The Truffle Experiment – Peppermint Dark Chocolate, Pumpkin Gingersnap, and Peanut Butter and Bacon Truffles

Perfect Pairing: Styrofoam drying method

 Ok, where do I start?  My mom had some cute trays that she wanted to give as gifts, so we discussed what we could include on the trays.  Truffles seemed like an obvious choice.  Forget the fact that we had never made truffles, let alone tempered chocolate, or made candy in general.  As long as we were getting after it, we might as well make three versions! 

I decided on Peppermint and Dark Chocolate, Pumpkin Gingersnap, and Peanut Butter Bacon truffles.  I made a quick trip to World Market and found some items like pre-chopped peppermint chips, adorable mini liners to hold the truffles, and all of the necessary chocolate.  We were ready to open Willy Wonka’s. 

There are quite a few steps involved in the making of truffles, and they do take quite a bit of time with all of the chilling, but they were actually very easy, and dare I say… fun? The pictures below show the various steps for all three versions.

We kicked things off with the Peanut Butter and Bacon truffles.  I mean, how can you go wrong?

Some of the bacon was set aside to top the truffles.  We ran into some issues with people snacking on it.

 Next up were the dark chocolate versions with peppermint.  After the inside of the truffle is made you have to let it chill until it starts to harden.  Then, you scoop out the desired size and chill again.  We wanted to make them on the small side, since you really just need a bite.  This mini stainless steel spring scoop was a great time-saver. Scoop, drop, scoop, drop…. You get it.

 After another round in the freezer they are ready to be rolled into perfect spheres with the palms of your hands.  Then you stick a toothpick in the middle of each truffle and return them to the freezer.  The toothpick is part of my perfect pairing, “Styrofoam drying method”.  Stick with me.

 Next up is melting/tempering the chocolate.  Tempering the chocolate is not 100% necessary, but it is supposed to make the surface shiny and the chocolate will “snap” when you bite into the truffle.  I was stationed right by the chocolate over the double boiler so I could remove it as soon as it got to 110 degrees F.  For some unknown reason when I took it off the heat the temperature kept going up.  I think it got up to 135 or something.  I blame the thermometer.  So, for the record I did attempt to temper the chocolate but I’m pretty sure I screwed it up.  Either way, it worked out just fine.  My truffles may not snap in your mouth, but I’m over it.

Time to dip! My mom is so smart.  She came up with the idea to cover Styrofoam in plastic wrap to hold the drying truffles.  Brilliant.  The plastic wrap keeps the foam clean so you can use it again next year.  Holding the toothpick I would dip the truffle into the melted chocolate (or almond bark for the pumpkin version) until it almost completely coats the truffle.  I left a little space at the bottom so it did not stick to the toothpick and so they would stay put and not roll away.  Then you stick the toothpick into the foam.  We set the blocks outside in the chilly air until they hardened.  Then you slip the truffle off the toothpick and they can be gently stacked in a container and frozen until ready to use.

My mom came up with another great idea for displaying the truffles on the small tray.  She was afraid the liners would slide around so she put a dot of chocolate on the bottom of the liner and stuck it to the tray.  It worked beautifully.

Since we made about 180 truffles we had to come up with innovative ways to give them away. 

 We also ordered these cute confection boxes.

The truffles may not be as easy as the Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzels, but I think we may have found a new tradition.  They are delicious and so stinking cute!  I love them and I love giving them away.

Tweet

Un-Recipe Files – Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzels

How could Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Pretzels be bad?  Answer:  Not possible.

A few years ago I participated in a cookie exchange and had the brilliant idea to make chocolate covered peanut butter and caramel pretzels.  Basically I spread a little peanut butter and melted caramel on pretzel twists and then dipped the whole thing in chocolate.  Holy mess.  They tasted great (how could they not?) but it was not worth the time and mess.

Fast forward a few years and I came up with this version.  The store bought peanut butter pretzel nuggets make this process so easy.  My mom and I made these over the Thanksgiving weekend to have for parties and gifts throughout the holiday season.  They keep really well in the freezer so they can be made well in advance.

I melted the chocolate in a double boiler (metal or glass bowl over simmering water).  I used chocolate almond bark and added about a teaspoon of shortening (1 tsp for every 6 oz of almond bark) to thin it out a little bit.  You could also use semi sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate. 

Once the chocolate melted I threw in a handful of the pretzels and rolled them around until they were coated.  I fished them out with a fork and let them harden on waxed paper.  You can see in the first picture that I started out using a wire rack.  That really did not work out because they stuck to the rack.  Waxed paper is the way to go.

Wine is optional, but recommended. 

We used the great outdoors to finish the chilling/hardening process.  Make sure they are completely hardened before putting them in a bag or container. 

I think these are going to be a new holiday tradition.  They were so easy and delicious.  They are the perfect thing to add to a cute little basket or dish to give as a gift!

Tweet

Basil Slice and Bake Crackers

Perfect Pairing:  www.WTSO.com

I don’t know about you, but all of the Cyber Monday/Week commercials/e-mails/banner ads last week made me feel like a chump for not taking advantage of the deals.   Ack!  YES!  I DO want to save gobs of money and take advantage of free shipping! 

