Boules de Noël - Chocolate wrapped peanut butter balls

Holidays are filled with family recipes. I have many favorites, but few that I actually make. This is one that I love to make. The peanut butter center has a lovely consistency, and the soft walnuts and chewy dates complement each other very well. No fancy chocolate - it melts in your fingers so you're forced to lick it off

Centre

1/2 cup icing sugar (75g)

1 cup peanut butter (250g)

1 cup finely chopped cooking dates (140g)

1 cup finely chopped walnuts (110g)

1 Tbsp butter (15g)

1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix ingredients together until uniform. 
2. Roll into small balls and put on wax or parchment paper and let set in the refrigerator. Makes about 30.

Chocolate covering

250 grams semi-sweet chocolate

1. Melt together in bain marie, allow to cool slightly, then dip balls to cover. Set on wax or parchment paper and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate to avoid sticking.

Pear and Chocolate Tart

It is extraordinary that there is no additional sugar added to this tart. I admit that we tend to like less sweet desserts, and if you do, I'd recommend sprinkling a tablespoon of sugar on top after the initial 10 minutes of baking.

Part 1 - the pie crust

1 cup (150g) flour
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
½ cup (4oz/114gr) butter, cut into pieces
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp + cold water

1. Follow the instructions for the Pie Crust, but substitute the vanilla for 1 egg yolk and be careful about the amount of water you add to avoid having a wet dough. 
2. Put the crust to chill for at least 15 minutes.

Part 2 - the filling

4 oz/114g 70% dark chocolate, chopped fine
3 to 4 pears cut in half, peeled and cored
1 egg
1 egg yolk
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. After chilling the crust, sprinkle in the chopped chocolate, and arrange the pear halves, cut-side down, to fill the crust as completely as possible, most easily accomplished if arranged in an attractive flower pattern.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the egg, yolk, cream and vanilla to make a simple custard.
4. Use a spoon to pour the custard mix evenly over the pears so that they have all been wet by the liquid - this will help them brown nicely. 
5. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn down the heat to 350°F and cook an additional 25 to 30 minutes.
6. If the pears have not caramelized, put under the broiler until they do.

Dessert Crackers with Custard and Blackberries

What happy things accidents can be! I've been trying to find an easy and 'perfect' way of baking little tart shells because I wanted to make Lucie's Buttertarts for Linda for her birthday. I still haven't succeeded in making the little shells (an ongoing project until I can crack the code, sans the troublesome pie weights), but one of the accidents in my attempts was that they just baked into flaky delicious disks. The following is what I made with them.

1 recipe Cookie Pie Crust

2 recipes Pastry Cream

80 to 90 blackberries

¼ cup chopped 70% dark chocolate

1. Start the Cookie Pie Crust to make the dessert cracker base.
2. While the dough is cooling, prepare the Pastry Cream up to step 5, then set aside.
3. When you've rolled out the dough, cut into disks - I use the top of a standard round plastic container, like a yoghurt container lid, for my cutting shape.
4. Arrange the disks on a large cookie sheet to blind bake, as per the instructions in the recipe, except lightly place a second cookie sheet on top. This will prevent the dough from puffing up excessively. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the top cookie sheet and bake another 5 minutes or until the crackers start to lightly brown.
5. Allow the crackers to cool completely. 
6. Finish the Pastry Cream by following step 6 of the recipe which is to whisk in the heavy cream.
7. Assemble the crackers by evenly distributing the Pastry Cream in dollops onto the crackers; arrange the blackberries on top of the cream and lightly press into the cream.
8. In a double boiler melt the chocolate and drizzle lightly over the loaded crackers. 
9. You can either wait for the chocolate to set, or serve with the chocolate still semi-liquid. 
10. Have napkins at the ready - it's easy to get smeared with the chocolate!

