Dark Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Truffles

Yeah. I don't know what more there is to be said, other than that these are not for the faint of heart. I would have tried a batch with good milk chocolate, like Tcho or Scharffenberger, but I'm still in phase 2 of the Always Hungry solution, and milk chocolate will have to wait until Phase 3. This made about 16-18 truffles, kinda on the big side, and just one will do ya.

The ingredient list is very short for something that packs such a big punch:
-10 oz 70-77% dark chocolate
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-2 Tbsp bourbon (unless you don't like it, in which case skip it or add another chocolate-friendly booze)
-1/4 tsp vanilla extract
-1 cup pecans

I'm deviating from my usual Chocolove brand, because Guittard is also really good and it was on sale. Plus, it's local to the Bay Area.

You can use bars, no problem. These are baking discs meant for melting, but I'm pouring the hot cream on top rather than using a double boiler, so I chop them with a serrated knife.

Put the chocolate in a medium-large heat-proof bowl and get out a whisk.

Put the bourbon and vanilla into a little container so you can dump it into the bowl when the cream is hot. I used 3 Tbsp of the bourbon because I really like it, but I'm afraid that might be a little much for some people.

Put the cream in a small, heavy pot over medium-low heat, watching rather more carefully than you might do with water. When the edges start to bubble, give it a quick stir and let heat for another few seconds until it just starts to bubble again.

Turn off the heat and pour over the chocolate with the bourbon mix, whisking quickly for a minute or two until the chocolate is smooth.

Resist the temptation to just pour the whole thing in your mouth.

When it's smooth, scrape down the stuff stuck above on the sides and pop the bowl into the fridge. Let cool for an hour, possible 90 minutes, but in 2 hours as is suggested by most recipes, it's usually really too hard to deal with. I've broken enough scoops to have learned to take it out while it's still malleable.

In the meantime, put 1 cup of pecans in the food processor and grind, starting with pulsing, until they look about like this. Stop before they become flour or butter! If you don't want to deal with this step, you can roll the truffles in cocoa powder instead.

When the chocolate (ganache) is hardened enough to hold together but soft enough to roll into a ball, take it out of the fridge and get out a small scoop or a spoon.

Set the pecans next to the chocolate and a plate with waxed paper or mini cupcake liners next to that. I'm not always organized, but you need to set stuff out before you get your hands sticky!

Scoop out some chocolate, roll it into a ball with your hands, and place it in the pecans. Roll it around in there until it's covered, then move to the plate. Repeat until you're finished with all the chocolate, with maybe a little to scrape out of the bowl for yourself.

Yeah, there's a bite missing from the bottom one. Quality control is important. I finished it after the photos!

3 things to do when life gives you lemons

It's citrus season! Here in California, that means that Meyer lemons start appearing in people's backyards and on the free stuff table at work. My friend Dominique, who lives in Sonoma County, brought a special bag just for me. Even if you aren't lucky enough to have a free supply of beautiful fruit in season, you should be able to find it for a good price at the market, and the flavor should be ideal to use it in things you can have all year round.

1. Steep the peels in vodka for infused vodka cocktails or limoncello

Use a vegetable peeler to cut strips of zest from 7-8 well-washed lemons, leaving the bitter white pith behind. Usually I make limoncello, but I'm taking it easy on the sugar right now, so I think I'll toss a little rosemary in this jar next and just mix it with sparkling water when it's ready, in a couple of weeks. To make limoncello, you can follow this Arancello recipe with lemons instead of blood oranges. 

 2. Make Lemon Salt:
Zest three lemons with a Microplane style grater. Hold the lemon in your hand and the grater on top of the lemon so you don't go much into the white pith without stopping.

Spread out the zest on a dinner plate and leave on the counter for a few hours to dry out. When it's ready, the color will look darker and the zest will feel dry to the touch.

Mix the zest with 1/2 cup coarse sea salt and let the flavor meld with the salt for a couple of days before using.

Place the mix in a jar and keep in the cabinet. use on top of avocado toast, hummus...anywhere both lemon and salt would add a little something special.

3. Freeze the juice in ice cube trays
Yeah, I fell for the trend and bought one of these cute squeezer things. No, it doesn't really work very well. At least I didn't get one in every color. It does, however, do a pretty good job with citrus that has been zested, so I was able to use it to fill an ice cube tray with lemon juice. Freeze the juice overnight and pop

the cubes into an airtight container or zip bag to pull out when you want to add flavor or acid to a recipe.

