Near Riot Chocolate Almond Whiskey Truffles

Have you ever made chocolate truffles from scratch? If you've followed my previous blogs, you know I make them pretty often for parties (they're especially great for vegetarians and those on gluten-free diets, don't need their own plates or utensils, are so rich and decadent that most people only need one, and they take a lot less time than most desserts). Dark chocolate is better for you than cake, anyway- and goes a whole lot better with alcohol.

I love the Pound Plus chocolate you can get from Trader Joe's. It's the best value dark chocolate and is easy to work with. Only I totally spaced at the store, and snagged the kind with almonds in it, which inspired this new recipe (normally I prefer to make ganache without nuts because it's one less step).

This is the easiest way I know to make truffles. It takes some time to let everything cool and set, but takes less active time than most desserts. If this is your first time making these, read through all the instructions first. If it's a refresher, hopefully it is a simpler recipe.

So here's the recipe:

12 oz. dark chocolate with almonds

6 oz. heavy whipping cream

2 oz. salted butter

2 oz. whiskey

5 oz. chocolate reserved for enrobing

disposable latex gloves

Have the chocolate well chopped and in a separate bowl. To give myself a head start, I leave the chocolate in the package and smash it against a tile floor or hard countertop until the seams look like they'll rip. It will save you a few minutes of prep time because who really enjoys chopping up chocolate?

Boil the cream and pour over the chopped chocolate in bowl. Cover with Saran wrap and let it steam before you start stirring (stirring cools it down too fast without giving the chocolate the chance to melt completely).

Wait a few minutes to stir in the chocolate completely, then add your whiskey and butter. Make sure the butter is chopped up in little pea-sized pieces or it takes a surprisingly long time to melt and your ganache will risk having butter streaks in it. Every ganache recipe is better with butter incorporated- it leaves a silkier texture and adds a little salt to bring out the flavor.

Mix well. Then let it harden in the fridge with a layer of plastic to prevent condensation.

When it is set, you can start to roll it into balls. Don't worry about them being even because they are meant to be uneven and look like real truffles from the ground. Roll out all of the ganache and put into a freezer. It's okay if they're lined on a sheet pan or stacked in a bowl. This is where I strongly recommend wearing a pair of latex gloves. It keeps the chocolate from sticking to your skin and provides an extra layer of insulation between the cool ganache and your warm hands. It also will prevent fingerprints later when you pick up the truffles and make your life a whole lot cleaner.

Melt your reserved chocolate. Don't let it get too hot! And don't ever put over direct heat, just set a bowl above boiling water and take it off every few seconds to keep it from scorching.

Chocolate is messy and does not have a long wait time, so make sure you have an assembly line ready to go. The more organized you are, the more fun it will be to make them.

I have all the ganache rolled out so you don't have to worry about having to remelt the chocolate. This way you get it all in one shot. Since tempering chocolate is its own beast, I have the melted chocolate a little on the warm side and the cold ganache makes them set up almost immediately. I like lining a sheetpan with plastic in case of drips. Start at the farthest end and line up the finished chocolate towards you so the new ones aren't dripping over.

Put a little melted chocolate on your palm and roll the truffle in it. It's that easy and you can see how quickly it sets up when the truffles are cold to start. You can also see how messy it is, even with the gloves! I find them essential.

You can put them back in the fridge to help them set up, especially if they'll be on a plate in a warm room. This is the best party treat because they're small and unexpected. They also last a few weeks if properly stored in the fridge, so it's a great thing to have in stock!

Please share your experience making them and let me know if there were any directions that needed clarification.

What Happens When Besties Go to Bakeries Together

One of the most important things for me to do right when I got to New York was go to City Bakery near Union Square. My old roomie and I were happy to share some sweets and a coffee together, only we are usually not so great at being in public together.

 I highly recommend the chocolate cookie and not a lame healthy muffin, although that was pretty darn good, too.

When we went for a dessert swap, we accidentally got our arms tangled in our enthusiasm. Hilarity ensued.

 This is just the way we are when we get together.

 See what I mean?

This trip can't get any better than this.