Cinnamon Hot Chocolate Tart

I seem to be on a bit of a Mexican flavouring kick recently. Not that I'm complaining! Spicy, rich, complex flavours are just fine by me. This makes such a lovely, smooth filling, with just a suggestion of chilli heat. And I like distinct foods that complement each other when eaten together, which is why I put the cinnamon in the crust.
NOTE: try replacing the heavy cream with crème fraîche; it makes for an almost mousse-like consistency.

Crust - must be completely cooled before using
1 cup (4oz/120g) flour
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp. (25g) sugar
¾ tsp cinnamon
½ cup (4oz/114gr) butter, cut into pieces
½ tsp vanilla
2 Tbsps + cold water

NOTE: The pastry needs time to cool in the refrigerator not once, but twice, for about 15 minutes each time, and then another 15 minutes to pre-bake in the oven, a total of about 45 minutes.

1. Put the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and pinch with your fingers to create a crumb texture (it's like playing in sand).
2. Make a well in the middle, and pour in the vanilla and water. Quickly work in the flour to create dough. Do not over-mix. 
3. Pat into a thick disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 15 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough, line the tart shell, and chill another 15 minutes.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
6. Put baking weights in the shell and bake for about 15 minutes or until the crust is ever-so-lightly browned.
7. Cool completely before using to allow the crust to set.

Filling
6 oz (170g) 70% chocolate, chopped fine
1 cup (250g) heavy cream
½ cup (120g) milk
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup (50g) sugar
⅛ tsp cayenne
3 egg yolks

1. Heat the oven to 325°F.
2. Bring the cream and milk to a very slow boil in a saucepan.
3. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and the chopped chocolate, stirring to melt the chocolate completely.
4. In a bowl, whisk together the yolk, sugar and cayenne until yolk turns a pale yellow.
5. Very slowly whisk in the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Do this slowly; this is to gradually increase the temperature of the egg and avoid making scrambled eggs with the hot liquid.
6. Strain the mixture into the baked tart shell.
7. Bake about 35 to 40 minutes or until set. The pie will puff up a bit when it is cooked, and will settle again as it cools.
8. Let it cool completely, which can take a few hours.
9. Only once it is completely cooled, dust with cocoa powder. If you dust it before this, the surface will still be hot and damp and the powder will just get wet.
10. Delicious accompanied by a fresh sprig of currants or other tart fruit.

Black Bean Chocolate Chilli

I first made this while cooking at the Coming Home Café in New Westminster BC. It got a lot of attention, and I had people try to guess the ingredients. The funny thing was that the one ingredient most people didn't get were the red bell peppers... don't know why, it just is. The chocolate can be substituted with cacao powder and sugar, to taste; a 2 to 1 ratio should work, start with 1 Tbsp cacao and ½ Tbsp sugar and add to your taste.

2 Tbsps olive oil
1 large onion (10oz/285gr) chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 stalk celery (50g) sliced
1 jalapeno chilli, minced (or more, for more heat)

1 red bell pepper
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 tsps oregano
½ tsp cinnamon
a pinch of ground cloves
1 tsp ground coriander
2 Tbsps chilli powder
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 x19oz cans black beans WITH the liquid
14oz (398mL) can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1½ oz (about ¼ cup) 70% chocolate, grated

- OR 2¼ tsp cocoa powder 1¼ tsp sugar
Cheddar cheese, Sour cream, Scallions, Fresh Cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot and add onion and garlic; sauté until the onion becomes soft. Add the celery, chilli and bell pepper. Adjust the heat; cover and cook another 5 minutes.
2. Turn heat down to lowest setting and add the spices. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until spices are fragrant, stirring occasionally to prevent burning (ground spices can quickly burn. If the pan gets too dry add a little liquid from the diced tomatoes or some water)
3. Add the beans, the tomatoes, lime juice and soy sauce. Increase heat until you get a bit of a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. Simmer for as long as you want, but it is ready in about 10 minutes, when the liquid starts to thicken.
4. Stir in the chocolate, adjust the seasoning and serve.
5. Top with Cheddar cheese, Sour cream, Scallions, Fresh Cilantro.

