Rice Crispy Treats
4 tablespoons butter
1 package mini marshmallows
7 cups Rice Crispies
Of course Rice Crispy Treats are an easy item to make. Melt the butter in a very large pot, then add the marshmallows and melt them (don't let them get too hot or they'll burn!). Then add the Rice Crispies, stir very well, and pour them into a greased (sprayed with oil) large baking dish or pan.
I decided to get fancy with mine and drizzle them with chocolate. To keep the chocolate soft, I added a tablespoon or so of butter to the mixture. I melted my chips in a small metal bowl, placed in a medium pot with about an inch of water. This is my make-shift "double boiler." It helps prevent the chocolate from burning.
1 large handful chocolate chips; 1-2 tablespoons butter
Once melted, I quickly took a spoon and essentially splatter painted the top of the treats. Once everything was cooled off, I cut the treats into 2-3 inch squares and piled them high on a plate. Yum!
Finally Finished Truffles!
I'd had this truffle filling sitting in my fridge for a very long time. I finally took it out, used a melon ball to scoop little circles, and dipped it in the melted chocolate above. They tasted delicious, but the extra butter in the chocolate coating prevented the outside from hardening. We still ate them all up!
More Samosas
I some how managed to triple the samosa filling I made the other day... I guess that's what I get for no following the recipe! It was a luck mistake, because they were delish. I bought more pie crust and made another batch.
Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chocolate. Show all posts
4.3.10
Wednesday Night: Chocolate Ganache with Olive Oil and Sea Salt
Chocolate Ganache with Olive Oil and Sea Salt
I organized a progressive dinner with my neighbors last night. First of all, I haven't been that excited for a social event for a long time. Ever since I got the idea and invited my neighbors I have been giddy with excitement. This is because for a long time I felt alone in Mira Mesa (well, alone of friends, not love). Then I met Krissy, my down the street neighbor. After about six months we had become very close, and then her husband returned from deployment. I was excited to get to know him. And in the mean time I met Zach and Janice, my across the street neighbors. They are super cool chemists that we just started getting to know a few weeks ago (they moved in a few months ago). (Just FYI: Sometimes I can make stories really long.)
I jokingly proposed a progressive dinner to Krissy to get to know Mark, since we were back and forth on the location. Then as an even further joke I said we should invite Zach and Janice, too. Well, there's truth in every joke, and after a few text messages the whole dinner had come together. Zach and Janice were such good sports that they even agreed to participate before they knew what a progressive dinner was! (In case you are wondering, it's when you have each course at a different location.)
My house was last, and it was for dessert. I really wanted to use this amazing olive my sister gave me for the holidays. It is like fruit juice or wine, it is so aromatic and light. And I recalled a dessert I'd had one time in Spain: Chocolate cake drizzled with olive oil. I did some online searching, and found a great recipe at "Chow," one of my favorite gourmet webzines for cool people. I actually followed this recipe pretty precisely, but of course I had a few little twists to make.
Chocolate Ganache with Olive Oil and Sea Salt
9 ounces chocolate (I used Valrhona Le Perles, these are literally little "pearls" of chocolate, and I chose them because they would melt easily and quickly.)
1 cup heavy cream
Heat (but don't boil) the cream, then pour into a medium mixing bowl. Add the chocolate (if you have large pieces, cut them up first). I accidentally boiled the cream, so I used poured it through a strainer so no "skin" would get into the ganache. Otherwise it didn't seem to make a difference.
I cooled mine for only about 2 hours (Chow calls for 4). It was still soft, but I just put little dollops in small glass dishes and poured the olive oil on top, then sprinkled it with ginger salt. I served mine with "Almondinas", miniature biscotti with almonds and raisins. I also served it on a small plate with a french-style macaroon. The Almondina and Macaroons both came from Trader Joes. We also served it with thimble-fuls of port from Orfila, a San Diego winery that makes excellent port.
Marshall Says: He had several servings. That spoke for itself. Some of the neighbors seemed hesitant to eat olive oil on chocolate, but they all agreed it was a good match in the end. The ladies of course had several servings each, including me.
Serves: 30 micro servings
Time: 15-20 minutes - fast!
Leftovers: We ate about 2/3 of the ganache. I plan to turn the rest into chocolate bon bons!
I organized a progressive dinner with my neighbors last night. First of all, I haven't been that excited for a social event for a long time. Ever since I got the idea and invited my neighbors I have been giddy with excitement. This is because for a long time I felt alone in Mira Mesa (well, alone of friends, not love). Then I met Krissy, my down the street neighbor. After about six months we had become very close, and then her husband returned from deployment. I was excited to get to know him. And in the mean time I met Zach and Janice, my across the street neighbors. They are super cool chemists that we just started getting to know a few weeks ago (they moved in a few months ago). (Just FYI: Sometimes I can make stories really long.)
I jokingly proposed a progressive dinner to Krissy to get to know Mark, since we were back and forth on the location. Then as an even further joke I said we should invite Zach and Janice, too. Well, there's truth in every joke, and after a few text messages the whole dinner had come together. Zach and Janice were such good sports that they even agreed to participate before they knew what a progressive dinner was! (In case you are wondering, it's when you have each course at a different location.)
My house was last, and it was for dessert. I really wanted to use this amazing olive my sister gave me for the holidays. It is like fruit juice or wine, it is so aromatic and light. And I recalled a dessert I'd had one time in Spain: Chocolate cake drizzled with olive oil. I did some online searching, and found a great recipe at "Chow," one of my favorite gourmet webzines for cool people. I actually followed this recipe pretty precisely, but of course I had a few little twists to make.
Chocolate Ganache with Olive Oil and Sea Salt
9 ounces chocolate (I used Valrhona Le Perles, these are literally little "pearls" of chocolate, and I chose them because they would melt easily and quickly.)
1 cup heavy cream
Heat (but don't boil) the cream, then pour into a medium mixing bowl. Add the chocolate (if you have large pieces, cut them up first). I accidentally boiled the cream, so I used poured it through a strainer so no "skin" would get into the ganache. Otherwise it didn't seem to make a difference.
I cooled mine for only about 2 hours (Chow calls for 4). It was still soft, but I just put little dollops in small glass dishes and poured the olive oil on top, then sprinkled it with ginger salt. I served mine with "Almondinas", miniature biscotti with almonds and raisins. I also served it on a small plate with a french-style macaroon. The Almondina and Macaroons both came from Trader Joes. We also served it with thimble-fuls of port from Orfila, a San Diego winery that makes excellent port.
Marshall Says: He had several servings. That spoke for itself. Some of the neighbors seemed hesitant to eat olive oil on chocolate, but they all agreed it was a good match in the end. The ladies of course had several servings each, including me.
Serves: 30 micro servings
Time: 15-20 minutes - fast!
Leftovers: We ate about 2/3 of the ganache. I plan to turn the rest into chocolate bon bons!
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