This recipe is pretty damn easy and, depending on whether you go with brand names or not, fairly inexpensive. During the winter time you can just as easily cool the chocolate by sticking it on the porch or patio for a bit.
Software:
-2.5 packages (20 squares) of semi-sweet baking chocolate, divided
-1 package (8 ounces) of cream cheese, softened
-decorations such as sprinkles, nuts, chocolate shavings (optional)
Hardware:
-Small/Medium Pot
-Mixer
-Medium/Large mixing bowl
-Baking Sheets
-Wax Paper
-Fork/ fondue fork/ kebab stick
Procedure:
In the mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until creamy. Melt 8 of the chocolate squares until consistently smooth (you can use the microwave for this but I don't recommend it). Blend the melted chocolate into the cream cheese. Refrigerate until firm. Prepare the baking sheets by covering them with wax paper.
When the mixture is firm, use your hands to shape it into bite-sized balls. Place the balls on the paper-covered baking sheets. (Your hands will get very chocolatey, just so you know.)
Melt the remaining chocolate. You can use a fork to dip the truffles, though I find this to be difficult and I frequently drop them in the pot (bad news!), alternatively you can spear the truffles with the fondue fork or kebab stick (or even toothpicks) and dip them that way, then use a fork to gently remove the tool. After dipping, place the truffles back on the baking sheet, then decorate. Refrigerate for one hour, then serve.
I defy you to eat only one of these.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Recipe: 'On the Fly' Rye
Baking is a science. Or is it? Conventional wisdom dictates that baking is a precise and exact science, and that you can very quickly and easily mess it up. Lacking the ingredients for my usual bread (whole wheat), I decided to tempt fate and the bread gods by improvising. No, I did not add my own little twist to an existing recipe. I made up my own recipe! On the fly (hence the name)!
I made up this recipe last week pretty much as I was making it, writing things down as I added them. It's loosely based off of several other bread recipes (and more importantly, the ratios between the ingredients). To my surprise, it totally worked out. And, just to be sure, I made several more loaves to make sure that the recipe was actually successful before posting it here.
'On the Fly' Rye
3/4 cup warm (105° F) water
1/2 Tbsp. yeast
1 cup rye flour
2 1/4 cups bread flour
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup milk
- Mix water and yeast. Let sit for 3-5 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix both flours, sugar and salt. Add in the liquid ingredients (including the yeast/water mixture).
- Turn dough onto a well floured surface. Knead for AT LEAST 5 minutes (I try to go for 10, but I'm lazy). Dough should be just slightly sticky. If too dry, add water; Too wet, add more flour.
- Put dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Punch down dough and shape into a loaf (or place it in a loaf pan). Let it rise for 20 minutes.
- Slash the top of the loaf with a sharp knife several times. Bake at 400° F for 30 minutes, or untill the bread is golden-brown and and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Let the bread cool before eating.
Makes 1 loaf.
If I remember to take photographs next time I bake this, I'll put them up.
I made up this recipe last week pretty much as I was making it, writing things down as I added them. It's loosely based off of several other bread recipes (and more importantly, the ratios between the ingredients). To my surprise, it totally worked out. And, just to be sure, I made several more loaves to make sure that the recipe was actually successful before posting it here.
'On the Fly' Rye
3/4 cup warm (105° F) water
1/2 Tbsp. yeast
1 cup rye flour
2 1/4 cups bread flour
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup milk
- Mix water and yeast. Let sit for 3-5 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix both flours, sugar and salt. Add in the liquid ingredients (including the yeast/water mixture).
- Turn dough onto a well floured surface. Knead for AT LEAST 5 minutes (I try to go for 10, but I'm lazy). Dough should be just slightly sticky. If too dry, add water; Too wet, add more flour.
- Put dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and leave it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Punch down dough and shape into a loaf (or place it in a loaf pan). Let it rise for 20 minutes.
- Slash the top of the loaf with a sharp knife several times. Bake at 400° F for 30 minutes, or untill the bread is golden-brown and and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Let the bread cool before eating.
Makes 1 loaf.
If I remember to take photographs next time I bake this, I'll put them up.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Random Tip #1: Copper Mixing Bowl
So I recently bought Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen and it has a lot of interesting tips about tools and how to use them and which sorts are best for which jobs.
One thing I didn't know, and that I thought might be helpful goes like so:
Whipping egg whites can be a pain in the ass, right? It's easy to overdo it, and hard to get them to the consistency that's suggested by the recipe. Well, if you use a plastic mixing bowl, you're practically screwed. The chemical structure of plastic is too close to the fat cells of the egg whites and the egg whites will bind to the bowl instead of each other (not to mention the fact that you'll be stuck with an irremovable film on your bowl). On the other hand, egg whites absorb copper ions and help keep them from bonding with other proteins to make for less coagulation and fluffier more voluminous egg whites.
Not to mention the fact that copper conducts heat more efficiently than any other metal, thus making it great for improvised use as a double boiler (just make sure you get one with a handle).
Keep in mind that copper requires extra work to maintain. They should be cleaned and polished before and after each use with a mixture of salt and white vinegar. Otherwise the residue of past foods will cling and cause your egg white whipping (and possibly other tasks) to backfire. Also, make sure you get a big one. Egg whites tend to expand by up to four times.
One thing I didn't know, and that I thought might be helpful goes like so:
Whipping egg whites can be a pain in the ass, right? It's easy to overdo it, and hard to get them to the consistency that's suggested by the recipe. Well, if you use a plastic mixing bowl, you're practically screwed. The chemical structure of plastic is too close to the fat cells of the egg whites and the egg whites will bind to the bowl instead of each other (not to mention the fact that you'll be stuck with an irremovable film on your bowl). On the other hand, egg whites absorb copper ions and help keep them from bonding with other proteins to make for less coagulation and fluffier more voluminous egg whites.
Not to mention the fact that copper conducts heat more efficiently than any other metal, thus making it great for improvised use as a double boiler (just make sure you get one with a handle).
Keep in mind that copper requires extra work to maintain. They should be cleaned and polished before and after each use with a mixture of salt and white vinegar. Otherwise the residue of past foods will cling and cause your egg white whipping (and possibly other tasks) to backfire. Also, make sure you get a big one. Egg whites tend to expand by up to four times.
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