Tag: Home Cooking

Homemade Dark Chocolate Truffles

On By Rob GIn Close to Home, RecipeLeave a comment

Homemade Dark Chocolate Truffles.

Homemade Dark Chocolate Truffles. I like the sound of those words so much, I had to repeat them.

It’s been a few years since I made some chocolate truffles, but I wanted to make them this weekend, and today was the perfect day for it. The process can take 6-8 hours from start to finish, but there is plenty of time for breaks in between. The recipe that I use is from a book titled “Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers” by Nick Malgieri. I have a couple of slight differences from his recipe, but I use his as the base for mine.

The type of chocolate that you use matters. You don’t have to use the most expensive chocolate in the world to make these, but you want to make sure that there is a level of quality to the chocolate, since you don’t want to have it break down during the steps that involve melting. When selecting the dishes that will be melting or mixing the chocolate, please make sure that everything is dry. Water can cause the chocolate to seize, which will result in a lumpy, muddy mess of chocolate. It can be fixed or used for other things, but will not be good for the truffles.

The first part of this recipe is the Center of the truffle. 1/2 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon corn syrup and 8 ounces of melted chocolate. The recipe calls for heating the cream, butter and corn syrup in a nonreactive pan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Remove from the heat and wait 5 minutes. Add the cream mixture to the chocolate and whisk smooth.

I use a slight variation. I heat 1/2 cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup in a pan over medium low to low heat. As soon as the butter is melted, I remove from the heat and continue to stir.

If you have a glass blender/mixer bowl, place the chocolate in there. While the cream mixture is melting, I heat the chocolate in the microwave over medium – low power for 30 seconds at a time. You don’t want the chocolate to be melted. If it is at a slightly soft consistency, it is done. The chocolate disks that I used took about 1 minute 45 seconds, but if you have smaller disks or chips, that should take less time, since there is less surface area. You want to make sure the chocolate doesn’t get too a temperature that is too high, or it might break down, which will result in a more grainy consistency.

The cream mixture should have cooled for a few minutes, so you can add that to the chocolate mixture and start whisking together.

You should have a nice, melty chocolate mixture once it’s all combined. The next thing you have to do is wait. 2-3 hours should be good enough. You want the chocolate mixture to be at room temperature.

After the chocolate is at room temperature, whip the mixture using an electric mixer on medium speed, for about a minute, until it lightens in color. It should be a duller brown color (similar to the picture above). Make sure you use a scraper or spatula along the bottom and the sides to ensure the mixture is completely combined.

The next step in the recipe is to spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tube. Pipe 1/4 inch balls on to the prepared pan. My variation is to use a small scooper/squeezer. It’s similar to an ice cream scoop and can be found in many kitchen stores. I have multiple sizes, which help if I’m making larger truffles, or if I want to make some uniform sized cookies.

I scoop these onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with wax paper. The next step is to chill for at least an hour. I usually put these in a refrigerator for 2 or 3 hours. The next step will involve dipping these and coating them in melted chocolate, so you want to make sure that the centers are chilled enough so they won’t melt as soon as they get into the chocolate to be coated.

Next is coating the truffles. The recipe calls for 12 ounces chocolate and 2 cups cocoa powder. Once the centers are chilled, melt the chocolate by tempering, or allowing it to cool to about 90 degrees. Coat the truffles using your hand, depositing them into a pan of sifted cocoa.

I have a slight variation for this as well. I use a double broiler to melt the 12 ounces of chocolate. You do not want the water on the bottom pot to be touching the top pan. This can lead to burning the chocolate. Once the last bits of chocolate have melted, I add just a little bit of vanilla (less than 1/8 teaspoon). This is just a personal preference. Let this rest for 5 minutes or so, to make sure the chocolate isn’t too hot for coating.

I use one fork and one spoon. I place one or two truffles into the melted chocolate, cover them with the spoon and bring them up with the fork. The chocolate will fall through the prongs of the fork and will be easy to transfer back onto the wax paper. I don’t put them in cocoa powder, but again, it’s just a personal preference.

This picture is taken at the half-way point from one of my trays.

This is one of my trays that has been completed. The chocolate is shiny and still very melty.

You can let these sit at room temperature for a couple of hours.

You should be able to notice a change in the appearance of the chocolate as it cools. You can touch the truffles to see if the outer layer has gotten firm. Once it has, they are ready to be eaten.

I used a 75% dark chocolate for the center and a blend of 75% and bittersweet for the outer coating. In the past, I have placed the truffles in the refrigerator once I finished coating them. If you do that, you’ll want to keep them refrigerated. If you take them out to sit, they will get melty and you will have chocolate fingers. There is nothing wrong with that, but I wanted to give you a heads up.