Somehow I managed to buy bags that are tinted blue, making it hard to see what's inside! The label will make it easy to figure it out.




And there you have it! Three ways to stretch out lemon season for the months to come.

7 Ways to Use the Microplane Grater

I have a tiny Bay Area apartment kitchen with only one drawer! Luckily, I have a hutch in the other room for flatware and things like that, but there's a limit to the number of kitchen tools I can hang over the sink. The Microplane grater gets a primo spot up there because it's such a multitasker! There are three grated items on this lovely bowl of strawberries and cream...#1, #2, and #7. 

1. Citrus zest 

One of the most popular uses for this tool is zesting lemons, limes and other citrus for recipes. When you do this, though, it's important to hold the Microplane on top of the fruit so you can see when you're starting to hit the white pith and stop before it gets into your food. My favorite uses: grated into sauces and batters or onto salads.

2. Nutmeg  

Many people only use ground nutmeg or have a special tool for grating only that. Ground nutmeg loses its flavor punch after a year or so in the cabinet, though, and my kitchen has little room for a unitasker like a nutmeg grater! This funky old bottle used to be refilled with ground nutmeg every couple of years, but now it houses whole nutmeg. Uses: pumpkin recipes, smoothies, on top of coffee, bechamel sauce.

3. Garlic:

If you want garlic very finely minced, you can peel a whole clove and grate it into your bowl or pan. It's best to use large cloves for this so you don't hurt your fingers! 

Peel the garlic clove by cutting off the flatter bottom and taking off the papery outer layer. Grate on the Microplane until what's left is almost uncomfortably small, then stop before you scrape your fingers. Throw what's left of the clove into a zipper bag in the freezer with other kitchen scraps and use it for broth. 

4. Onion
Grating an onion can save you a lot of sautéing time. It breaks down the structure of the onion so it cooks very quickly. I often do this when I'm in a rush to make dinner. If you're making a big recipe, it might be more convenient to use a grater with larger holes. 

5. Parmesan, Pecorino Romano, and other hard cheeses: 

I also have a Zyliss grater, you know, the cute little white one with the turning handle. It looks great at the table, but that thing can be hard to clean. Usually, I just use the Microplane even if I'm grating a cup or more of cheese for a recipe.

6. Ginger 

Peel the end of a piece of ginger root and use the rest of the piece as a handle. Grate onto a cutting board to measure the ginger, or right into a pan if you're winging it. This ginger went into some brown rice congee with those scallions and some garlic. 

...and did I mention...

7. Chocolate! 
Rather than dirty a bowl and a spatula melting your favorite dark chocolate, grate a little over some coffee, cake, or whipped cream to make it even more scrummy. 

Chickpea Crackers with Cumin and Sesame Seeds

My obsession with chickpea/garbanzo flour continues! It can't do everything wheat flour can do, but it's fun to check out the possibilities while I'm avoiding things that trigger cravings. I took these to my friends' annual warm, wonderful Valentine's Dinner to rave reviews! Also called gram flour (not graham), besan flour, or garbanzo flour, you can find it at a good market with a bulk section or in packages with the alternative flours. As a last resort, it's available online. 

I've adapted these from Dolly and Oatmeal, changing up the spices because I don't love za'atar. You can make them your own with other spices...if you use ground, blend them into the dough rather than pressing them on top. 

First, toast 2 tsp cumin seeds and 4 tsp sesame seeds. Put them in small dry pans over medium-low heat. 

For the sesame seeds, toast until they just start turning brown, stirring often, and then turn off the heat and let them brown a little more on the residual heat. 

For the cumin seeds, toast until you can smell the toasting cumin from a couple of feet away, then also turn off the heat and let them finish in the warm pan. 

Put 2 cups chickpea flour, 3/4 tsp fine salt, and 1 tsp baking powder in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix well. 
If you're not planning to use Maldon salt later (see below), bump up the salt to 1 tsp. 

Add 2 Tbsp olive oil and mix in with your fingers until evenly distributed. Have fun getting your hands messy! 

With the paddle from the stand mixer or a wooden spoon, stir the flour quickly while you slowly add 1/3 cup warm water until it turns into a stiff dough. If it isn't holding together, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time. Don't let it get sticky, or you won't be able to roll it out and put the pieces on the pans. One test batch ended up in the trash for this reason. Sadness. 

Turn out the dough onto a board or a piece of parchment paper and knead for a minute or two to make sure the ingredients come together. Put a bowl over the dough and let it rest for ten minutes. Turn on the oven to 350 Update: 375 to pre-heat while the dough rests. 