Eclairs and Pot Pie

This weekend I needed a break from taking it easy in the sling. A friend came to the rescue and made me veggie pot pie while we prepped for the Niner playoffs.

Bonus: mustache bottle attachments! As if there's nothing better than a bottle of beer on its own.

The star of the show, with the flakiest crust ever ...

Next we did a recipe test for a pate a choux recipe I had that needed some tweaking. I was a bit nervous, since I haven't made this in years.

 Ooops, I forgot a pastry bag. My quick fix- use a ziplock and snip a hole in the corner. They don't come out as pretty, but it works well in a pinch.

Chocolate eclairs, here we go. The ones on the silpat are prettier, but the ones above without parchment (as advised in the recipe) cooked more evenly. Hmmm.

 We split them open and got them ready to fill.

 Another issue, the one part chocolate to four parts pastry cream ratio came out a little too strong. A little more ganachey than I would have liked, but will scale back the choc next time.

The finished "truffle" version of the eclairs. Delicious, but I'm going to go the extra mile and make the glaze next time for a prettier pastry.

I'll put up the recipe once I work out the kinks!

My First Hostess Fruit Pie

After making my Omnivore's 100 list, I was surprised to find a few of my never-tried-it foods to be good old American standards found at any grocery store. 

"I can not believe you've never had a Hostess Fruit Pie," my best friend, Mitch, said to me when I told her about the list. "But you've eaten dog. A Hostess Fruit Pie is actually good."

So last weekend during my Target run, I grabbed a few of those new things to try. I've never been snobby at all in regards to food- in fact, I have a weakness for junk food.

For my first time, I went the classic route and got cherry, though I'm more of an apple pie kind of girl. I had always thought these things had a shelf life of years, so it was a surprise to see a sell-by date (of less than 2 weeks from the purchase)!

Was it supposed to be eaten warm or cold? Served with a glass of milk or a nightcap? I needed more advice.

According to Mitch, everyone does something different, but her routine was to have it for breakfast, cold (she was very specific about that), and with a cup of hot tea. So I did.

Surprisingly satisfying! Especially because I'm in a fragile state while I heal, it felt nice to cross something off a list while I am so physically limited (I'd love to eat all hundred for my 35 by 35, but the fugu and kaolin are going to be tall orders to fill).

And now I feel like I accomplished something this week!

Egg Nog Cheesecake

I'm going to a Christmas party tomorrow and was at a loss as to what to bring.  I did the pie thing at Thanksgiving. There are wheat allergies, so gingerbread is out, and I'm tired of the same old chocolatey mousse stuff I bring every year. Sorry, I can't skip the wheat completely for this occasion, but I'll cut it down with a little cheesecake.

In the spring, I made the most delicious cheesecake, from one of the most delicious recipes here. This is my take, with an egg nog twist.  Keep in mind, the secret to great cheesecake is for all the ingredients to be the same temp, so make sure the cream cheese and eggs have the chill taken off before you start.

You need:
- half a stick of butter
- 1 package of Trader Joe's eggnog cookies
- 24 oz. cream cheese (3 packages)
- 4 eggs
- 2 T flour
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. egg nog
- 1 t vanilla extract
- pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Make crust. I used egg nog cookies instead of graham crackers. Combine entire package with 1/4 c. melted butter (1/2 stick). No need to add any sugar, the cookies are sweet enough.

If you don't have a food processor, a blender works well. (Needs to be quite powerful for cream cheese mixture.)

3. Pack crumb mixture into the bottom of a greased springform pan, pulling the edges up the sides. Chill while you mix the filling.

 4. Mix cream cheese, sugar and flour in a food processor. (I keep my sugar in a jar with dried vanilla pods for more flavor and a heavenly scent.)

 5. Add eggs, egg nog, vanilla and salt. Mix until combined.

6. Pour into prepared crust.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until center jiggles when the pan is wiggled.

Another great piece of advice from the joy of baking- slice around the edge of the pan as soon as you take it out of the oven. It prevents the surface from cracking as it cools. I forgot to do this and my cheesecake has a huge crack in it; too big for me to photograph the final! Luckily, an ugly duckling cheesecake still tastes delicious.