You can always mix things up. If you want to add some unique flavors to the center, add a little more chocolate if you are going to use a liquid. I’ve used peppermint extract, Amaretto, Espresso, etc., to change things up. I’ve also switched peppermint extract for vanilla for the chocolate coating, but it still has to be a very small amount. Too much liquid will affect how the chocolate will settle and solidify. If you want to use an outer coating of chocolate powder go for it. If you want to try something different, you can also change things around. Powdered sugar, cinnamon, chopped nuts, sprinkles, etc.

If you want to try the center and chocolate coating with different chocolates, then go for it. Make it your way. It’ll be delicious. And if you make any mistakes, they will be delicious mistakes!

Quick and Easy White Chocolate Pumpkin Pudding Pie Recipe

On By Rob GIn Close to Home, RecipeLeave a comment

I am sharing a twist to a recipe that some of you might be familiar with. You might have seen the traditional pudding pie recipe on places such as the back of the label of a graham cracker crust, the side of a pudding box, or somewhere else. White chocolate and pumpkin occasionally go together in recipes, which is the reason I wanted to try this twist today.

The total prep time for this was less than 20 minutes. Once it’s put together, it should still be refrigerated for at least an hour or so, but at least the prep work can go by fairly quickly. The ingredients I used for this are as follows:

4 cups of milk split into two equal portions (I used 2% milk)

1 small package instant pudding – Pumpkin Spice

1 small package instant pudding – White Chocolate

1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust

1/2 – 3/4 of an 8 ounce container of whipped topping

The first step is to make the instant pudding packages as directed (usually 2 cups of milk and the pudding mix mixed together for about 2 minutes). If you happen to have a 32 ounce Blender Bottle around, this works really well for mixing each of the puddings. Once the puddings are in their bowls, they should take about 5 minutes to set.

I put the puddings into the Graham Cracker Pie shell side by side.

I then used a fork to swirl them together. I didn’t want to have them completely mixed together, but wanted there to be a distinction between the white chocolate pudding and the pumpkin spice pudding.

The final step was to put the whipped cream topping on top. If you want to use the entire container, then go for it. I only used slightly more than half the container, since I didn’t think it would need a heavy amount of the topping, and it would be harder to use the lid to seal the pie if there was too much.

It is now ready to dig in. I hadn’t tried this before, but I like how the flavor turned out. The white chocolate pudding is a very smooth, mild flavor. The pumpkin spice pudding gives it a little kick that it needs. The graham cracker crust adds another layer of flavor as well as some much needed texture. The whipped topping adds some creamy sweetness to round it all out.

I have tried different variations before, but usually with chocolate pudding – layering with ganache, combining the pudding and whipped topping together, etc. It was nice to try something I hadn’t done before and have it turn out to taste good, too.

Modified Shepherd’s Pie

On By Rob GIn Close to HomeLeave a comment

I had planned on making some Shepherd’s Pie tonight, but since I got home early from my morning errands, I made it a bit earlier.

Shepherd’s Pie is traditionally lamb that is cooked in gravy or sauce with vegetables, and topped with mashed potatoes. Cottage pie is similar, but with beef as the main source of meat. There are variations of the meats and vegetables, but this is a nice hearty meal that is perfect for the Fall season.

My version has slight modifications, but the overall spirit of the meal still exists.

One ingredient that I use, but can be hard to find, is Ballymaloe Original Sauce.

I first discovered this sauce about 7 or 8 years ago. It works well on hamburgers, but is great with Shepherd’s Pies. This is a tomato relish and includes sultanas. I’m not usually a fan of raisins, but these work really well in this sauce/relish.

Start by preheating the oven to 400.

My first cooking step includes a big cheat. I used one pouch of instant mashed potatoes. Once those were hot and ready, it was on to the next.

I cooked up one pound of ground lamb. As soon as the meat is no longer pink, drain the fat. Reduce heat to medium. Add in one can of peas and carrots (14.5-15 ounces) with the liquid drained. I then added one 7.5 ounce jar of Ballymaloe to the mix. I put 1/2 cup of water into the jar and swirled it around to make sure I got all of the good bits of the relish, and then added them to the mixture.

Continue mixing for another 2 minutes, making sure the ingredients are mixed in. Grease an 8 inch round casserole dish and add the meat mixture.

Add the mashed potatoes (should be 2 cups) and gently press down to make an even layer.

Place in the 400 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Let cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy!

This was just one of my modifications. If you want to have more crisp to the mashed potatoes, you can put it under a broiler for about 5 minutes. You can add cheese on top of the mashed potatoes before cooking. You can add in other vegetables. Create your own unique version if you would like.