Chestnut and chocolate, a sweet consonance - Fondants Chocolat Marron

My favourite recipes are the simple ones that give the impression of great luxury. This is one of them. The cake is so moist and thick with dark chocolaty gooey goodness, it's a miracle they're not sold at McDonald's. It's a recipe from the Limousin region in France, and I've adapted it from the Recoins de France Web site.

1 can sweetened chestnut paste

100g 70% chocolate (usually 1 bar)

3.5 oz (100g) butter 

3 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Melt together chocolate and butter in a bain marie.
3. Whisk in the chestnut paste until the mixture is uniform, then add eggs one-at-a-time.
4. Pour into a single cake tin or smaller containers such as ramekins.
5. Bake 25 minutes or until centre is firm.
6. Let cool completely before removing from containers and serving
7. Recommended with crème anglaise, raspberry coulis or caramel sauce.

Petit pots de crème

I'd seen recipes for Petit pots de crème on other sites, but they all seemed to require gelatine, and that just seemed wrong to me. I didn't know why, until I finally found references that used just egg yolk, cream and chocolate... more or less. When I first made these it was for my Ben and my niece Isabelle, and they ate two each, enjoying the rich flavours, but after a full meal, then gorging on this unctuous, fatty chocolate, they felt sick afterwards. I realize that I have a sadistic streak when it comes to people enjoying the food I make so much they make themselves sick. Compliment? Perhaps.

NOTE: You may be tempted to use more than 4 oz of chocolate. Be forewarned that more chocolate will make a more dense pudding. The ratio of ingredients in the recipe below ensures a smooth, creamy pudding with loads of chocolate flavour.

For 6 ramekins

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

4 oz. chocolate (70%)

6 egg yolks

3 Tbsp. sugar 

1. Heat the oven to 325F
2. Heat the cream, milk, vanilla and sugar, remove from heat just before it boils. Set aside to cool a bit.
3. Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie.
4. Whisk the yolks a bit. To avoid making scrambled eggs, slowly drizzle the hot melted chocolate into the yolk while whisking vigorously. When you've added all the chocolate, it will be thick. Whisk in a bit of the cream at first - it's quicker and easier this way, and you'll be sure that the yolk/chocolate mixture is well diluted into the cream.
5. Scoop off any froth, then strain to get rid of any particles, to have a smooth texture.
6. Pour into 6 ramekins and bake in a bain-marie until set at the edges, but slightly jiggly still in the centre, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Chocolate has a tendency to absorb flavours, so wrap the ramekins and refrigerate several hours before serving.

Savory Chocolate Chilli

This is not just delicious, it is an attractive chilli. The yellow corn kernels and the red peppers shine like gems against the dark mahogany of the chilli, and if you choose to top it with bright white sour cream, fresh green cilantro and creamy cheese, well, they say that presentation is 90% of the meal! Excellent with a good corn bread or corn chips.

6 Tbsps chilli powder

1⁄2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp cumin

2 tsps dried oregano

1 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch ground cloves

1 tsp coriander
2 Tbsps grapeseed oil or bacon fat

2 lbs ground beef

2 onions, finely chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup corn kernel

2 x 28oz (796 mL) cans diced tomatoes, un-drained

1 x 19oz can beans, rinsed and drained OR 1 cup/8oz dry beans, soaked and cooked

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt, to taste

4 oz 70% chocolate (or to taste)
OR 2 Tbsps cocoa powder + 1 Tbsp sugar (add sugar for preferred bitterness balance in chocolate flavour)

hot sauce, such as Tabasco

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

fresh cilantro (to garnish)

sour cream (to garnish)

grated cheese (to garnish)

