Friday Random Ten (and beginning truffle stuff)
Rally 'Round The Flag - - - Ry Cooder
get the camera ready. I am having to take the pictures myself and it's a new camera so this post will be about descriptive visuals in case I foul it all up.
Get 10lbs of bittersweet chocolate chunked in a big ass bowl. Start to heat a gallon of heavy cream and a pound and a half of sweet butter over a medium flame. Ready the flavorings. First batch is:
Song Change
Hand In Hand - - - Dire Straights
Classic bittersweet, Jenna's Candied Ginger, Jessica's Peppermint Stick and Raspberry. So I chop the ginger, crush up the peppermint sticks and measure out about a half a cup of frozen raspberries. Then I line:
Song change:
Come Along Home (Tom's Song) - - - The Chad Mitchell Trio
Four aluminum cooking trays with Press 'N' Seal® and check on the cream. I'm going want to stop the heat right at the edge of a boil. Most folks who make a truffle ganache boil their cream. It makes for a fudgier, tighter ganache that is easy to roll and handle. I don't go there. I want my ganache to be creamy and smooth. I want my ganache to liquify instantly at body temperature. (sorry tata, that's what i want it to do, I'm not trying to get anyone all excited and shit) This means that:
Song change:
Loudmouth - - - The Ramones (live bootleg from CBGB's)
When you have the ganache in your mouth it goes all gushy and contrasts with the chocolate shell and any residual flavoring bits.
When the cream and the butter are perfectly heated. Small bubbles around the edges of the cream and the butter is totally melted, I give a few quick turns with the whisk for a loose liason and dump it over the chocolate chunks.
Song Change:
Vague Feeling of Dread - - - Far Beyond Frail
Wait five minutes
Not Alone - - - Patty Griffin
And stir untill the ganache is smooth and glossy. Divide this into the four prepared pans and add in the flavors. That takes about two songs.
The Brave Engineer - - - The Carver Brothers (from 1928)
20 Eyes - - - The Misfits
Wrap them up tight and close so there's no air exposure. If you don't do this right, the ganache develops a skin and that's icky. Then refrigerate overnight.
Rockin' In The Free World - - - Neil Young (Live, Unplugged)
Death Letter - - - Son House
Bonus track while I get ready to do the second batch of ganache:
O Thou Who Tellest Good Tidings To Zion - - - George Frederick Fucking Handel.
Pictures and stuff will be posted later this afternoon if I don't fuck it all up.
posted by The Minstrel Boy at 9:55 AM
8 Comments:
Is it hot in here?
"... to Zion" REJOICE!
:-)
and thy iniquity is
Pardonèd!
Ok, now I'm going to have to go home and put on "The Messiah." I have sung it many, many times in regular choirs and in Chicago's huge Do-It-Yourself Messiah, but not in a couple years--I guess it's time to crank up the victrola.
I did not know that Handel had two middle names. That second one was a surprise to me.
Pictures? I don't need no pictures. I want truffles.
oh my, now this was a magnificent post. i'm dying here, need... chocolate...nowwwwwww...
I love your interspersing of the tunes with the movements of the truffle-making process (brave truffle engineer). And I'll tell you I found it ironic you have the Chad Mitchell Trio here, as I just listened to one of their CD's a few days ago.
(Not exactly a top 10 today, I would think!)
Lisa
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