How to make delicious and original Chocolate Truffles

Continue celebrating the Holidays with fresh homemade truffles! It is very simple and you do not need to wait for Christmas to prepare these treats. You only need 3 ingredients to prepare the base and then, use your imagination to coat each truffle!

For about 60 truffles
Preparation time: 30 minutes + 2-3 hours in the fridge
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (10cl) heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 pound (200g) good quality dark chocolate
- 3 1/2 tablespoons (50g) butter
- 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or Cointreau
- ingredients for coating: cocoa powder, powdered sugar, chopped almonds/peanuts/pistachios, dried fruits, shredded coconut...

1. Grate the chocolate or cut it into small pieces and place it in a bowl.

2. Melt the butter in the microwave.

3. Gently boil the whipping cream on medium heat and pour it slowly on the chocolate, stirring until melted. Add the melted butter to the chocolate. Then add the Cointreau. Stir well.

4. Pour the chocolate in a baking dish which is not too deep so that the preparation is not too thick and can harden easily.

5. Cover your dish with plastic film and place in the fridge for about 3 hours.

6. Take the preparation out of the fridge. Use a spoon to scoop regular size chocolate balls. Roll them quickly in your hands to create a round shape. Place the truffles on a parchemin paper lined sheet pan and refrigerate 5 to 10 minutes.

7. In the meantime, prepare your coating ingredients and pour them in different dishes.

8. Take the truffles out of the fridge and roll them, one by one, into the desired coating. It can be cocoa powder for traditional truffles or coconut, pistachios, dried fruits etc. for more fancy truffles.

Enjoy!

Guacamole: the king of dishes for your fiesta!

Guacamole is an avocado-based dip which originated in Mexico. It is quite easy to do and always appreciated as a dip in parties. The traditional recipe only includes ripe avocados and salt. To give it a twist, I like to add garlic, red chili, lemon juice and diced tomatoes. Try it and let me know!

Serves 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: none
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
- 2 ripe avocados
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 small tomato, diced
- 1/2 red chili, very finely minced or 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- juice of 1 lemon (or lime)
- salt

Dice the tomato, grate the garlic and mince the chili.
Note that the chili and the cayenne pepper are optional. The give a nice kick to the dish but you can exclude them if you want to.

In a bowl, place the scooped avocado pulp and add the lemon juice. Using a fork, start mixing and mashing the avocado pulp.

Fold in the garlic, diced tomato and chili or cayenne pepper (if you use it).

Mash more until you reach the consistency you like: you can leave some avocado chucks for a more authentic guacamole of mash it more (even using a potato masher) for a smoother texture.
Serve quickly with tortilla chips or pita bread. Yum!

Pineapple Cocktail

Special drink for a special occasion... or not! If you have friends coming over or if you feel like trying the taste of the carribean, right in your sofa, prepare this exotic cocktail in only 5 minutes. Of course, it's better to buy fresh pineapples in season (summer) to preserve the natural cycle. In winter, you can use canned fruits if you can't wait!

Coconut Rocks: so easy, so good

If you like coconut, you'll love this recipe. These rocks are crispy outside and soft inside, it's a real pleasure. They go wonderfully with tea and are very quick to bake!
Give it a try and let me know what you think!


Makes about 15 rocks
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients
- 100 g grated coconut
- 75 g powdered sugar
- 10 g flour
- 1 egg

Preheat your oven at 400F°/200C° . In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients and stir well. With your fingertips, form small balls (about 1 inch diameter) and give them a semi circle or pyramid shape.
Place the dough balls on a baking sheet previously buttered and floured.
Bake for 10 minutes, monitoring the color of the rocks. They should turn brown.
Let cool.

Italian Meatballs: … tutto buono!

Last night I decided I was going to make meatballs with fresh ground beef. Back in Massachusetts, my friend Linda showed me her real Italian recipe and I used her tips to make this dish. It is extremely flavorful and really simple. Once you start, you can't have enough! And don't forget to pair it with a good red wine, Italian or not, it is good anyways ;)

Serves 2
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Difficulty: *

Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 handful breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- salt & pepper
- 1 handful parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp Herbes de Provence (Provençal Herbes - or use a little some thyme, basil and rosemary)
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic clove, crushed

For the tomato sauce:
- olive oil
- 1 big can whole tomatoes (you can use diced tomatoes)
- 1 small can tomato paste
- 10 olives, pitted and chopped - green or black, both are delicious, you can mix
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- salt & pepper

Start preparing the meat balls, mixing beef, egg, breadcrumbs, fennel seeds, parsley, onion and garlic. Use your end, that's better to mix everything well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion first and when it starts being translucid, add the garlic and the olives. Let cook for a few minutes; it should be brown but not burn. Add the tomato paste and let cook again for 1 minute. Then add the whole tomatoes. [I like using whole tomatoes because it is less liquid than a regular tomato sauce and I also like eating the tomato pieces with the meatballs.]
Wait until it starts boiling gently.

Start rolling the meat balls. Take a small quantity of meat in your hands and roll it to make a ball [2 inch diameter max]. Place the meatballs into the sauce and let simmer for about 45 minutes, turning the meatballs after about 25 minutes.