1. In a small bowl, prepare the spice blend, from chilli powder to coriander.
2. In a large heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat; add the beef, onions, bell pepper, and garlic; stir and cook until vegetables begin to soften.
3. Add the spices, corn, black beans, diced tomato. Bring to a boil then cook at medium-low temperature, uncovered, until excess liquid reduces and tomatoes disintegrate, about an hour.
4. Finely chop chocolate and add to chilli. Cover, reduce heat to low and let sit another twenty minutes. Add the lime juice. While adjusting seasoning to taste, add hot sauce, to taste.
5. Now, the garnish of fresh cilantro, sour cream and grated cheese is more than just to make it pretty - these ingredients are actually important elements in the final outcome of the dish. I call them garnishes because the chilli is perfectly good without them so they are optional, and they also make the plate look really good when serving.
6. NOTE: The flavor is quite different whether you use bittersweet chocolate, like 70% chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate. If you are unsure of what you would prefer, I suggest using bittersweet chocolate and then adding sugar if you find the chocolate flavour too strong.

Chocolate Torte with Dark Chocolate Frosting

We had some friends over for dinner who are gluten intolerant, so I decided to make a flourless chocolate cake. And since I'd just seen Laura Calder make one, I decided to try that one out. I don't know where the error was, if I put the oven too hot or if my oven, which has a random temperature generator, burned my cake, fifteen minutes before it was supposed to be done! I ended up cutting away the burned parts, and what was left was a wonderfully gooey chocolate pudding-like substance that I piled in large ramekins and topped with fresh whipped cream. What a save! But not an experience I'd like to repeat.

I tried this a second time, and it still started to burn about 15 minutes before the baking time was up, without the attractive crackling! I searched and most flourless chocolate cake recipes of this type give pretty much the same info.

THEN I was looking for an Easter chocolate cake to make for Isabelle and Ben and I found this recipe. It worked, it didn't burn, and it was delicious!

6 large eggs separated

1 cup (8oz/228gr) butter, cut into small pieces

7-9oz chocolate (70%), chopped

1 cup granulated white sugar, divided

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Ganache:

7-8 oz chocolate (70%), chopped

3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream

2 Tbsps (28gr) butter

1 Tbsps brandy (optional)

1. THIS IS BEST MADE THE DAY BEFORE
2. Lightly coat a 9 x 3 inch spring form pan with melted butter. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
3. Separate the eggs with the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another. Cover and bring to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler or bain marie. Once the chocolate has melted, slowly add small chunks of butter and mix to blend until it's uniform. Allow to cool a bit.
5. Beat the egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until thick and lemon-coloured. (The eggs should have tripled in volume, look thick and soft, and fall from the whisk/beater in a slow ribbon.) Beat in the vanilla extract and slowly beat in the slightly cooled melted chocolate mixture (adding it slowly increases the yolk temperature and avoid making scrambled eggs au chocolat).
6. Preheat oven to 350F and place oven rack on lowest level of the oven. 
7. In a clean bowl beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold a small amount of whites into the egg yolk mixture to lighten the batter, then pour the batter into the remaining egg whites all in one go, then gently fold just until incorporated to keep as much volume in the whites as possible.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake the cake for about 50 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs - apparently you can use a cooking thermometer and, when the middle of the cake reaches 140F, it's done. (During baking the surface of the cake will form a crust which will collapse when the cake is removed from the oven.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. The top of the cake will have become hard with a cracked surface and lots of crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or up to a few days.
9. Chocolate Icing: Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, then pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. If desired, add the liqueur.
10. Assemble: Remove torte from refrigerator and brush any loose crumbs from the cake. Place on a wire rack, top of the cake facing down (so now the bottom of the cake is facing up). Put the wire rack on a baking sheet. In this way if the chocolate ganache drips it will fall on the baking sheet, which makes clean up easier. Pour the ganache into the centre of the cake. Spread the ganache with a spatula, using big strokes to push the ganache over the sides of the cake, to create an even coating. If there are any bare spots on the sides of cake, cover with ganache. If there is leftover ganache, strain to remove crumbs, and with a hand mixer or whisk, beat until light and fluffy. Place in a piping bag, fitted with a Wilton 1M open star tip, and pipe rosettes on top of the cake. Refrigerate cake. I find this cake is best served the next day as it allows the flavours to blend. Cut the cake in small slices with a sharp knife, wiping off the knife after slicing each piece. If you have problems cutting the slices, warm the blade of the knife under hot running water before cutting each slice.

