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Welcome and Happy New Year!
I hope you have had a great beginning to your new
year and now find yourself with the time and
opportunity to enjoy some of the finer things in life- like
our world class confections! This issue of the Harmony
Sweets Herald is filled with interesting tips and
information to get your new year off to a great start!
Learn some of the history behind Times Square and the
famous New Years Eve song Auld Lang Syne. Learn
about our fine chocolates from Paris and from world
renown chocolatier Michel Cluizel and find out if there
is "always room for chocolate". We think you will relish
our recipe for Chocolate shortbread and we hope you
continue to check our web site for our specials and
wonderful gift ideas! Happy New Year!
Laurie Curtis, editor
Harmony Sweets Herald
Confection of the Month
Michel Cluizel's Ecrin Box
Our featured product this month is the Ecrin Box of
Assorted Chocolates. The Cluizel Company began in
Paris and is a family run company. It originated in 1947
and is noted for using excellent rare cocoa beans in its
recipes. The cacao beans originate in nine different
regions of Africa and South America - but are kept pure
in that the chocolate is made from cocoa originating
from a single country or even a single region- which is
then referred to as Vintage Chocolate. The company is
also known for placing unique tastes together with
chocolate- such as tea.
It is well known in France and continues to be a name
linked with high quality standards. Cluizel uses "Noble
Ingredients" which means that all dark, milk, and white
chocolate is prepared only from cocoa beans, cocoa
butter with no additional vegetable fat, crystal cane
sugar (not beet sugar) and Bourbon vanilla and does
not include added soya lecithin. To this day they have
excursions to plantations to become educated in the
complete process of growing the Cacao plants, and to
select their beans and oversee the raw product.
Try our featured product this month at Harmony
Sweets- our Ecrin Box of handcrafted Cluizel
chocolates. If you are looking for an exquisite
chocolate in a bar we also carry the Cluizel bar
collection which includes: pure milk chocolate, milk
chocolate with hazelnut; bittersweet chocolate with
orange, bittersweet chocolate with cocoa nibs,
bittersweet chocolate with coffee, and their famous
Los Ancones bar which is a dark chocolate (67%) from
a single plantation in Santo Domingo. It contains a
remarkable combination of aroma: licorice, berry, green
olive, currant and apricots. These sweets are sure to
please anyone on your gift list with discriminating taste!
The Michel Cluizel Ecrin Box
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On a Musical Note
Why do we sing Auld Lang Syne on New Year's Eve? |
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Auld Lang Syne is the common theme song for our
parties on New Year's Eve. It is actually a very old
Scottish song and dates back to the 1700s. The song
is often associated with a gentleman by the name of
Robert Burns, but only because he is the man whose
transcription is referred to the most- so people often
associate the song with him. The words Auld Lang
Syne closely translates to "times gone by". Burns was
known as a poet of friendship and love and this song is
now sung all over the world, especially as we usher in
the New Year. This song is known for mixing memory
with the desire for things anew, turning childhood ideals
into recollections, and for expressing our relationship
with aging and time. There are several versions of the
song and several verses to each version. One of the
most common is listed below:
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought
to mind
Should auld acquaintance be forgot for auld lang syne
We twa ha'run aboot the braes and ' pu'd the gowans
fine
But we've ventured mony a weary fet since auld lang
syne
We twa ha' paddled in the burn from morning sun 'till
dine
Now oceans broad between us roar since auld lang
syne
For auld lang syne my dear, for auld lang syne
We'll drink a glass of kindness yet for auld lang syne
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The Recipe Box
Chocolate Shortbread |
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This shortbread treat is great to have around as we
move towards Valentine's Day. Shortbread is such a
wonderfully simple treat made with just a few pure and
simple ingredients. If you would like a gift of
shortbread for your friends and family across the miles
don't forget to send them our wonderful gifts of
Walkers shortbread. We offer them with and without
chocolate in boxes and in tins!
Chocolate Shortbread-
Mix:
1/3 c. superfine sugar
1 c. sifted all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1/3 c. cocoa powder, sifted
1 c. unsalted butter- cut into pea sized pieces
Icing:
4 oz. Semi sweet chocolate
1 oz. White chocolate
Blend items in order given. You might need to use
fingers to complete the mixing. Put dough on a lightly
floured surface and roll it until it is one inch thick. Cut
out cookies with a heart shaped cookie cutter and
place the cookies on prepared baking sheets
(parchment paper works well), making sure that they
are not touching.
Bake in oven pre-heated to 250 Fahrenheit for 45
minutes (you want them to be rather firm). Cool on a
baking sheets for a few minutes and then remove to a
wire cooling rack to continue cooling. To ice cookies,
melt semisweet chocolate and white chocolate
separately. Ice cookies with semisweet chocolate and
continue to decorate with the white chocolate (placed
in decorator bag with fine tip). Be creative in the
decorating! Let the chocolate set. Store in airtight
container for up to a week.