It is just barely December and I have major guilt about not having my Christmas shopping done.  Amazon.com, stop pressuring me.  

Early December also means full swing party planning mode.  I have a few get-togethers scheduled this month and I have a running list of possible appetizers to make.  These Basil Slice and Bake Crackers are perfect for holiday parties.  They can be made way in advance and frozen until party day.  Slice and bake what you need right before the party.  They smell crazy good while they are baking.

These savory homemade crackers are packed with good stuff like parmesan cheese, pesto, fresh basil, and nuts. 

After making the dough you divide it in half and roll each half in plastic wrap and freeze until you are ready to bake the crackers.

 Basil Slice and Bake Crackers are the perfect pairing for a glass of wine!  

A couple of years ago I heard about www.WTSO.com, a discount wine website.  They only sell one wine at a time at a discount of 30% - 70%.  They always offer free shipping when you buy the minimum amount, which is usually about four bottles. 

My dad is a tough guy to shop for, but my brothers and I have had great success with WTSO gift certificates for his birthday and Father’s Day.  He enjoys looking at the different deals and has ordered some amazing wines.  I happen to know a few of the orders went through on his smart phone while out on the combine. 

WTSO.com gift certificates could be the perfect gift or stocking stuffer for your loved ones this holiday season.  Fortunately, there is no need to worry about cyber Monday deals, they are always discounted!

Tweet

Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Bread

Perfect Pairing:  Small loaf pans for sharing

My parents are in the final stages of building a house on our beloved lake, Oak Run.  I am so excited for them, and so excited to enjoy their new home.  I can’t wait to cook in the new kitchen!  Stay tuned for pictures.

Their wonderful new neighbors, Mark and Denise, have a bountiful garden and have given us some great produce this summer.  Recently Mark dropped off a large zucchini, a very large zucchini. 

My mom and I decided we should use it in a bread recipe.  We had some bananas on their way out so we wanted to use those as well.  Why not add chocolate and walnuts as well?  I did a quick search and came across this recipe on Noshings.  I made it exactly as the recipe instructed and it was perfect.  I can safely say it was the best zucchini or banana bread I have ever tried.  Thank you Noshings for sharing this fantastic recipe!

The recipe calls for two cups of shredded zucchini.  I started shredding the veggie with a box grater and realized that was going to be time consuming and potentially dangerous for my fingers.  I ended up using the food processor, which was so much easier. 

The Perfect Pairing for Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Bread is small loaf pans for sharing.  Anyone would love receiving this delicious bread (if it can even be called that seeing as it tastes like dessert)!  I used one large and two small loaf pans for this recipe.  We brought one of the loaves to Mark and Denise to thank them for all of the delicious produce.  My mom even “foofed” it up for them.  She is the queen of foof. 

Tweet

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Drizzle

Perfect Pairing:  Vanilla Fig Balsamic Vinegar

I have recently found a love for Brussels sprouts.  I have never been a picky eater but the mini cabbages were something I avoided.  When my brother made them for me last year I realized they could be delicious!  It makes me wonder how they got such a bad reputation.  It seems like they are getting to be very popular in restaurants.  I have ordered them a few times and found that I like them best when they are paired with something slightly sweet.   

Roasting Brussels sprouts brings out a nutty flavor.  The outside gets slightly crispy while the inside remains tender.  I simply roast the halved sprouts in a hot oven after they have been tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I cook them until they just start to brown and some of the outer leaves get crispy.  While they are still hot I drizzle them with sweet balsamic vinegar.  It is so simple and so good. 

The Perfect Pairing for this recipe is vanilla fig balsamic vinegar.  While this recipe would be delicious with regular balsamic, the vanilla fig version adds great flavor.  My brother and sister-in-law first introduced me to this addictive stuff a couple of years ago.  They ran across it while wine tasting in Napa and gave it out as gifts for Christmas.  I have personally gone through a few bottles.  I will be pairing it with some of my other favorite recipes in the future.  This year my mom ordered bottles to give as Christmas gifts to some of her friends.  It is that good!

 

Tweet

Chili Spiced Soup with Stoplight Peppers and Avocado Relish

Perfect Pairing:  Sharp chef’s knife

One of the best fall meals is a great bowl of soup.  It is so comforting and filling.  This soup is my new favorite.  It is full of flavor and incredibly healthy.  It makes a big batch but it just gets better each day.  This recipe tells you to make your own seasoning blend, which has a kick.  If you are not a fan of spice you may want to cut back on the chili powder.  When you are mixing it up it may seem like a lot of spice but it does not overwhelm, just adds great flavor. 

Don’t skip the relish that goes on top of the soup.  It really makes it special.  If you can’t find queso fresco you could use feta cheese.

The Perfect Pairing for this soup is a really great chef’s knife.  There is a lot of chopping involved in this soup, but it can be quite enjoyable if you have the right knife.  Good knives can be pricey, but think of it as an investment.  If I was told I could only take one thing out of my kitchen it would be my Shun knife set.  That may be cheating seeing as it is a set of knives… but I think of it as clever game-playing.  There are lots of great brands out there but I am a huge fan of Shun.  My brother and sister-in-law got them as wedding presents and as soon as I tried them out I knew I needed these knives.   While I was looking for the link to Shun I realized they are having a pretty good promotion right now on their knives, click here to see it.  They would make a great holiday gift for the cook in your family!

