Mint Ganache-filled Chocolates

Yesterday, my 6-yo niece opened up my 2 bars of dark baking chocolate, and messed up the packaging enough that I couldn't re-wrap them. I was afraid of them getting dirty or eaten by mice, so I decided to make mint chocolate truffles. Then on a whim, I asked my cousin B if she happened to have chocolate molds.

The answer: YES!

Therefore, I went and made an improved version of the encased chocolates I failed at before.

This second attempt at tempering chocolate worked well. I guess it did help that I didn't get interrupted midway because dinner needed to be made and I needed to move away from the stove. I first filled the molds (half-spheres and heart shapes) with the chocolate, then upended them to form hollow shells. 10 minutes in the fridge, then I could fill them with my prepared minty ganache.

After another 5-minute nap in the fridge, I covered the bottoms of the chocolates with more tempered chocolates and let them nap some more in the fridge.

Today, I took advantage of the daylight to snap some nice pictures. The top (shell) layer of chocolate is a bit thick for my liking, but I'm really glad that they turned out so nice! And I must say, that mint chocolate ganache is pretty addicting!

Chocolate-Encased Mint Truffles

I made a batch of mint truffles at home to give to some family friends, and also to share with my family. My 5-year-old niece got involved, helping me break apart chocolate, and mixing in the cream.

For the family friends, I did not have time to coat them. In fact, I only barely managed to roll them in cocoa powder, they were so soft. My niece didn't like them coated, as the cocoa powder is pretty bitter, so she just ate the filling.

With the 2nd half of the batch, I tried to make them last a little longer, so I tried to temper chocolate for the first time. By the time my chocolate was tempered, the filling was no longer holding shape. By then, I was too tired to start over, so I just scooped portions of filling and dropped it into the chocolate. The whole thing was then laid on a sheet of baking paper. When all the filling was covered, I rolled them in cocoa powder.

Mint Chocolate Truffles

I like watching cooking videos on Youtube, and I once went on a Gordon Ramsay spree. In a two-part video, he made mint chocolate truffles with his children. Those are what I tried to make for my friends and to give to the staff of a tea house where my friend works.

The video doesn't give the proportions of ingredients, so I got them off Good to Know. I did change a few proportions myself, but more on that in the recipe below. For a few ingredients (butter, sweeteners), I simply eyeballed the amount. I also used as much chocolate as I had, and scaled down the rest of the ingredients based on that.

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RECIPE

  Ingredients

• 500 g dark chocolate, chopped
• 500 mL heavy cream
• 1 small bunch fresh mint
• 100 g butter, softened
• honey/brown sugar, to taste
• unsweetened cocoa powder

  Procedure

1. Lightly bruise the bunch of mint to release its fragrance. Put it in a pot with the cream.
2. Heat over medium-low heat until bubbling.
3. In a heat-proof bowl, put chocolate and butter.
4. When the cream bubbles, mix in sweetener.
5. Strain hot cream into the chocolate. Mix until chocolate is melted and smooth.
6. Pour in a wide, dish. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 1 hour.
7. When cold, take teaspoonfuls out, roll into balls, and drop in a plate of cocoa powder. Roll around to coat.
8. Eat within 3-4 days.

Mint Chocolate Cookies

December 15, 2015

As the end of the semester approached, I wanted to give little packs of cookies to my professors, as thanks for teaching. I also felt that some of them had been particularly helpful to me this semester.

I looked around in my stash of baking ingredients, to see what kinds of cookies I could make with what I had. I had thought about chocolate chip cookies, but I didn't have anymore choc chips... No more cranberries either, and at the time I was starting to dig in my boxes, I was not up for zesting a lime. Then I saw a box of mint-filled chocolates I had gotten before but that was just sitting there. I figured I could try and put that on or in a cookie somehow.

My first test attempt was a flop and almost left a chunk of charcoal at the bottom of the oven. The cookie had fallen through the grill despite the baking paper (I neglected to put a pan between the paper and the grill), and had spread like crazy. Some flour and chilling later, I finally managed to get something decent.

The mint chocolates were cut into small rectangles/triangles depending on the part of the chocolate. I then stabbed them through the top of each cookie formed. Some pieces melted and caramelized on the sides of the cookies.  It might have been better if I had just stuck a bigger slab in the middle of each cookie, but I settled with what was done.

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RECIPE

  Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup golden sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp Orgran egg replacer
• 4 tbs water
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp hot water
• mint chocolate (or sub in 1 cup chocolate chips)

  Procedure

1. Preheat oven 175°C.
2. Cream butter and all sugar until fluffy.
3. Mix the egg replacer and the 4 tbs water (proportions ~2 eggs) and beat them into the mixture.
4. Dissolve baking soda into the hot water before adding.
5. Stir in flour and chocolate chips.
6. Put on baking sheet by large spoonfuls.
7. Bake for 10-15 mins.

Egg-free Berry Tiramisu with Génoise Sponge

 

We celebrated a late Fathers' Day (it was on the 8th, here in Belgium) yesterday, since my brother could not make it on the actual day. Due to the hot weather lately, I felt we needed something refreshing for dessert.

I settled for a tiramisu with homemade sponge. I used this recipe as a base for the egg-free génoise sponge cake, but subbed some vanilla extract instead of using strawberry flavor. I was also out if oil, so I melted some butter and used that instead.

I baked it flat, because I intended to cut strips out of it to roll into spirals to fit into the glasses. That originally beautiful plan fell through as the cake just broke while I was trying to roll it. Too bad. I then went and ripped it into little squares and soaked them in some mint tea I had made by steeping mint leaves from the garden in some hot water.

All this time, I was busy defrosting my frozen mixed berries (raspberries, currants, blackcurrants, blueberries, strawberries).

Then I beat some whipping cream into soft peaks, and mixed in some ricotta and some sugar.

Time to layer everything~ I put tea-soaked sponge in the glasses (I made 10 of them), followed by a layer of cream mix, topped with spoonfuls of berries. Then I repeated these steps, and used the last layer of berries to decorate.

I originally wanted to try and make hearts out of the round berries (currants, blackcurrants, blueberries), but it turned kind of messy, especially with the juice flowing everywhere. So I settled for a standing raspberry and a carpet of other berries. Due to the lack of color contrast, I decided to add a few mint leaves on top.

The effect would have been even better if there hadn't been juice flowing everywhere, but by that time, I was too dead tired to try and really drain every spoonful of berries.

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EGGLESS GENOISE SPONGE RECIPE

  Ingredients

• 1 cup (245 g) yogurt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup (111 g) oil
• 1/2 up (100 g) sugar
• flavor

  Procedure

1. Preheat oven at 200°C for 10 mins.
2. Sieve flour twice (I went for 4 times) then set aside.
3. Cream yogurt and sugar until sugar has completely dissolved. Add baking soda and baking powder, and whisk/beat for 2 mins. Leave aside for another 5 mins until bubbles have formed.
4. Add oil and flavor. Then add in flour little by little and beat until smooth.
5. Bake at 200°C for 10 mins, then reduce heat to 180°C and abake for 30-35 mins.