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Chocolate Truffle with nuts and seeds
A fantastic christmas candy - or anytime candy, actually! It's a creamy and rich dark chocolate truffle, studded with all sorts of good-for-you goodies. I use figs and apricot, walnuts, almonds and pumpkin and sesame seeds. You can, obviously, vary this as you see fit. I bet a good variety would include dried sour cherries, blueberries, hazelnuts and coconut.. perhaps with white chocolate instead of dark?
Chocolate Truffle with nuts and seeds
300 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
240 g cream (full fat)
10 g butter
100 g almonds, toasted
100 g walnuts, toasted
60 g pumpkin seeds
50 g dried apricots, cut small
50 g dried figs, cut small
30 g sesame seed
Prepare all the ingredients. Put the chocolate in a fairly large bowl, and prep a 20 cm square tin with some some sort of easy-release paper or silpat. I use a special non-stick foil for this.
Heat the cream and when almost boiling, pour over the chocolate. Stir until melted. Add the butter and all the mix-ins - reserve a little bit of pumpkin and sesame seed.
Stir well, and pour into your prepared tin. Top with reserved seeds, if you want to. Cover with plastic foil and chill until completely firm before cutting. Keep cool.
Reclaiming Your Cast Iron
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Quick Pickled Pepper Onion Relish – Not Just for Mini Philly Cheesesteaks Anymore
Pretty much any large grocery store that has one of those self-serve salad/olive bars will have these peppers. Just be sure to ladle in some of the flavorful pickling liquid, as that’s what really brings this all together. You'll also sometimes see them in jars on the shelf, as well as online.
You can certainly use any jarred, pickled pepper, but this works best with something that’s on the sweet and spicy side. No matter what pepper you use, you can always adjust with salt, sugar, and/or vinegar. Like I said in the clip, even if you don’t do the mini Philly cheesesteaks, I still hope you give this versatile relish a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 1 cup of relish:
2/3 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup diced jalapeño
1/2 cup diced Peppadew peppers, or other sweet-hot pickled pepper
1/4 to 1/3 cup of the reserved Peppadew liquid, or as needed
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
You guys, my picky eater ate vegetables, and I totally tricked him into it. I didn't even have to lie! I said, hey Jack, want to help me make pizza? He said, yes, of course, and so we made the crust together. Crust, that is, made up entirely of cauliflower. Of course, I had turned the vegetable into "dough" before he came to help, so all he saw was this:
...and he never asked me what it was. No lies! But I'll tell you what that is, it's cauliflower. An entire head of florets, coarsely chopped and then pulverized in a food processor. Next, any excess water is squeezed out (I used a paper towel) to ensure a crispy crust, and then the cauliflower is combined with cheese, spices and egg whites. Pizza dough!
The crust is crispy and cheesy and delicious. I made a plain cheese version for the kids and topped ours with thinly sliced zucchini and sautéed mushrooms. This would be fun to make for the Super Bowl, and then you don't have to feel guilty about eating an entire bag of potato chips dipped in an entire bowl of french onion dip!
Recipe here.
“Loaded Baked Potato” Super Bowl Dip – [Insert Deflated Football Joke Here]
It’s also shaped like a football, which of course has been proven to taste better to people drinking beer than dips in a bowl. Speaking of beer, I think will pair nicely with something cheap, domestic, and in a can. Save the Pliny for the Kobe sliders.
Needless to say, you can doctor this dip any way you see fit. There are so many ways you can “Tom Brady” this football, and change it to your liking. Some roasted chilies would be great, or maybe even some of that pickled pepper-onion relish I’m about to show you.
