chocolate covered strawberries need help ASAP!

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • chocolate covered strawberries need help ASAP!

    Hey guys...

    Need a little help...asap. I was busy working on a script...when my daughter came in and said she was doing a project for history...she asked me did I know the origin for chocolate covered strawberries? Seemed like a simple request...I started to search the internet...I've spent hours...I cannot find the answer...maybe it's one of those trick questions a history teacher will ask...I need the answer before 9pm CST.

    email [email protected] if you find the answer...I'd hate for her to go to school tomorrow without the answer...

    I've checked all major culinary archives...hersheys...etc...no luck.

    Thanks,
    Gdover

  • #2
    chocolate covered strawberries

    Fondue?

    Comment


    • #3
      Chocolate Covered Strawberries

      Most chocolate-covered strawberries, that are sold, apparently use a chocolate flavored coating, known as confectioner's chocolate. Chocolate can be spoiled by the moisture on fruits, like strawberries, so the secret of dipping strawberries into a bowl of melted chocolate is to dry the strawberries off. Fondant chocolate was introduced in 1847, which would have allowed chocolate-covered fruits, (bonbons were introduced at the Great Exhibition of 1851); but, milk chocolate was not developed until the late 1870s, in Switzerland, by Daniel Peter, Henri Nestlé, and Rodolphe Lindt. My guess is that, soon after this development, dipping fruits into a chocolate fondue was done in restaurants by chefs, who knew the difficulties of cooking with chocolate. While Louis XIV may have enjoyed drinking his chocolate and appreciated eating his strawberries, there's no history of his mixing the two together, but you never know. It might have happened.

      Comment


      • #4
        origins

        True to character, I get you this a little late...

        I actually had this arguement once.

        A girl I was dating told me that chocolate covered strawberries were part of the menu that Escoffier was going to serve at the gala dinner during the coronation of Edward VII. Edward, as Prince of Wales was a regular at the Carlton hotel where Escoffier was chef de cuisine and Cesar Ritz was the hotelier. The parade route went along Pall Mall, right past the Carlton, and the restaurant was booked solid. Two days before the coronation, the Prince had an emergency appendectomy. Postponing the coronation, indefinately. Ritz walked into the middle of the dining room, during lunch, announced the news to a silent room. Ritz then was bombarded with cancellations. He collapsed and never really recovered.

        This is a great story. The reason I say it, is because the girl never bothered to check her facts. The menu did not include chocolate covered strawberries.

        I handed that girl my Escoffier cookbook. Published in 1903. There are about 3000 recipies. No chocolate dipped strawberries. She handed me back the book along with a list of dishes for me to cook for her.

        My first thought would be that Julia Child showed the world the chocolate covered strawberry. Could be. I haven't seen a mention made in any of James Beard's books. I have several old cookbooks, from the 1900's through the 1950's. Many of them cover entertaining, but no mention is made of chocolate covered strawberries. Of course, there is more mention of alcoholic punches than of champagne and wine. Which is why...

        My best guess would be Sunset magazine, during the 70's. While French cookery became middle class through the 50's and 60's with its peak in coq au vin in the 70's; wine and champagne didn't really take off until the 70s. Also, Sunset is a Californian magazine, and California is a major producer of strawberries.

        Comment


        • #5
          well...I did come some obscure data...

          It appears the question is one for Sherlock Holmes...I came across a document used by teachers of history which indicated resources for teaching gifted and talented students...apparently this question is one to engage the student's mind to think creatively...to postulate and form conclusions...in other words an educated guess.

          However if you do indeed locate the original source of chocolate covered strawberries...I would appreciate the answer to satisfy my curiosity.

          Thanks to those folks who contacted me...

          gdover

          Comment


          • #6
            twist

            That puts an interesting light on this. The girl in question is a teacher of gifted talented students. I've always liked teachers. And nurses.

            gdover, what were some of the stories people gave you?

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: twist

              Hey Pantalone...

              I came across it during a search...to be honest...it was one of hundreds of web pages I was looking through...I would have to research the research to find it again...I used google.com and typed in..."the history of chocolate strawberries"...I viewed hundreds of web pages when I came across this report that said...history teachers use this when working with gifted students to make it more challenging...must have been an educational resource item...since I believe it had different types of lesson plans for teachers to utilize...wish I had bookmarked it...maybe it's still in my history from yesterday...I will give it a look...it was quite an extensive study/report...I just skimmed the pages looking for chocolate strawberries when I read the document.

              In fact if I recall there was an entire list of these obscure facts that have no answers and force one to utilize a part of the brain dealing with certain levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (you know cognitive thinking skills and incognitive skills)...seems like it dealt with synthesis of information and how it is handled by the brain (deep stuff)...gave me a headache reading it.

              Comment

              Working...
              X