It's after 11pm, and I am exhausted, but I made a lot of truffles today. They are packaged ever so prettily and ready to be "gifted."
This year's menu:
Spicy Hot Chocolate (inspired by Jacques Torres' "Wicked Hot Chocolate," of course!)
Almond Joy
Apple Pie a la Mode
Cardamon Brown Sugar
Cinnamon Hazelnut Coffee
Eggnog
Pictured above is the large box, which holds 35 truffles. I also did medium boxes, each holding 18, and "samplers" of 6. Final count: 6 batches of ganache to fill 3 samplers, 4 mediums, and 2 larges -- a total of 160 truffles (plus the few I ate!) in two days... each one individually hand scooped, rolled into a ball, and coated. Whew! I'll have to make some more on Sunday, mostly to finish up the ganache, and will give those out as late presents... but the bulk of the work is done.
Tomorrow evening I head for Boston to spend a couple days with Kevin. Unfortunately, he has to work Christmas Eve and Christmas day... the news quits for no man! But we will have all day Thursday together, plus Friday evening and Saturday morning. I'll be home late Saturday afternoon to spend the rest of Christmas day with my family. Then on Monday, Kev and I are off to Wolfeboro, NH, to have a late Christmas with some (or maybe all, depending on who shows up!) of his family. This interstate boyfriend/family thing is getting quite chaotic! But it's a good excuse to travel a lot. =)
My kitchen has become a chocolate factory for the week:
This is the aftermath of today, a day of ganache making and just a few test truffles. And don't you just love my yellow countertop, circa 1983? Trust me -- I didn't choose it. It came with the apartment!
It has become a tradition for me to make chocolate truffles for Kevin's family, and for a few close friends, for Christmas. This is my third year. I make six different flavors each year. Next year will probably turn into a "best of" assortment, but that's another story.
I will not divulge my secret formula, because maybe -- just maybe -- I will perfect said formula and you might see them on a store shelf near you someday, but I will share with you the basic ganache recipe that I like the most. I think it came from a coupon flyer in a weekend paper a couple of years ago!
Ghirardelli Chocolate Truffles
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Chips
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Coating:
1/3 cup Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa or 3/4 cup finely chopped almonds or pecans
In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from heat, and stir in the chocolate and butter. In a medium-sized skillet, bring 1/2" water to a slow simmer. Set the saucepan in the skillet over low heat. Stir mixture just until chocolate has completely melted. Remove from heat. Pour the chocolate mixture into a shallow bowl. Cool, cover, and refrigerate until firm, at least two hours. Pour the coating into a pie plate. Line an airtight container with waxed paper. Dip a melon baller or small spoon into a glass of warm water and quickly scrape across the surface of the chilled truffle mixture to form a rough 1" ball. Drop the ball into the coating. Repeat with the remaining truffle mixture. Gently shake the pie plate to coat the truffles evenly. Transfer truffles to the prepared container, separating layers with additional waxed paper. Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months. Makes 30 truffles.
I know this isn't even remotely authentic Greek cuisine, but it uses some of my favorite Greek ingredients, and frankly, it's damn good. =)
Ingredients:
1 Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust (yes, the one in the tube -- it's really not even that great, but it works here!)
kalamata olives, pitted and halved
peperoncinis, sliced
crumbled feta
hummus
Roll the pizza crust out onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 5 - 7 minutes, until edges are barely starting to brown. Flip crust and bake a few more minutes. Top with hummus, then sprinkle with toppings. If you're feeling particularly saucy, throw on some red onion, too. I didn't do that today, because Kev's not much of an onion fan. Return pizza to oven and bake 7 - 8 minutes more, until crust is golden brown around the edges, and the cheese is just starting to brown. Serve hot!
