UTTER SWEETNESS...

I think I will have to dedicate this cake to all those who love utter sweetness in their life…or in culinary terms, a golden coloured flavourful mixture of a caramel scented cake with dollops of heavenly dulce de leche and a crispy coating of pralines. To be devoured with moderation…

Recipe for Caramel & Dulce de Leche cake with Pralines:

3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence or a vanilla pod
100gr sugar
100gr caramel syrup (ready bought or home-made)
100-150gr dulce de leche
150gr butter
150gr flour
5gr baking powder
200gr praline (mixture of crushed caramelized nuts)

Preheat oven to th4/180C/350F. In a bowl, mix eggs, vanilla, sugar, caramel and butter. Then add the flour and baking powder and mix batter well. Transfer to cake mould (buttered & floured or lined with parchment paper), fill in half the batter and add a layer of dulce de leche before covering up with the remaining batter. Sprinkle a generous layer of pralines on top and bake for 45 mins- checking after if it is well cooked. If the knife does not come out dry, then note it could just be the dulce de leche but the cake in itself is baked.

MOM'S ORANGE-COCONUT CAKE

I’m sure we all know of a recipe that never leaves our mother’s repertoire and that we’ve seen being made since years. I’m talking about the kind of recipes that your mother literally “owns” and that she could quite possibly have a copyright on (even if it’s been done by others, but you inevitably associate it to her more then any other person on earth). Well before this year ends, I want to feature a cake recipe that my mother has been cooking up in our home’s kitchen since before I was born. Indeed, my mom tells me that she had first made today’s featured orange-coconut cake when she was pregnant with me, and ever since she makes it each year around the winter season when oranges are abundant bringing in a fruity zest into the chilly days. So that basically means this is a cake that I grew up with, and that maybe explains why I ended up being such a sweet tooth! I grew up enjoying delicious fluffy bites of amazingly fragrant cake drenched with orange syrup and coated with clouds of whipped cream and grated coconut… a bundle of tastes and textures filled with irreplaceable emotional value… mothers’ recipes are truly full of magic!

Above & below: the orange syrup being soaked up by the cakeMy mother’s orange-coconut cake
(for a small 20cm diameter round cake mould)
*My mother has the habit of measuring everything in cups (and when I say cups I am being literal here- no measuring cups, but drinking cups) which would explain the recipe below.

The recipe is split into the batter and the orange syrup. The syrup should be made first:

Orange syrup:
6 oranges (juice of)
½ cup sugar
In a pot, heat the orange juice and sugar. When it starts boiling, let it do so for about 5 mins. Turn off heat and let cool.

Cake batter:
2 eggs
½ cup butter
½ cup sugar
2 oranges (peels only)
2 cups flour
½ sachet (about 5gr) baking powder

Mix eggs, butter and sugar. Add orange peels into a food processor so that the peels transform into a zest, and add this to previous mixture. Then add the flour and baking powder. Mix well and bake in th5/190C/375F oven for 30 mins. When baked, remove and poke with a fork and pour cooled syrup onto hot cake. Pour all the syrup and leave overnight- everything will be soaked in by the morning. The next day, whip up liquid cream, coat the cake with the cream and add a generous sprinkle of grated coconut. Enjoy!

SAFFRON ELEGANCE

If I had the choice between meat, chicken, fish or seafood/shellfish as one “animal” type ingredient to eat for the rest of my life, I would with no doubt choose seafood/shellfish. I love it just as much as I love chocolate, so I simply cannot imagine a life without seafood & shellfish, like for example… scallops and shrimps which are actually part of what my post is about today. These kind of ingredients are especially popular during the holiday season here in France (along with foie gras of course, but I’ve never been a fan of foie gras believe it or not). This dish is a result of one of my nth spontaneous experimentations, and I realized that for the next time, I will need to twitch some details in terms of the presentation, because the recipe in itself turned out to be very tasty. For the eyes, it was a feast being a colourful dish with bursts of green (asparagus), yellow (saffron pasta), black (squid ink pasta) and rosy tones (shrimps & scallops) which all complemented each other to produce a rather elegant taste for the tastebuds. I find saffron and seafood to always match up well, it is one of those classics that always work out and which is also very present here with a delicious sauce made of amazingly fragrant kaffir lime, white wine, some cream, and saffron. I’m also submitting this to the Seven Fishes Feast event hosted by Maryann of Finding La Dolce Vita and Joe of Italyville.

Kaffir Lime (above) and more info here
Recipe:
Please note that when I cook savory, I tend to eyeball quantities. Sorry for the lack of precision, if you have any specific questions though I’d be happy to help- drop me a comment!