Making this was one thing, but it all comes down to the taste. I was really happy with how this turned out, in terms of flavor. The lamb wasn’t gamey. The sweetness of the tomato relish came out well and the mashed potatoes really brought everything together. It would have been interesting to have a different texture, so crisping the mashed potatoes a bit under the broiler might have done the trick, but it wasn’t necessary. I enjoyed making this today and was happy to share.

Eat Well!

An Unsuccessful and Successful Dinner

On By Rob GIn Close to HomeLeave a comment

An unsuccessful AND successful dinner? Huh? What does that mean? Am I trying to be silly? The answer to the last question is always simply this: I am not trying to be silly. I just am. I had an idea for a sandwich for a few days, and I decided to try it last night. I had some leftover spinach dip, and wanted to do something with that; along with a chicken patty and some flour tortillas. Sounds simple enough, I guess.

When I was thinking about the tortilla shells, I wanted to have a slightly crispy tortilla. Not too soft, since it would be very mushy. Not too hard, since the crispness might cause it to break too easily. Looking more for something in between. So I took some soft taco shells and cut them so there would be a top and bottom layer that would fit the chicken patty. I used a drink cup lid as the stencil and then used a knife to cut around to get the circular-ish shape. Since there were still some tortilla leftover, I decided to cut them up into bite-sized pieces. I then baked these in a 250 degree oven for about 15 minutes or so. I wanted to cook them at a lower temperature since my oven might cook things too fast if I tried it at 350. When they were the right texture (mostly solid shell, with slight flexibility), I took them out.

Once the chicken patty was cooked, the sandwich was ready to assemble. I put a light layer of spinach dip on both pieces of tortilla, so there would be some on the top and on the bottom between the tortilla and chicken patty. The sandwich assembled the way in which I was hoping. Then, I took a bite. The flavor of the spinach dip and the chicken patty worked well together. The tortilla, though, was another story. The baking caused it to be a little tough, so it took extra effort to bite through the tortilla. The extra effort of biting through the tortilla caused the chicken patty to occasionally slide around, which meant that when the final clamping of the teeth was finished, it was just the tortilla and spinach dip, without chicken, for some of those bites. So it wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for when I first had the idea. But I am okay with that. I learned something new. So… there was success even with the lack of success. And the little bite-sized pieces were the perfect consistency to snack on with the little spinach dip that remained. So I could do the same thing with the tortilla pieces in the future to use with a dip. Not quite the same consistency as a fried or packaged chip. They still had a nice crunch, but since they were slightly thick, I still got some good flavor of the tortilla and a little bit of softness on the inside. So a perfect consistency for the spinach dip (for me).

Things don’t always work out the way we plan. Sometimes, they turn out better than expected. Sometimes, they turn out worse. But if we learn something from the bad experiences, that’s always a good thing. Stay positive!

Big Belly Deli – Sykesville, MD. 9.10.19

On By Rob GIn Going PlacesLeave a comment

I am going to start with a disclaimer. I really enjoy Big Belly Deli. I will sometimes go there multiple times a week. Sometimes I will get food. Other times I will just go in to see if there are any special desserts that look good. This is a local place in Sykesville, MD and it is not visible from a major road, but gets quite a few visitors, including regulars. The staff is really nice and friendly. There aren’t long wait times. And you get a lot of food for the price you pay.

I check in the mornings and lunch time to see if there are any specials for breakfast or lunch. I’ve gone through most of the sandwich items on the menu and will most likely go through them again, so there will be multiple posts from Big Belly Deli on my site.

Tuesday morning, they posted that the special was going to be Sloppy Joe’s. My taste buds let me know that I had to go and get it for lunch. It also turned out to be dinner, since the portions were so huge. The bread was a homemade bread. It was very light and fluffy, and had a slight sweetness to it. The sweetness was a good balance for the meat mixture. This was not a canned mixture or a pre-packaged mixture. There were some good sized peppers and onions in there with the meat, and the sauce had a nice flavor as well. Not too spicy, but the seasoning worked well and made this a very good sandwich. To be fair, I was not able to eat this with my hands, but it was worth every bite.

I didn’t just stop with lunch. I also checked out the sweets they had, and there was a chocolate peanut butter cake that was calling my name. The cake itself was very moist. There was a nice layer of frosting in between the layers. The glaze that was surrounding the cake on top and two of the sides added an additional sweetness and the Reese’s pieces toppings completed the assemblage of a culinary piece of art. I apologize that my picture won’t do it justice, but it was a two dessert slice of cake that was worth every bite.

Big Belly Deli really does homemade food well. Their sandwiches are exceptional, and having daily specials and special desserts and treats really take it to another level. This is a place I’ve gone to again and again and will continue to do so. I still haven’t had a bad experience there, so this is definitely one of those happy places for me.