Daring Candy!

The August 2011 Daring Bakers’ Challenge was hosted by Lisa of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drive and Mandy of What the Fruitcake?!. These two sugar mavens challenged us to make sinfully delicious candies! This was a special challenge for the Daring Bakers because the good folks at http://www.chocoley.com offered an amazing prize for the winner of the most creative and delicious candy!

I’m a few days tardy to post the candies I made for this challenge, but they’re done and I’m happy to share them here. This was a tough challenge in that I don’t make candy, not even for the holidays, so I took my time choosing recipes that would have easily accessible ingredients, yet use techniques somewhat new to me.

The first part of the challenge was to make something chocolate. I chose Chocolate Merlot Tarragon Truffles. I used tarragon from the garden and a cabernet/merlot blend wine, and decided to roll them in cocoa as a finish. The bitter cocoa balances the richness of the chocolate, and the tarragon adds just a hint of licorice sweet. In other words, they’re delicious! I read that these were made for Prince William and his new bride when they visited the U.S. in July.

 

I’ve made ganache before, but never truffles, and I always hesitate to have to use the double boiler. These were easy to make, yet they’re a rich and decadent treat.

The second part of the challenge could be anything and it took me a long time to decide on Spicy Cashew Brittle. I’ve never made any kind of brittle before, and frankly, avoid having to use a candy thermometer at all costs. This recipe intrigued me because it uses jalapeno peppers as the “spicy” component, and I have tons of them in my garden.

Now, I’m not a huge fan of hard, crunchy candy – I prefer soft, chewy, melty chocolate – but this brittle is so good! You can’t really taste the jalapeno, there’s just a “warmth” left on your palate when you finish a piece, and that takes the place of the sweetness that usually lingers. I cannot say there will be piles of truffles and brittle around here now, but having successfully completed this challenge was pretty sweet!

Chocolate Merlot Tarragon Truffles (recipe from Giada DeLaurentis)

• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips, such as Ghirardelli 1/3 cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves
• 3 tablespoons Merlot wine
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place the cream and chocolate in a medium bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth, which takes about six minutes.
Stir in the tarragon, wine and salt until smooth.
Refrigerate for two hours until firm. Let the mixture stand at room temperature until moldable, which takes about 45 minutes.
Using a melon scoop, scoop level amounts of the truffle mixture on to the prepared baking sheet. Roll into 1/2-inch balls.
Place the cocoa powder in a small bowl. Roll the truffles in the cocoa powder until coated.
Arrange on a platter and serve or refrigerate in an airtight container.

Spicy Cashew Brittle (recipe from Today’s Nest) 

The ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup corn syrup
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3 cups cashews (halves and pieces will do)
• 3 medium jalapeno peppers
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

The method:

1. Butter a large baking sheet.
2. Assemble all ingredients.
3. Cut peppers in half lengthwise and remove pith and seeds.
4. Place sugar, corn syrup, water, and pepper halves in a large pot over medium heat.
5. Attach the thermometer to the side.
6. When mixture comes to a boil (about 5 minutes), add in butter. Stir occasionally.
7. When mixture reaches 230 (about 15 minutes) degrees remove peppers and begin stirring frequently.
8. Turn heat down slightly to medium low.
9. When mixture reaches 275 degrees (about 20 minutes) add cashews and stir constantly.
10. Turn heat back up to medium.
11. When mixture reaches 300 degrees (about 10 minutes) remove from heat and stir in baking soda.
12. Pour onto baking sheet and spread out with two forks while candy is still hot.
13. Place sheet on wire cooling rack and do not touch until it is cool.
14. Invert baking sheet and snap brittle into pieces.
15. Store in an airtight container.

Mmmm…

I made turkey pot pie for supper yesterday, prepping the filling in the morning, so all I had to do at suppertime was throw on the biscuit topping and pop it in the oven. That left me some extra time to make a lil’ somethin’ for dessert. It needed to be simple, quick, use ingredients I already had in the house, and yes, it had to be chocolate.

Since I already had my Joy of Cooking cookbook out, I took a quick glance through the recipe index and decided on chocolate pudding. Only a few ingredients and it whipped up in a heartbeat. Well, several heartbeats, but it was fast.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding

1 3/4 C milk (I used skim)

1/2 C sugar

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/8 tsp. salt

Combine in a heavy saucepan. Heat over med-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted.

3 Tbs. cornstarch

1/4 C milk

Mix together until smooth. Stir slowly into hot milk mixture. Stirring constantly, heat over medium heat until mixture just comes to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, stirring briskly, bring to a simmer and continue to cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tsp. vanilla.

Pour into 5 or 6 ounce serving dishes. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the pudding. Chill for at least 2 hours. (Serves 4)

Have you ever had homemade pudding? Try this and you’ll never purchase that instant boxed stuff ever again! Enjoy!

(Oh, sorry, no photo. You think there’s anything left to take a picture of?)