If you have a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, put the seeds in it and break them up a little. If you don't, no problem. 

Put the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to roll it out to about 1/8 in thickness. The more evenly you roll it out, the more evenly the crackers will bake. 

Trim the edges with a knife or a pizza cutter. You can roll that out again later. 

Put the seeds on top of the dough and put the top piece of parchment paper back on. Roll the seeds into the dough so they stay in there instead of coming off. 

Trim the uneven edges again and cut the dough into whatever size pieces you want, making them as even as possible so they bake evenly.

I guess I should get a ruler for this kind of thing, but hey, life isn't perfect, so my crackers don't have to be, either! 

Place the crackers on two baking sheets. I've lined these with parchment for easy, compostable cleanup, but you probably don't need to. Make sure they're not touching. 

Put them in the 350 375 degree oven for 8 minutes to start, then remove and brush crackers with olive oil. Sprinkle with a few grains of Maldon salt flakes per cracker (the salt is optional) and return them to the oven in the opposite position (switch the front to the back). 

Bake for another 7-12 minutes depending on the size of your crackers. This shade of brown is just about perfect for crunchy crackers! 

Serve with tahini sauce, hummus or whatever else strikes your fancy! 




To make a tahini sauce, start by blending 1/2 c tahini, 1/4 c olive oil, juice of one lemon, 1/4 c parsley leaves, one crushed, peeled clove of garlic and 1/2 tsp salt. Blend in 1 cup water, then taste and add more of whatever ingredients you feel are lacking. 

Salted Dark Chocolate Cashew Clusters

For me, 70% cocoa content chocolate has long been a special treat that doesn't trigger crazy sugar binges. Now, I've adapted a recipe from Always Hungry by Dr. David Ludwig and Chef Dawn Ludwig that has their official stamp of approval. The recipe makes 4-6 servings, but you can easily double or triple it if you plan to share. Let's get to it!

There are just four ingredients: 

• about 3 oz dark chocolate, 70% or higher cocoa content
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut (unsweetened is important if you're following their program, less so if you're not)
• a pinch or two of flaky sea salt (I used Maldon, which was cheaper than I thought)

If your cashews are whole, cut them in smaller pieces (halves or quarters). 

Measure out the coconut and put the two ingredients in a dry pan over medium low heat. 

Toast the coconut and cashews just until the coconut starts to take on a golden color (left). Turn off the heat and let the pan sit on the stove while you chop and melt the chocolate...it will continue to darken (right) thanks to the residual heat in the pan, but you won't risk overdoing it this way. 

I've tried making these without toasting, and they were good, but definitely missing a little something. 

All hail the Chocolove! Thanks to their dark chocolate with sea salt and almonds and this 70% bar, it has become my favorite brand. 

Chop up the bar using a serrated knife and place it in a microwave-safe bowl, preferably glass. 

Place the bowl in the microwave and put it on 50 percent power for 45 seconds. Take it out and stir, then repeat this step until the chocolate is fully melted. As you get closer to being finished, reduce the time to 30 seconds. 

You can also melt the chocolate in a double boiler, I just find that I end up with less cleanup this way. Plus, I gotta use the microwave for something other than the cat's medicine :) 

Stir the coconut and cashews into the chocolate...try not to eat it all with a spoon...

...and then drop spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat or a piece of parchment paper. I like to do more small clusters rather than fewer small ones. 

Let them cool for a few minutes, then sprinkle a few flakes of the salt on each one. 

Set the sheet in a cool area for a few hours to set up, or in the fridge to speed up the process. 

Enjoy one or two after dinner!

Swiss Chard, Beef and Bean Stew

Swiss chard has long been one of my favorite vegetables, ever since I was little--my parents used to grow it in our little yard in Philadelphia. We ate spinach more often (usually frozen), so that was my official favorite. Some of my students turn up their noses when I tell them this, though, as apparently it's considered pig food in parts of China! Others have learned to eat and love it since moving here. 

When I saw the recipe for Beef, Bean and Barley Stew in the book I'm using to get my health on track, Always Hungry? by Dr. David Ludwig, it called for 8 cups of chard, and I knew I had to make it happen (and I could do it in my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker, which made me even happier). Alas, it seems to be mislabeled for all phases of the program, so I had to omit the barley. I also replaced the water with broth, which always improves flavor, and subbed white beans for kidney beans since I only had the former on hand. 

