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Post by sistereurope on Dec 6, 2007 9:27:16 GMT -5
Well, I had to go on and on about your Chocolate Honey and Lime truffles to my family last night...and they BEGGED me to make some this weekend. Sigh...but I guess that's the least I can do since I'm leaving them home while I traipse off to Paris ;D
Anyway, do you recommend any particular brand of bittersweet chocolate? I know that when I make my French flourless cake or chocolate mousse, the quality of the chocolate REALLY makes a difference.
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Post by Truffaut on Dec 6, 2007 10:19:43 GMT -5
The chocolate would make a huge difference in these, too. I buy enormous chunks of semi-sweet or bittersweet Ghiaradelli at Trader Joe's. It's sometimes hard to find during the year, so I usually buy 4 or 5 pounds around Christmas time. I'd use Ghirardelli, ScharfenBerger, or Valhrona. I'm not a big fan of Lindt, although it's very popular in France. Avoid using chocolate chips (they don't melt properly) and Hershey's. For the cocoa coating, you could use regular unsweetened cocoa or Dutch process (if you can find it anywhere this side of the moon). Your family is going to be SO impressed! They're really easy, but have a very sophisticated taste. By the way, I just bought 5 more limes last night, so I can make more ganache to use up the rest of the cocoa coating!!
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Post by annettecinca on Dec 6, 2007 10:24:25 GMT -5
Hey, thanks Truffy, I hadn't thought of Trader Joe's for my chocolate. I'll check next time I'm there.
What brand of unsweetened cocoa powder do you like to use? I've only rolled truffles in Hershey's (once!), and it was so bitter my family wouldn't touch them.
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Post by sistereurope on Dec 6, 2007 10:26:17 GMT -5
Thanks...I usually use Ghiradelli when I bake, although I have used SharfenBerger too. I'd love to do a truffle taste test with Anne, though...I know that my sister used to bake some awesome desserts using German chocolate when she lived in Germany. And French chocolate ain't so bad either!
But we're here, so it's a good thing that they just opened a Trader Joe's in Columbia...now I have a great excuse to go there and get me some of those "enormous chunks"!!
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Post by Truffaut on Dec 6, 2007 11:39:28 GMT -5
ScharfenBerger is made in Germany, but is actually owned by Hershey's.
Annette, mixing the cocoa with sugar and lime peel makes it a little less bitter, but it's still fairly bitter. I haven't tried it, but maybe you could use half cocoa and half powdered sugar along with the granulated sugar and peel. Or you could use the granulated sugar, lime peel and ground almonds without any cocoa. I don't think pecans or walnuts would be good.
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Post by annettecinca on Dec 6, 2007 12:07:34 GMT -5
Thanks, I will try these ideas. Hey, I brought home a few bags of almond powder from Paris! I bet that would work as a "thinner" too--although I'm going to be very stingy with my almond powder!
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Post by Penny on Dec 6, 2007 12:31:09 GMT -5
I thought I had a good recipe for Truffles until I read your's.
Makes mine seem like Russel Stover's. Well, my friends think they are good so that's the important thing.
But I think I'' try to find the Dutch cocoa to use this time.
These were the main reason I brought home (from Paris) the finely ground hazelnuts was to coat the truffles and Mexican Wedding Cookies (they have several names).
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Post by Anne on Dec 6, 2007 12:41:06 GMT -5
Annette and Penny - Why did you bring back from Paris almond and hazelnut powder Don't you find any in the States ?
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Post by jcjflorida on Dec 6, 2007 13:10:42 GMT -5
Truffaut, I find Dutch process cocoa at Fresh Market, if you happen to have one nearby. Thanks for your recipe - I think that I will have to make these this weekend.
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Post by greyghost1 on Dec 6, 2007 13:16:56 GMT -5
Truffuat, thanks that the recipe. I'll try it this weekend. The LA Times just did a chocolat taste/rating in Wednesday's Food section. It had some I've never heard of.
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Post by Happygoin on Dec 6, 2007 13:22:25 GMT -5
I love Callebaut from Whole Foods. Trader Joe's brand of chocolate baking bars are very good and very reasonably priced. They're 17 oz for around $3. I don't care for Scharfenberger. I don't like Lindt for baking either, although a lot of pastry chefs I know love it and wouldn't use anything else. To each his own, I suppose.
I remember coming home from Paris one time, years ago, with four 2-pound bags of almond flour jammed into my suitcase. It was almost non-existent in the US at the time.
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Post by Truffaut on Dec 6, 2007 13:57:10 GMT -5
Annette, I brought back almond flour, too. Anne, it's nearly impossible to find here, and when you can get it, it's not the same quality as that available in Paris. Our marché bio at Batignolles has a merchant who sells it, but they ask an outrageous price (something like 20 euros a kilo). I got mine at G. Detou, and I think it was about 8 euros/kilo. The same store has an amazing variety of chocolate for cooking, as well.
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Post by Penny on Dec 6, 2007 14:19:45 GMT -5
anne266-
I have never found hazelnuts ground that fine here (actually have never seen ground but had never looked for them here).
I discovered them at Monoprix with the regular nuts, I was specifically looking for hazelnuts. I love them and they are hard to find here (or expensive)
to even chop or grind them involves, toasting, then rubbing to remove skins, which does not always remove all.
it is a 125 g package and I wish I had bought more.
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Post by Truffaut on Dec 6, 2007 14:41:06 GMT -5
Penny, Good luck finding Dutch process cocoa. It used to be available at regular grocery stores, but I've spent the past year searching Whole Food, Trader Joes, Giant, Safeway, Balducci's.... NOBODY has it! We have a Penzey's here, so finally I went there and bought a bulk bag of it. If you don't know Penzey's Spices, you should. They have a catalogue business and you can get some wonderful things (including the ever elusive French quatre épices--no, Anne, we can't get that here either). www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Dec 6, 2007 15:29:59 GMT -5
If you have a local Sur la Table or Williams Sonoma, I would also try the specialty food sections there (probably not offered on line, but possibly in store?) I know I have some at home, but not recalling where I found it (might even be something I brought back from Europe at some point).
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Post by Penny on Dec 6, 2007 18:25:20 GMT -5
Not sure if we have a Sur la Table but I know we have a Williams and Sonoma at Country Club Plaza. I'll give them a call and see if they carry it. Thanks for the suggestion
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Post by Truffaut on Dec 6, 2007 22:29:07 GMT -5
Neither one of my Williams-Sonoma stores carry it.
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Dec 7, 2007 0:56:26 GMT -5
Well, then maybe the Penzey's on-line catalog is the answer. I just checked it out (never heard of them before - thanks, Truffaut!) and also saw they have many types of chile that are not generally available so good for that as well.
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Post by Anne on Dec 7, 2007 5:39:56 GMT -5
Truffy - I had a look at Penzey's website . I find it odd that what they call French quatre épices is made of white pepper, nutmeg, ginger and gloves, while my qutre épices (OK, supermarket-bought, brand is Ducros) is made of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and gloves . I use it for spice cakes or North-African dishes (mostly tagines) . And I assume that what you call Dutch process cocoa must be like the Van Houten cocoa that is very popular here (since Van Houten is a Dutch-style name ...) . I could organize a ground almonds and hazelnuts traffic from France, a kind of revival of the French Connection, only more harmless "powder" ;D ...
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Post by Jody on Dec 7, 2007 6:11:18 GMT -5
I always bring quatre epices home from France..Albert Menes brand. It says poivre, cannelle,muscade and girofle on the label. Rub on lamb shanks and braise them in banyuls or port..It's my favorite meal.
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