Valentine's Day Dessert

As promised, here is the recipe for the dessert I made to finish our Valentine's Day supper. A couple of years ago we went on a cruise where we were treated to gourmet dining each evening in the dining room. Since six of us went together on the cruise, we each ordered something different each evening, and then passed plates around to share. (Yeah, it was gourmet dining and we were passing plates around. You can take us out of the prairie, but...)
Anyway, this dessert was inspired by one we had on the ship. I didn't order it since the title of it had something to do with espresso. I don't drink coffee, and don't normally enjoy coffee-flavored food. Greg did order this dessert, though, and gobbled down the entire thing himself. He refused to let me have a taste. Leslie let me have a bite of hers. After all, we were there to experience new things, so I took a chance. I fell in love. That's when I looked to Greg to share his portion, and he moved his dish away from me and said, "No." No amount of pouting would change his mind. I came home and started a search for this yummy treat, and here's what I found at the Epcurious website. No espresso, but it's pretty close to what we had.
(I halved the recipe; my notes will be in red.)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Phyllo Purses
Bon Appétit March 2001
Each elegant phyllo "purse" contains a flourless brownie topped with peanut butter and chocolate ganache.

Yield: Makes 6 servings
Flourless chocolate brownies:

9 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
4 large eggs, separated

3/4 cup sugar
Chocolate ganache:

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 1/2 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

4 teaspoons sugar

6 17x13-inch sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Vanilla ice cream
For brownies:

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Butter 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.

(I used an 8x8" pan)

Melt chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Using electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl until thick and pale. Stir chocolate mixture into yolk mixture.

Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff but not dry.

Carefully fold egg whites into chocolate mixture.

Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Press down edges until even with middle of brownies. Cool completely. Using 2 1/4-inch-diameter cookie cutter, cut out 12 rounds. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Store in single layer in airtight container at room temperature.) (I just cut them into squares.)

For ganache:

Bring 1/4 cup whipping cream and vanilla extract to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.

Remove from heat.

Add chopped chocolate and whisk until completely melted.

Refrigerate ganache until firm, about 1 hour. (Ganache can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Lightly butter rimmed baking sheet.

Stir peanut butter and 4 teaspoons sugar in small bowl to blend.

Cut each phyllo sheet in half crosswise to form twelve 13x81/2-inch strips. Place 1 phyllo strip vertically on work surface. Brush with melted butter. Place second phyllo strip horizontally across first, forming cross; brush with butter.

Stack 2 brownies in center of pastry. Top brownies with 1 tablespoon ganache, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter mixture. Gather ends of phyllo strips together over brownies to form purse. Twist ends closed. (I had a little trouble with my phyllo tearing, so I didn't get to make them into a "purse". When I made these last time, it worked great and looks really neat.)

Brush purse with melted butter and place on prepared baking sheet.

Repeat with remaining ingredients to form total of 6 purses. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.) Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve with ice cream.

These freeze nicely. I just thaw them before baking.

I'm sorry I didn't get a photo of the inside of the "purse" after baking. We gobbled them down too quickly. :o) The phyllo is crispy and chewy, the brownies just sort of melt with the ganache and the peanut butter. The first time I made these, I omitted the peanut butter, and I don't think they were any better or any worse. You decide if you want it or not.

Simple Little Dessert

This is a recipe I read about a few years ago, but wasn't able to find the chocolate wafer cookies until recently. It's a light dessert that goes together quickly. I used the recipe off the back of the cookie package, but threw that away, so I'm typing from memory...

Chocolate Wafer Dessert 1 box thin chocolate wafers
1 container Cool Whip (or you can make whipped cream)
1 tsp. vanilla
chocolate shavings or cocoaMix the vanilla into the Cool Whip. Put about a Tablespoon of Cool Whip on each cookie.
Adhere to the next cookie, making a "log". (I only used about a third of the package of cookies and it made plenty for the two of us.)

Frost the entire thing with more Cool Whip. Pop into the frig for a few hours, let sit on the counter for a little while before serving.

Garnish with chocolate curls or a dusting of cocoa. To serve, slice the "log" on a 45 degree angle. (I must not have taken a photo of it sliced, but it's very pretty!)
I think this would make a nice summertime dessert when you want something easy and light.

Not everything is better with chocolate!

I'm sure those who know me well are surprised by my subject line, but, sadly, it is true.

Jessi spent the weekend in North Dakota with friends, and they went to a chocolate shop where she purchased some treats for us. Okay, so I use the term "treats" lightly.


The malted milk balls are delicious, and I do like the chocolate-covered potato chips.


My problem started with the chocolate-covered olives and ended with the chocolate-covered jalapeno.


Ugh.


I love the girl, but this is one time I'll take a pass on finishing the chocolate. :o)

(These, um, "treats", come from Widman's Candy Shop, Grand Forks, ND. Thanks, Widman's. I think I'm permanently scarred...)