If you do want a stiffer mixture, for sculpting a more realistically shaped football, you could use part cream cheese, but I liked the lighter texture, and we still got enough height to qualify as 3-D. So, if you’re looking for a fun and delicious Super Bowl dip recipe, I hope you give this a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 48 servings:
3 pounds bacon
3 pounds (6 cups) sour cream
1/2 pound grated extra-sharp cheddar
1 cup chopped green onions for dip, plus more chopped green parts for the “grass.”
pinch of cayenne
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
lots of potato chips
Jury Duty Update
I was asked to leave. Apparently, I'm not "jury box material." Oh well, I think we're all probably better off. Anyway, I'm working on a new Super Bowl dip recipe now, which should be up later tonight. And, yes, of course I'm going to predict the winner of the Big Game using chicken wing bones. Stay tuned!Buffalo Chicken Chili
I've never been a huge football fan, or I guess I should say, I just don't understand the sport. I've had a countless number of guys (and a girl) try to explain the rules to me and they go in one ear and out the other. I'm the fairest of fair weather fans, flip flopping all over the place between my home state team (Vikings), my college state team (Green Bay), my current state's team (Jets) or my man's team (Raider's). However, I love hearing and seeing it on the TV, because it goes very well with a cozy fire, a dark beer and a bowl of chili. Like this chili! This ridiculously tasty and HEALTHY chili.
Joy Bauer, the Nutrition and Health Expert for the Today Show, is quickly becoming my favorite source for quick, easy and healthy dinners (she was also the genius behind these). I am a HUGE fan of anything buffalo, which usually translates into mucho calories. However, Joy was able to take the flavor of everyone's favorite buffalo wings and transform it into a savory bowl of chili. It's ground chicken, veggies (I added some onions along with the carrots and celery) with a broth of vegetable juice, mixed together with spices and your favorite hot sauce and topped with a creamy whipped mixture of greek yogurt and blue cheese. SO GOOD! You can make the whole thing in 30 minutes, however I chose to throw everything in the crock pot and let it simmer for 4 hours on high.
Make this! Perfect for that big football game next week. Recipe here.
*We also added Terra Stix for a crunchy topping.
TODAY tonight: Perfect Roast Chicken
I feel empty. I have finished the Serial podcast, and now what. NOW WHAT?! Now I think I'll drive to Baltimore and stalk Woodlawn High School and the Best Buy and Leakin Park because I'm crazy obsessed with figuring this all out. If you feel the same way, let's discuss in the comments below, ok? Thanks. Now we can talk about food...
Earlier in the month, in fact on the first day of the year, Carson made this on the Today Show with Chef Ed Brown. The recipe intrigued us, because the chicken sits smothered in soy sauce in the fridge for two days prior to cooking. It's basically a brine of sorts, and the result is a perfectly moist and juicy chicken. I think from this point on, I will always do this to my chickens, no matter how I roast them! Recipe here.
Mini Philly Cheesesteaks – Winning the Super Bowl Snack Table
Thinly sliced rib eye is traditionally used, and it’s fried and chopped on the grill, before meeting cheese and bread. Since we’re going to “grill” these in the oven, we’ll use a nice, juicy skirt steak instead, which has a big beefy flavor, and great marbling.
It will brown up around the edges, yet stay moist and tender because of the fat and connective tissue. I also really enjoyed the double shot of the sliced provolone and provolone “cheez whiz,” which provided a great creamy, richness. The peppers and onions brought everything together, and long story short, I ate the whole tray.
This was great hot, warm, and cold, and that alone makes it a perfect choice for your Super Bowl snack spread. Also, stay tuned for the quick and easy pickled pepper and onion relish recipe I mentioned in the clip. I hope you give these mini Philly cheesesteaks a try soon. Enjoy!
Enough for about 48 mini Philly cheesesteaks:
12 ounce skirt steak, or flap meat, or rib eye, or NY Strip
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup of pickled pepper and onion relish (stay tuned for video), OR 1/2 cup of sautéed onions and sweet peppers
*once mixed, be sure to taste and salt the final diced steak mixture!
For the “cheez whiz” sauce:
2 generous tablespoons flour
2 generous tablespoons butter
1 cup cold milk
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cayenne
salt to taste
2 thick slices provolone cheese (about 2 to 3 ounces), torn up
48 slices of baguette
sliced or grated provolone to top the cheesesteaks
Once assembled, bake at 400 for 12 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is browned
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