Bl4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 21,1984
BY SUZANNE KEENE
ELIZABETHTOWN - For the
past several weeks Arlene Martin
of Elizabethtown has been spen
ding most of her time in the kitchen
creating chocolate bunnies,
baskets, peeps and eggs that will
satisfy the needs of many Easter
bunnies who are too busy to make
their own candy.
Arlene said she has worn out two
mixers and produced thousands
and thousands of creamy peanut
butter and coconut creme eggs in
the 13 years since she started
making candy.
Experience has taught her that
chocolate heated to the proper
temperature and good weather
conditions are essential to suc
cessful candymaking.
“Weather has an awful lot to do
with it,” Arlene explained. “Your
humidity has to be down.”
On muggy or rainy days the
chocolate tends to crack, Arlene
said. Because of this, Arlene stops
her candymaking around the end
of June or the beginning of July
and doesn’t resume production
until September, she said.
Heating the chocolate to the
proper temperature is also
essential in producing good candy.
Arlene said that before she leaves
on her morning bus run, she heats
water in the bottom of a double
boiler until it just reaches the
boiling point. She then reduces the
heat to 150*F and places the candy
melts in the top of the double boiler
to melt.
When she returns from her bus
run, the chocolate is ready to use.
To keep it warm while she works,
Arelene said she keeps the
chocolate in the double boiler on
the stove at the warm setting or at
about 150 or 2SO*F. To heat a
number of colors at the same time,
Arlene fills her electric fry pan
about half full of water, sets the
temperature at 150 or 200°F. and
sets jars of candy melts in the
warm water.
“Never go over 200°F.” Arlene
advised. If the chocolate gets too
hot it becomes thick and will not
mold properly, she explained.
If the chocolate does become too
thick, Arlene said she occasionally
uses paramont crystals, which act
as a thinner. However, Arlene
said, she doesn’t like to use them
very much because she prefers
using natural ingredients in all her
chocolate.
No water or steam must touch
the chocolate either, Arlene
continued, becuase moisture
causes the chocolate to turn white.
Keeping the candy molds clean
and water free is also important to
producing attractive candy,
Arlene said. She said she washes
Easter items Arlene creates with her extensive set of candy
Candymaker lends Easter
bunny a helping hand
•ne spoons
placed in the freezer to harden
her molds in wqrm water and
stores them in a vertical postion in
a cool place. If the molds get too
hot they will become deformed and
will not fit together properly, she
explained. Soap can also harm the
molds by taking off the shiny
coating on them.
When the chocolate is melted
and the molds ready, Arlene pours
the chocolate into the mold. If the
mold requires special decorations
or several colors, Arlene paints
them in with a small paint brush
and puts them in the freezer to
solidify before pouring the main
part of the mold.
To create a hollow bunny or egg,
Arlene said she fills one half of the
mold with chocolate, then clamps
the two halves together and
distributes the chocolate evenly in
the mold. Air bubbles can be
removed by gently tapping the
mold againk the counter, Arlene
said. When this is done, Arlene
puts the mold in her freezer for
about two or three minutes to
solidify. Solid chocolate molds take
several minutes longer, she ex
plained.
The candy is ready to be
removed from the mold when is
falls out easily, Arlene said.
(Turn to Page B 16)
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- color cai - are kept at the proper temperature in an electric fry pan
filled with water and set at 150° F.
Arlene Martin molds peanut butter eggs, something she
has done a lot of during the past several weeks.