.::|TheDish|::.

Sinful Truffles

I don't have much of a sweet tooth - I sway more on the savory side - except for a small piece of rich chocolate from time to time. Well, I have found the remedy for those oh so sinful cravings as well as a new creative outlet: homemade truffles. I came across this recipe from the Feb/March issue of Fine Cooking Magazine and its actually quite fun to make, as well as the perfect dessert for a dinner party.

First, make the Ganache, what will be the soft inside to your truffle (also can be used for hot cocoa and the foundation of a chocolate torte):

Basic Ganache
12oz semi-sweet chocolate (55-60% cocoa) coarsely chopped or broken into pieces
1 cup heavy cream

Grind the chocolate in a food processor until its reached the consistency of course meal, about 30 seconds. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the cream to the food processor and process until smooth, about 10 seconds. If not using right away, transfer the Ganache to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Next, construct your truffles:

Truffles
Above recipe for Ganache
2 tbs. unsalted butter, softened
1 cup cocoa powder (preferably dutch processed); more as needed
8 oz of semi-sweet chocolate (about 1 1/2 cups)

Make the Ganache and add the butter to the warm Ganache while still in the food processor. Process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Put the cocoa powder in a large bowl.

Using teaspoons, drop rounded heaping teaspoons of truffle mixture onto a large, parchment lined baking sheet.

When all of the truffles are scooped, dip them in the cocoa and use your palms to roll the truffles into smooth 1-inch balls. You are going to get messy! Keep the balls on the small side, since they are so rich (don't worry about making them perfect; slightly irregular truffles have an appealing homemade appearance). Transfer the truffles to the refrigerator.

Melt the chocolate in a medium heat-safe bowl set in a small skillet of barely simmering water (or a double boiler if you have one), stirring occasionally until smooth. Transfer the bowl to a work surface.

Working in batches, use your fingers or a couple of forks to coat the truffles with the melted chocolate. Coat them with your topping of choice. My favorites: chopped nuts, coconut, and cocoa powder.

Let the truffles sit at room temp for at least 15 minutes before serving; this gives them the hard outside and soft inside texture. They also can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days (that is, if you can resist eating them!).

Enjoy!

You Can banQ On It

Rating: 5 forks

Yes, that is five forks (out of a possible five!). We made it to banQ this week for dinner, and it was simply put: spectacular. You may ask - like I did - how can a restaurant nail-it on week one? Well, I don't know, its rare, and they did it; restaurateurs, visit and take notes. The sexy and sophisticated space on Washington St in the South End, occupying the old Penny Savings Bank, is stunning, with panels of smooth banana wood (or birch, I have heard both) cut at varying lengths hanging from the ceiling to create a flowing wave effect, smooth table tops upon concrete floors, lots of straight lines with warm light throughout that all contribute to it's simple elegance (my favorite style).

The staff was very friendly, and our waitress and the service was perfect. As for the cuisine, categorized as French-inspired with a broad international influence, we enjoyed a few starters, kicked-off by their "bread" plate of warm naan-like patties. Next, a couple "small bites":

Soy Ginger Lamb Loin $5.50
Spring Roll with Roquefort glaze

Fire-Charred Sea Scallops $5.50
with Indian lentils

And from the appetizer menu:

Cumin Scented Green Pea Soup $9
soy ginger Monkfish wontons, straw potatoes

And for the main course, I selected:

Grilled Cod $26
dusted with morels, Pommery banana flower relish, lotus root Provencal, a green tea miso beurre blanc

And the beau feasted on:

A Braised Short Rib
Not listed on the Web site so I can't provide more detail for you!

WOW! Everything was spectacular! The cod was crispy on the outside and perfectly seared, and the lotus root was a delightful new side dish for my taste buds, while the generous portion of short rib was rich and sinful, eaten sans a knife of course. It's so great to see that the banQ Web site is finally live, complete with the menu. You must check it out.

The entrees are under $26, the portion size is liberal, and the drink menu is unique and fun. Another very welcome addition to Boston's South End, a neighborhood that's simply bursting with flavor. If you swing by banQ, please check back in and leave me your review in the comments section; I am so curious what the buzz is and if you agree with my rating!

banQ
1375 Washington st.
Boston, MA 02118   
617.451.0077
www.banqrestaurant.com
Valet: $16

A Winter Storm Haiku

An evening snow--
The strumming of his guitar
and the heat of wine

(Ha, I haven't written one of those in years!)

Hayden-Harnett President's Day Sale...

... is on right now! Head on over to the site. I just picked up the Sonia Tote in Winter White, the perfect Spring bag for all my work essentials (looks like my laptop will fit!):

As they say, "Leather so soft, it could make your momma cry". I cannot wait!!!

To All B-Berry Addicts: Tips for Coping

My colleague Mike just passed this on, in response to yesterday's RIM "incident":

9 Tips For Coping With The Next BlackBerry Outage:

1. Always keep a spare fiber-optic cable with tin cans attached to each end.
2. Take a deep breath, stretch, and count to 20. When you're relaxed, you can throw your BlackBerry much harder.
3. Acquire an advanced degree in telecommunications engineering, so you can decipher the eventual explanation from RIM.
4. Call your local Homeland Security office and threaten to blow it up in the name of Holy Jihad. Then the BlackBerry outage will be the least of your worries.
5. While they may not be fast, today's carrier turtles are more reliable than ever.
6. Use your writing or photography skills to chronicle the tragedy for future generations. The world must never forget.
7. Consider learning semaphore.
8. Take advantage of the accompanying chaos to loot an iPhone.
9. If you experience feelings of murderous rage, remember: incompetent buck-passing millionaire executives are people, too.

