I'm currently a nanny with an Anthropology degree (plus a minor in Philosophy). Yes, I know. What was I thinking majoring in Anthropology?? I love it and yes it can be useful in the real world... I just haven't figured out how yet. But my other love is being in the kitchen. And while I enjoy cooking dinner (on the rare occasion that the 2 year old hasn't made me want to crawl in bed as soon as I get home), my true passion is treats. Cakes! Truffles! Baklava! Yum!
Truffles are my current favorite (though I'm pretty proud of my baklava). I search for truffle recipes online, take parts from each and tweak it until it's just right. I also sort of dived right into the deep end when I started making truffles and decided not to roll them in cocoa powder but to use molds for a hard-chocolate coating. It's actually not that hard, just time consuming. Though when I switched to tempering the chocolate myself (a very complicated method of heating and cooling the chocolate to get that shiny finish) instead of using the Winton candy melts it got a lot harder - but so worth it!
I use any excuse to perfect or try new truffles, but the main event is Christmas. Not only am I awful at figuring out what to get a lot of people, the truffles are also (supposed) to be cheaper in the end. I really need to figure out how much it all costs but considering that a number of a recipes call for 1/8 a cup of the expensive stuff, it lasts a long time. I've also only just realized that I can freeze them. I will be making and freezing truffles like crazy the months before Christmas so I'm not doing everything at the last second like last year. Ugh, disaster!
I'll try to include blogs on the best equipmant, the different methods and of course the actual recipes. I'll probably focus on truffles, but I'll include other stuff as I come across it and give it a try. Fancy jello shots? Mini donuts? Delicious and easy dinners? I will also occasionally show my failures. Maybe you'll learn from my mistakes or figure out a way to fix it.
Truffles are my current favorite (though I'm pretty proud of my baklava). I search for truffle recipes online, take parts from each and tweak it until it's just right. I also sort of dived right into the deep end when I started making truffles and decided not to roll them in cocoa powder but to use molds for a hard-chocolate coating. It's actually not that hard, just time consuming. Though when I switched to tempering the chocolate myself (a very complicated method of heating and cooling the chocolate to get that shiny finish) instead of using the Winton candy melts it got a lot harder - but so worth it!
I use any excuse to perfect or try new truffles, but the main event is Christmas. Not only am I awful at figuring out what to get a lot of people, the truffles are also (supposed) to be cheaper in the end. I really need to figure out how much it all costs but considering that a number of a recipes call for 1/8 a cup of the expensive stuff, it lasts a long time. I've also only just realized that I can freeze them. I will be making and freezing truffles like crazy the months before Christmas so I'm not doing everything at the last second like last year. Ugh, disaster!
I'll try to include blogs on the best equipmant, the different methods and of course the actual recipes. I'll probably focus on truffles, but I'll include other stuff as I come across it and give it a try. Fancy jello shots? Mini donuts? Delicious and easy dinners? I will also occasionally show my failures. Maybe you'll learn from my mistakes or figure out a way to fix it.