Walkers Chocolate Shortbread »
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Awesome Travel Tips
What? My Shoes? |
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Having just traveled this past weekend- a word to
those traveling in the future. I would suggest that you
plan what to wear to be "flyer friendly". First, leave as
much jewelry off as possible. Most security walk-
through machines will be set off by bracelets, belt
buckles, etc. The less metal on your body- the quicker
you will pass through security gates. This metal might
also include metal wired undergarments! Now you
often have to remove shoes and send them through the
security viewers. I would suggest wearing slip-on
shoes (not the short black boots I wore this past
weekend!) Shoes that buckle, tie, and zip, will only
slow you down as well as send you looking for a place
to sit down to "re-dress". I would also suggest wearing
clothing with a secure pocket either in your shirt- or a
deep back pocket, etc. to place your driver's license or
ID card in. Having to pull your license in and out of
your pocketbook and purse gives you more opportunity
to lose it along the way. Some airports require you to
show your ID at the check-in counter, entry to your
concourse and then again to enter the jet way to
board your flight. Flyer-friendly clothes will only
assure you arrive at your destination with your
belongings and your dignity in tact.
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Times Square, New York City |
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Having watched the "ball drop" on New Years Eve on
television and then just visiting New York City this past
weekend I began wondering about the history of Times
Square. Our sixth grader asked how it was named and
finding myself interested in the history behind the
lights/ Broadway/ and the bustle of this wonderful
place to watch the excitement of the city, I have
learned some interesting facts about the "Great White
Way".
In times of the past before the turn of the century this
area was known as Longacre Square. It was
considered a very dangerous area and was often visited
by those of ill repute. It was held by the famous Gangs
of New York. As the migration of the wealthy moved
further up Manhattan the places left vacated became
the new slum areas.
The area became a dangerous place and little was done
by the Police and Public officials to change the
situation which was home to pickpockets, brothels, and
streetwalkers. As the public outcry was heard and law
enforcement would act to shut down a dangerous
building another would simply open up a few steps
down the street. Some evidence is there to support
that there were law enforcement and public officials
paid off to allow the activities to continue.
However a new tenant, an immigrant, came in 1895 to
Longacre Square and he was there to follow his dream
and had a plan for occupying the entire block of 42nd
street and turning it into an entertainment haven. He
had a plan for building theaters and a "roof garden".
His name was Oscar Hammerstein
Within just two short years he had built more theaters
linked together through his "garden" which was
populated with swans, monkeys, and a waterfall to
entertain the diners and dancers looking for a way to
escape the realities of life. Hammerstein's vision
allowed for this idea to spread and other theaters were
built and the lit boards which heralded shows gave this
area the name "The Great White Way'. One of the
tallest buildings in New York City and the cornerstone
of the area was the New York Times Newspaper Office
Building. This corner became the center of activity
around the turn of the century.
In 1904, nearly 100 years ago, the New York Times
Newspaper Office held a New Year's Eve celebration to
celebrate their success in changing Longacre Square
into Times Square- to bring along with it the new
image. Although within 10 years the New York Times
Newspaper outgrew that building, the name of Times
Square has remained. Through the past 100 years this
area has changed with the times for good and bad. In
the seventies the crime rate became quite high and
tourist traffic diminished. The business communities
and neighborhoods fought back to make the area safer
therefore allowing the tourist trade to flourish once
again.
Times Square has taken on different images during the
past 100 plus years. It still is a wonderful place to go
to watch the excitement of the city. Surrounded with
people from all over the world it remains a wonderful
place to watch live theater, eat at wonderful
restaurants and watch people. I would highly
recommend checking the weather before you set out
for your visit as with the bitter cold we encountered
our enjoyment of window shopping was definitely not as
enjoyable as it was on previous visits!
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Our Reader's Write
Can I send a valentine greeting with my chocolates? |
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At Harmony Sweets we have the answer to your
upcoming valentine shopping woes. You can always
personalize your greeting when placing your order with
us. Your message will appear on our beautiful red and
white gift card tied with ribbon on the elegant product
you select.
To each of your selections we tie on a beautiful spun
glass heart, from now until Valentine's Day, to give your
gift that extra special touch of sophistication the ones
you love deserve.
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Our Business Partner
Travelocity.com |
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This month through the Villa Shops on our site -we
would like to introduce you to Travelocity.com. At the
bottom our home page please don't forget that we
have links to outstanding shopping and service sites to
help you get the most value for your time and money!
When you are looking to get away this winter- whether
to a location of sun and sand- or if you are needing to
secure that flight and rental car in New York City to
take in a weekend of the New York Philharmonic, a
Broadway Show in the midst of Times Square please
take a look at the opportunities for travel using our
business partner Travelocity.com. They offer so many
services at one secure site. Purchase those
competitive e-tickets from the convenience of your
home for your travels both domestic and abroad. If
staying in the states- let us bring the world to you with
our international confections at Harmonysweets.com.
Travelocity at the Villa Market »
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