Tweet

Not Your Standard Potato Salad

Perfect Pairing: Potato scrubbing gloves

There are so many versions of potato salad, and they can range from really fantastic (my mom’s version with homemade mayonnaise) to pretty awful (grocery store version).  I am calling this recipe “Not Your Standard Potato Salad” because it is exactly that.  This version has no mayonnaise, includes bacon and cheese, and has a spicy kick.  The potatoes are boiled with a bag of Zatarain’s crab boil.  It gives great flavor to the potatoes even before anything else is added. 

I can’t label this as healthy but I definitely lightened it up from Guy Fieri’s original version. He recommended using all of the bacon grease AND a stick of butter.  WHAT??  That is complete craziness.  I also used half the amount of bacon, reduced the amount of cheese, and used light sour cream.   

The Perfect Pairing for this salad is potato scrubbing gloves.  Potato gloves are made out of a rough-textured nylon material that easily scrubs off dirt and grime from potato skins.  They are not a kitchen necessity but are kind of fun to have.  My mom put them in my stocking at Christmas, and they are great when you have a large amount of potatoes to clean.  The last time I made this recipe I tripled it for a big group.  That meant a lot of potato cleaning and these came in really handy.  Actually… I think my mom scrubbed all of the potatoes, but she really appeared to be enjoying the gloves.  Thanks mom!

* I have not figured out how to take a pretty picture of potato salad.

Tweet

Cooking Class Adventure at The Chopping Block

Perfect Pairing – Julia Child Recipes

For our one year anniversary my boyfriend gave me a cooking class at The Chopping Block at the Merchandise Mart.  The Chopping Block is a well known cooking school in Chicago that offers interactive cooking classes.  I was so excited when I found out that we were going to do this together.  I had been to a class a few years ago at their other location in Lincoln Square, and had always wanted to try the location at the Mart.  He signed us up for the “Celebrating Julia Child” session.  It was so much fun to make some of Julia’s classic recipes, and let someone else clean up the mess.  The menu included Petits Choux au Fromage (Cheese Puffs), Lobster Thermidor with Terragon Béchamel Sauce, Beef Bourguignon, and Apple Tarte Tatin. 

When we arrived the teacher/chef had already made the Petits Choux au Fromage since it was such an aggressive menu to complete in the 3 hours.  I included the recipe below for the cheese puffs but since I did not make them I cannot provide much commentary.  I can tell you that they were very tasty with our wine! 

First up was the Beef Bourguignon.  We started by seasoning the meat, dredging it in flour and browning in a pot.  As soon as the mean was browned on all sides we transferred it to the lid and started cooking the bacon, as seen below. 

Please note… all of the pictures were taken on my phone so the quality is not great, but you get the idea!

Once the bacon was done we added the pearl onions, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, and tomato paste.

Next into the pot goes the cognac, stock, and red wine.  We also added a bouquet garni, which is a bundle of celery, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves.  Everything is tied up with kitchen string and submersed in the pot to add flavor. 

Now you just let it cook for a couple of hours.  The chef told us that at this point you could transfer everything to a crock pot and put it on low for about 6 hours, which would make the meat really tender.  I am totally going to try that sometime.

A couple of hours later…..

Time for Lobster Thermidor!  I was really excited about this dish because I am not likely to make anything with live lobsters at home.  Start by boiling a big pot of water with lemons, onion, peppercorns and another bouquet garni.

While the water was heating up we made the Tarragon Béchamel Sauce.  Chopped shallots are cooked in butter….

Then you make a roux with flour, and add wine and whole milk.  Simmer until it is a la nappe.  I learned that is a fancy term for the ideal sauce consistency.  It should coat the surface and stay put if you drag a line through it.

We used live lobsters!

Into the pot they go until they are bright red and the protein starts to push out (the white stuff).

Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process.

Then we received a lobster chopping lesson. Pull off the claws, cut down the back, remove the tomalley (AKA, yucky stuff), and pull the meat out of the tails.

The tail meat is coarsely chopped and folded into the béchamel, with some parmesan. 

The mixture is spooned back into the tails and garnished with the claw meat and more parmesan. Then they go into the oven for about 10 minutes.  YUM.

The dessert for the evening was an Apple Tarte Tatin made with granny smith apples and puff pastry.  The apples are sliced and combined with lemon juice and sugar for one hour.  You drain off the sugary liquid into a skillet and make a caramel sauce.

Once the caramel has browned you arrange the apples in the skillet in a lovely pattern.

When you get tired of doing that, you just toss them in.

Cover everything with puff pastry.

Into the oven it goes for 30 minutes, flip onto a plate and enjoy!

The Chopping Block happened to have some leftover tiramisu base from a party the night before… it didn’t suck on top of the tatin.

We had SUCH a fun time at the Chopping Block and I hope to go back very soon.  Best gift ever!

Keep reading for the recipes....

Tweet