tempered state.

There is though a sizeable market of consumers that are increasingly choosing handcrafted confectioneries so that the art of tabliering, the artisan’s craft, continues to thrive.

A legacy of French gourmets, tabliering is a method of tempering that uses the coolness of a marble slab to bring down the heat in molten chocolate (called mush). Artisanal chocolatiers however take time to ensure that all the things and ingredients used in tabliering is absolutely dry. This is because chocolate is prone to seizing, or turning into a rigid mass, once water gets into it. Seizing also happens when chocolate is subjected to high temperatures too quickly. The end result is a useless lump that’s not fit for dipping and molding.

In tabliering, one pound of chocolatecut into bits with a ridged knifeis melted in a double boiler over medium heat. The chocolate should turn into mush at about 108-115F and then poured onto a mixing bowl. At this point, the mush should be fluid and has no lumps when poured. Make sure that when you do pour, the base of the pan is free of moisture.

With one third set aside, work on two-thirds of the mush and cool it down to 80-82F. Once it has reached this temperature, slowly work in the remaining third until the whole mass has attained uniform warmth. Remember though that while you’re working on the first two-thirds of the mush, the other third should be maintained at a constant 100F or else the chocolate will solidify.

Reheat the entire mush to these temperature readings: 88-90F (dark chocolates), 86-88F (semi-sweet), and 82-84F (white). The chocolate will be properly tempered if the chocolate forms a lustrous, firm coat around the spatula five minutes after the latter is enrobed with the mush.

Chocolate is very susceptible to temperature shifts and if this occurs, the chocolate will distemper; in which case you’ll need to temper again. The lesson here is to watch your material’s keeping temperature while you’re having fun dipping and molding to avoid such a hassle. To lengthen the time your chocolate is kept in its tempered state, lay the bowl of mush over a heating pad or a bain-marie. Take care though that moisture doesn’t seep into it.

China’s Famous Shanghai Museum

Established in December 1952, the Shanghai Museum was originally located at the Shanghai Racecourse club house along West Nanjing Road. In 1959, the museum was moved to Henan South Road before it finally found its permanent residence in 1992, when it moved to People’s Square in Shanghai’s Huangpu District.

One of China’s most popular museums, the Shanghai Museum features remarkable architecture and a wide collection of Chinese artifacts that describe ancient wisdom and philosophy. Construction of the building began in August 1993 while the inauguration took place on the 12th of October 1996. Standing approximately 29.5 meters high, the museum has five floors, each filled with interesting artifacts.

The museum building takes the shape of an ancient bronze ding. Its round top and square base symbolize a round heaven and a square land — descriptions of the Chinese’s view of the world.

With more than 120,000 pieces of cultural relics, the Shanghai Museum has a vast collection of bronzes, ceramics, and paintings and calligraphy, all divided into 11 distinct categories: Gallery of Ancient Chinese Bronze; Ancient Chinese Sculpture; Ancient Chinese Ceramics; Ancient Chinese Jade; Ancient Chinese Painting; Ancient Chinese Calligraphy; Ancient Chinese Seals; Ancient Chinese Numismatics; Gallery of Chinese Furniture in the Ming and Qing dynasties; and Gallery of Arts and Crafts by Chinese Minorities. Each gallery showcases artifacts/relics or works from different dynasties and civilization. The museum also keeps several items of national importance.

China’s Shanghai Museum is a haven of ancient arts and is a rich source of Chinese history and culture.

Learn more about other museums on the Museums in Bloom site.

Ted Waitt, Gateway founder, sponsored a groundbreaking ocean expedition.

Ted Waitt is the founder of the Waitt Foundation, an active supporter of scientific research.

Vintage Fountain Pens

Fountain pen collectors classify pens manufactured before 1965 as vintage fountain pens. Fountain pen lovers have stored and passed on pens from one generation to another. Pens appreciated for their looks, designs and efficiency in writing may be stored, in some cases with little or no practical writing use. A vintage pen does not only have nostalgic or display value; many vintage pens are used actively for writing purposes, too. And it’s true that vintage pens aged thirty to fifty years surpass the new fountain pens in the writing department for the reason that then they were considered as the main tool for writing, unlike now. As more skilled labor went into producing fountain pens, vintage nibs are smoother than their modern counterparts.

Some vintage pens may be in mint condition, while others might be fragile and require delicate handling. There are vintage pens in possession of pen collectors and museums with jewels and gems studded in them. Vintage fountain pens are inlaid with lacquer designs known as maki-e. Vintage fountain pens are also made up of bamboo, glass, hard rubber and celluloid.

Utmost care must be taken for maintaining a vintage pen. Hot water and solvents should never be used to clean a vintage fountain pen. The material used in vintage pens may not be sturdy enough to withstand hot water and solvents. Direct sunlight may cause color to fade, so vintage fountain pens should not be exposed to it. It’s advisable to carry a vintage pen in the outside pocket rather the inside pocket to preserve from heat. Fountain pens, especially vintage pens, should not be soaked in liquids.

Repair of a vintage pen should be left to an expert. A slight extra pressure here or there while mending parts by an amateur may cause breakage because of the fragile condition of the pen. Parts for replacement in vintage pens are being sold as factory-made originals and reproductions. Most vintage pen parts are not interchangeable. One should be very careful about 100-year-old pens, hard rubber and casein and Coronets.

Numbers of manufacturers competed with each other during the Golden era of fountain pens (1880-1930) and produced durable, efficient and stylish products, which are much better than those being produced now. A vintage pen is worthy both for its writing as well as its display value.

Fountain Pens provides detailed information on Fountain Pens, Fountain Pen Cases, Fountain Pen Refills, Fountain Pen History and more. Fountain Pens is affiliated with Fountain Pens.

Before the Dawn in Beijing [a poem: and love affair]

[A Love Affair]

The nights were long, it seemed an era
(All before the dawn in Beijing),
Came youthful smiles, in my magic age
And we who listened to each heartbeat
A sweet compulsion of that sound
The burst, a mighty morning on Beijing;
Then yellow flowers seem to fall (sing):
She was an empire with pains and peaks
I an ocean, and sky above

The dark was deep, a drowsy soul
Somewhere between reality and sleep,
Tides of Time and matter seeped
Pure being, freed from memory
Of voices I have never heard,
And dreams and echoes
Nor did I find the light of the star
Before the dawn in Beijing,
Which haunts the hollow past in me…!

#1371 6/17/06

In Writing the story of “An Affair in Beijing,” original Title “Stockbridge Romance,” I had added an old poem I had done in 1997, when I was actually living this affair; and it seemed only proper to write a new poem for this future book. And so I came up with this poem, and in doing so, I will perhaps change the name of the story to the name of the poem. Normally I change the name to my loner stories, or short novels several times to fit the story. The title in important; but when you are writing the story and at the same time, giving the story to others to read, it often changes. In the case of a most recent story I’ve put on the internet, “A Romance in Augsburg,” the title did not and will not change, simply because it fits the story, and was written five years ago. Now you folks are getting it in a revision of sorts, a reediting of it. One time the book was in the process of being set up, and I had to call the publishers at the last minute to change the title, and they did.

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