Hilarious!!!

[Via Woot]

Another BlackBerry Disaster

About 12 million people use BlackBerry's for a plethora of purposes: advertising execs on the road; crime stoppers units withing urban police departments; emergency personnel saving lives; traders on The Street. And you mean to tell me that there is another outage in under a year? And it's not the mobile operator's at fault?!

Report after report detailed today's RIM outage, stating that the troubles began at about 3:20PM EST, with very little detail beyond that. According to the NYT, "representatives of several North American carriers said they were told by Research in Motion, the BlackBerry maker, that a significant failure had occurred somewhere in the servers it operates to connect the popular hand-held devices with the Internet. The carriers were told that all operators in North America were affected but not all customers."

Apparently during the last outage in April of '07, not all emails were recovered. I love my BlackBerry - well, most of the time - but this is not at all acceptable; and although people may have brushed the first incident under the carpet, I have a feeling this will not go as unnoticed for RIM. C'mon guys, get it together!

[image via}

Adi Dassler Spot

Props to 180 Amsterdam for introducing me to Adi Dassler, the German shoe maker behind the iconic Adidas brand, via this digitally animated 60 second spot. I don't know about you, but I get all warm n' fuzzy from watching and listening to the story of the man behind the magic, the evolution of the brand over the last 60 or so years, and how it has impacted - or at least touched - most of us. My first & favorite soccer cleats were Adidas, and now I know the man to thank.

Courtesy of YouTube.

Back from Nevis, AKA: Paradise

Nevis, "Queen of the Caribbes", is an unspoiled Caribbean island in the West Indies that spans approximately 36 square miles and is 7 miles in diameter. She is separated from her big sister, St Kitts, by "The Narrows", a shallow two-mile channel. The official language of the estimated 11,000+ citizens is English with an astonishing 98% literacy rate, one of the highest in the World.

Nevis really is paradise. Perched 3,232 feet above the captivating turquoise waters and serene sand beaches rests the dormant volcano, Nevis Peak. Below the often stalled white cloud cover, from which the name Nevis - "Lady of the Snows" - is derived, lies a tropical rain forest that blankets the conical peak, awash with lush vegetation, rare bird and plant species, and the infamous and elusive Black-faced Fervet Monkey, all certain to attract eco-folks alike.

Aside from the natural beauty that defines Nevis for many, she is individualized - for me personally - by the people, termed Nevisians. Here, an unceremonious beep of the car horn means "hello!", often followed by a gentle smile and an amiable wave. If a local passerby doesn't voice a greeting such as "good afternoon", its a rarity; children play, teens mingle, affable wait-staff are always grinning and eager to share a story of their proud island, family, and life experiences. She may be the Lady of the Snows, but her people are intoxicating, sure to leave you warm and changed.

As far as where to stay, I'd strongly recommend staying on the mountain in the rainforest, with views of the seas below. Golden Rock Plantation Inn is a fabulous option, as is The Hermitage. If you opt for swank - though I think you really may be sacrificing the unspoiled local charm of the island - I'd recommend the Montpelier Plantation (a Relais and Chateaux, also not on the water) or Nisbet Plantation Beach Club, on the water but the beach can be quite windy with rough seas. As far as The Four Seasons goes, well, its commonly reviewed as overrated and over-priced; we stopped by the well-groomed grounds, and left promptly after realizing it is a quasi-stuffy golf resort full of polos and plaid and the antithesis of why we came to the island, but each to his/her own. We heard that the bungalows at Hurricane Cove are fabulous, complete with your private swimming pool.

I encourage you to explore island for yourself, and mingle with her people. Sure, you'll find blogs (like mine!) and online guides, tourist sites, forums, etc but the wealth of information should come from the mouths of the people who live - or have lived - there. Here are a few tips and clues to get you started, derived from our personal experiences and the conversations that we had with friends prior to our trip and the gentle Nevisians who helped guide our way:

If you want to dive the coral reefs or, better yet, one of the many shipwrecks resting on the sea floor, get in touch with Ellis (the Corinthinan and the River Taw wreck dives rock!). Be sure to find Ritchie at The Hermitage to learn about sailing Star with Steve and hiking the 80 ropes and vertical inclines to the clouds of the Nevis Peak volcano with Jungle Jim. You may want to talk to Pam at the Golden Rock Plantation Inn (best lobster sandwich on the island), she may advise you wear your hiking shoes in first on the hike to The Source. Be ready to see monkeys if you chose to meet her for brunch in the morning. Stock your cottage with fruits from the market on Saturday, and search for hidden beaches appropriately termed Paradise and Lovers. Discover the acclaimed Montpelier Plantation Inn atop a San Francisco-esque hill, and better yet, try to find Bananas in the dark!

I guarantee you will fall in love with Nevis, her people and all her beauty; the only regret I have is not visiting for longer. I'll be back.