The white beans are hiding in the container behind the olive oil...I cooked those in the pressure cooker the day before. A well-drained and rinsed can of them would be perfectly fine, or a can of kidney beans. 

Sprinkle 1 lb cubes of beef (stew meat or chuck) with salt and pepper. Pre-heat electric pressure cooker on saute or Dutch oven on stove with one Tbsp olive oil. Brown beef on at least two sides, being careful not to overcrowd the pot like I did here. I still got a little browning, but that foamy stuff is liquid that's really steaming the beef. Better to do it in two batches.

Finely chop 1 medium onion and 1 stalk celery. Remove beef from pot and add celery and onion to the drippings. Saute until soft but not brown, 3-6 minutes.

Wash the chard and remove the leaves from the stems.

Chop up the stems - you might as well use them, no? If you just can't even, save them in the freezer for your next batch of broth or stock.

Mince a clove or two of garlic. Add chopped stems and garlic to onion and celery mixture, then saute for a couple more minutes. Add 1 tsp thyme and 1/2 or 1 bay leaf.

Chop chard leaf into strips and add 1/3 to 1/2 to the pot.

Add tomatoes, stir well, then add 4 cups of beef or vegetable broth and let warm up a bit. Add beef and 1 1/2 cups white beans.

If using Instant Pot, lock on lid. Cancel saute function and set valve to "seal". Press "Meat/Stew" button. Allow 20 minutes of natural release time before opening up, then switch valve to "vent" to release remaining pressure. Open lid and stir in remaining chard, letting that cook in the hot stew for a few minutes while you get the table ready.

If you're using a Dutch oven on the stovetop, bring everything to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook

over low heat for 1 hour, then stir in remaining chard and let cook for a few minutes.

Top with sour cream and fresh parsley if you have it...my parsley wilted on me, so it was no longer picture-friendly :(

Hummus from Ottolenghi's Jerusalem

My aunties always send the loveliest gifts, and this Christmas suprised me with two gorgeous cookbooks from Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. I hadn't made chickpea hummus in years, since there are a number of great local brands and chickpeas have always been the most challenging beans to cook from dry. I figured, though, that with the expertise of these two guys, I'd give it another try.

Oh, my goodness. So delicious, so worthwhile, and I've now made evenly cooked chickpeas for the first time in my life. The trick to getting them just right, as it turns out, is cooking the soaked beans with a little baking soda before adding the cooking water. The abrasive baking soda softens up the skins. I've made a couple of small adjustments to the other ingredients to get the balance of flavors right where I like it, and I hope you'll do the same!

The chickpeas:
First, rinse and and look over 1 1/4 cups dried chickpeas. Why? Because beans used to come with little special extras like pebbles and clumps of dirt. I don't think I've found any of those in recent years, but I'd still rather be safe than sorry! Soak the beans in enough water to cover them twice. I don't usually bother soaking other beans, but in this case I will definitely follow that step. If you're short on time, two cans of chickpeas would be the right amount to start with.

Soak overnight or at least six to eight hours. Drain the chickpeas and put them in a 4-5 quart pot with 1 tsp baking soda. Stir and cook for three minutes over medium heat to loosen the skins up--this is the magic step right here, so don't skip it!

Add about 6 1/2 cups of water to the pot and give it a good stir. Set a timer for 20 minutes and turn the heat up to high to bring it to a boil. Skim off the foam that forms and any beans or skins that float to the top. Then turn the heat back down to medium-low to let it simmer.

Start checking the chickpeas for doneness when the timer first goes off. You may need to go up to twenty more minutes, depending on how far back in the stockroom your beans were, but both my batches were done at the first check.

Next, while the beans cook:
Squeeze 2-4 fresh lemons until you have 1/3 cup of juice. I charred mine on a grill pan this time...it only added a little extra flavor to the hummus, but it softened up the lemons a lot, so they gave off more juice.

Measure out 1 cup of light tahini, crush 2-4 garlic cloves (depending on your taste and their size), and set out 1 tsp salt and 1/3 cup cold water.

When the chickpeas are ready:
Drain them well, reserve about 1/3 cup for garnish, and place the rest in a food processor. Pulse them to start the purée. Open the lid and place in the salt and garlic, then put the lid back on, start the machine and add the tahini, juice and water through the top while it runs. Add a little more water if it's still too thick for your liking.

Serve room temperature, topped with the intact chickpeas and a drizzle of your favorite olive oil. You'll note the elegant bowl I selected: I'm taking most of today's batch to work in the morning!