People use compound candy because it’s easy and cheap! It’s easier to use because you don’t have to temper it. I will talk about tempering in just a little while too. But compound nougat is what I like to call pretend chocolate. It’s pretend! I am a little bit of a chocolate snob but in all seriousness there is such a big difference in compound nougat and real chocolate! If you learn the art of tempering. And you aren’t too afraid to try it, then it will reward you over and over. 

So many sourdough references come to mind with what I am telling you now. I talked to my sister about this and we both thought about how sourdough and candy making started to go crazy. And we both agreed that everything is a little slower right now, right? Maybe where you are right now you can’t have all the gatherings, celebrations, parties, concerts and all the things we are used to doing! Well, learning something like this is the perfect time. Taking the time to learn how to make candy is something you can appreciate for years and years to come! I am so excited for you guys to get the book! If you haven’t heard, I have put all the recipes into one book from my mom. Along with so much information! 

Let’s talk about what kind of candy you do want. Couverture chocolate! Every year I get a large box of chocolate goodness. I get my candy from Orson Gygi and have for about 12 years! Now couverture chocolate is the real deal. It has cocoa butter and chocolate liquor. I find it so amazing! It in my opinion, is superior in flavor and even looks better. But this kind of candy has to be tempered. Which means it has certain cocoa butter crystals and there are like 6 different strains of those. You have to break them down and they have to build up a certain way to get the end result you want. 

If you have ever made this kind of candy that has white spots on it or, is mushy, crumbly or really just odd. It hasn’t been tempered correctly. Orson Gygi carries amazing couverture chocolate. So to temper the candy you have to melt it in a certain way. And keep it at a certain temperature so that it sets up. So when you have properly tempered the chocolate you will find the result is a smooth, glossy and gorgeous looking candy. The chocolate should set up quickly and break with a kind of snap to it. Chocolate shouldn’t have the bloom which is are the white spots. It shouldn’t crumble either. If your candy is not properly tempered you are gonna see the white spots on it, because it has created bad crystals. Meaning the crystals have formed badly when they’ve cooled down. 

Now I’m gonna tell you about the chocolate I buy! So I mentioned I buy from Orson Gygi and they have different brands. So what I have always used is Callebaut Belgian Caillats. And the ones I use are fairly small in size. Meaning I can heat them up and they will all melt pretty evenly! 

So a lot of you will want to buy my book so you can really understand how to temper your candy. Since my method or rather my mother’s method from which I learned is unconventional. I use an old fashioned method that works and is really very simple! True to my style, it simplifies something that very often others complicate unnecessarily. I want everyone to be able to do this! It is SO rewarding! This will take a lot of hard work. I won’t give you false hope and expectations that this will be easy! But once you try this you won’t ever wanna go back to compound chocolate!

When you are just getting started don’t overwhelm yourself with all the little things. Make one batch of fondant and get a small bag of good chocolate! Make it worth your while with that good candy. And I will teach you how to properly temper it. Now I will share my secret to tempering candy with you. An electric frying pan! That  is my secret to success that my mom taught me and that I will teach to you! I will teach you how I use the electric frying pan to keep my candy tempered and amazing. The pan enables you to keep the candy at the perfect temperature. I am so excited for you to get started! 

Get yourself some good quality couverture chocolate to make the candies in my book “Sweet Traditions” recipe e-book! Writing all of it out was so powerful, amazing, and emotional for me. And I hope you love it! Don’t forget to check out my instagram!