Chocolate Pavement

I'm always surprised at the reaction I get from this incredibly simple dish. It's a perfect thing to do if you don't have time to make a dessert, such as when unexpected guests drop by and the company is so good that they end up staying for dinner.

At least 6 oz. 70% chocolate

1/4 cup of dried fruit or nuts or both (cranberries, cherries, candied ginger, salted almonds, etc)

1. Chop the chocolate bar into small pieces. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.
2. Put some parchment paper in a cookie sheet or plate or pan. Arrange the fruit and/or nuts in the general area of you think the chocolate will cover, keeping a few bits aside.
3. Pour the chocolate over the other ingredients, pushing stray pieces into the chocolate, to cover. Sprinkle to top with the bits of fruit/nuts you've kept aside. Let harden in the refrigerator or, if this is last minute, in the freezer, which should take about 10-20 minutes to set.
4. Break into slabs and pile on a plate or serve the whole stretch of pavement on a board and let guests hack away as they please.

Chocolate-Stuffed Figs

These are surprising and delicious. I like to use bittersweet chocolate; when you bite into one there is the rich, bitter flavor of the chocolate that is transformed by the intense sweetness of the fruit. Apparently the best dried figs are obtained from October to March, the leather of the dried fruit should be moist and supple, which also means easier filling with chocolate. As a dessert, it entertains with the novelty, and it seduces with its flavour. When I say this, I'm not being metaphorical - whenever I have made these the reaction is always dramatic and positive.

To serve you can leave the fruit unadorned, or you can dip half of it in couverture chocolate, or you can cut into quarters for more dainty bites. I got this from the book Pure Chocolate by Fran Bigelow and Helen Siegel.

1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces chocolate, finely chopped (70%)
24 to 36 dried Calimyrna figs, depending on size
1 1/2 pounds chocolate (70%), tempered (optional)

NOTE: Have ready a 9-by-13-inch or quarter sheet pan lined with parchment.

1. In a saucepan, heat the cream over medium-high heat just until it begins to boil. Remove from the heat. Add the finely chopped chocolate. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the top to exclude all air, and let set for 6 to 8 hours at room temperature.
2. Prepare the figs for stuffing by gently rolling them between your thumb and fingers to loosen the seeds and soften the flesh. Insert a wooden or metal skewer in the hole in the bottom of the fig and wiggle it to enlarge the hole slightly for stuffing.
3. When the ganache is set, gently stir it with a rubber spatula a few times. Spoon some into a pastry bag fitted with a small round 1/4-inch tip.
4. Hold each fig's stem gently between your index and middle fingers, using your thumb to support the plump fruit. Insert the tip of the pastry bag into the fig's bottom and gently squeeze, stuffing until the fig is plump and full of ganache. Do not worry about leaks in the fig's skin. They can be fixed later.
5. Place the filled figs on a parchment-lined pan and allow them to set at room temperature for at least 2 hours. Using a sharp knife, scrape the excess filling from each fig's exterior. With a pair of sharp scissors, snip off the very tip of each stem, which is too tough to be eaten, before serving (if not dipping).
6. The stuffed figs can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Remove and return to room temperature for eating -- or dipping, if desired.
7. To dip, follow tempering and dipping instructions to get the chocolate at the correct crystalizing temperature (coming, at some point!). Holding the stuffed fig by the stem, dip the bottom half of each fig into the tempered chocolate. Place the dipped fruit on a parchment-lined pan and let the chocolate set. If you haven't already, with a pair of sharp scissors, snip off the very tip of each stem, which is too tough to be eaten, before serving.