You will need:
Scallops & Shrimps
Saffron and/or Inksquid pasta- if you can get both, that would be great!
Asparagus
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

For the saffron sauce (quantities for about 3 people- but you can always make more if you feel this is too little)
Olive oil
1 small shallot, chopped very finely
200ml white wine
1 kaffir lime (juice of & zest)
50-70ml light liquid cream
Pinch of saffron (threads, if possible)
Salt

As with all savory dishes, the mise en place and serving temperature is crucial. Chop the shallots and set aside. Start off by cooking the pasta. During this time, chop off the rough ends of the asparagus, and boil for about 6 mins. When pasta is ready, remove and run under cold water to stop cooking process. Set cooked asparagus & pasta aside. Now the sauce: place the shallots in a pot with a bit of olive oil until they turn into a translucent golden colour. Add the white wine, kaffir lime & zest and let simmer for 2-3 mins. With a strainer, transfer mixture to another pot as you want to remove the shallots & zest (I removed the shallots for aesthetic reasons and to keep a silky smooth overall texture). Now, in the “new” pot add the liquid cream, saffron and season with salt- turn down heat and let the flavours infuse. Lastly, pan-sear the scallops & shrimps by placing them in a hot pan covered with some olive oil. Season with S&P according to personal taste. If you can, at the same time, heat the pasta & asparagus (separately) in deep pans with a few drops of olive oil. Season with salt according to personal taste. Place ingredients on serving dishes, and at the very end, heat the sauce and whisk (takes about 1 min in total) to accompany the dish. With this order, everything should be at the correct temperature so you can enjoy the flavours at their best!

*Kaffir limes can be bought at Asian food speciality stores. They have a wonderful peculiar taste & scent of limes and coriander.

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Above: a delicious basket of Swiss & Austrian deliciousness.

I’ve been so busy lately but am so happy to be back blogging (and making up for my absence with three recipes!) with some lovely Christmas cookies for this holiday season ! The list of recipes I could had tried was very very long, with Christmas cookie varieties from all over the world but I stayed close in Europe with treats from two nearby countries: Switzerland (and their amazing Basler Brunslis and Zimtsternes) and Austria’s infamous Linz tart (which I did in small and bite size versions with a bit of a twist). I’m particularly attached to these three pastries as they bring back so many memories from my childhood years spent in Switzerland… especially the Basler Brunslis which I was absolutely mad about, and still am. It was great making all these childhood faves at home, and I’m super happy to participate in Susan’s (from Food Blogga) wonderful Eat Christmas Cookies event.

Above: addictive & delicious heart shaped Basler Brunsli

Above: mini & bite sized Linz tartlets with some marzipan slipped in

Basler Brunsli (Swiss brownies with cinnamon & cloves)

50gr dark chocolate, melted in a bain marie
100gr brown sugar
100gr ground almonds
1 teaspoon cocoa
1 egg white, whisked, stiff
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon clove, ground
1 teaspoon kirsch

In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients, then add the melted dark chocolate and kirsch. Fold into egg white mixture and mix well. Place dough in fridge for at least 1 hour before rolling out and cutting in desired shape. Original recipes say you should leave the raw cookies on a baking tray overnight before baking them- so if you’re patient enough then it could be worth it. Bake in 200C/400F/th6 oven for 8 mins.

Zimtsterne (Swiss cinnamon cookies)

2 egg whites, whisked, stiff
170gr icing sugar
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon kirsch
235gr ground almonds

In a bowl, mix the egg whites with the icing sugar. Keep about ½ a cup aside for the frosting at the end. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients, then fold into remaining egg whites and add kirsch. Place dough in fridge for at least 1 hour before rolling out and cutting in desired shape (traditionally in a star shaped). As with the Basler Brunsli, it is recommended to leave raw cookies on baking tray overnight before baking them. Just before baking, spread a layer of the egg white & icing sugar mix set aside (in the 1/2 cup) on top of cookies. Bake in 200C/400F/th6 oven for 6 mins.

Mini Linz tarts

200gr butter, softened
130gr sugar
2 eggs
135gr ground almonds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon almond essence
330gr flour
Cherry or raspberry jam (I used cherry jam and I also added some slices of cherries)
Marzipan

Mix butter, sugar and eggs. Then add the ground almonds, cinnamon and almond essence and mix. Finally, add the flour and mix until you have a nice dough-y texture. Place dough in fridge for at least 1 hour. Roll dough in tart mould, place a thin layer of marzipan and finish with a generous spread of jam. With remaining dough, make long strips and place on top of tart in a criss-cross design. Bake in 200C/400F/th6 oven and check after 20 mins. It might need some more time, so it’s best to check as of 20 mins.

SALMON SOPHISTICATION

I don’t show my salty-side as much as I would like to on my blog, but trust me, my kitchen activities do not always revolve around sugar! Actually, I almost prefer working with meats, fishes, vegetables, etc. I also have my fetish dishes, and the one I’m posting about today happens to be on my personal all-time-fave list. It includes salmon, a swirl of tagliatelle with tons of fresh beautifully scented estragon, a bed of spinach, and maybe the best part- lobster bisque with orange zest. It’s classy, sophisticated, and very tasty… and quite honestly, very easy to make- no exaggerations here.
Salmon, estragon tagliatelle, spinach & orange zest lobster bisque.

Salmon pavés
Tagliatelle
Fresh estragon- and I insist on it being fresh! No dry estragon for this recipe please!
Spinach leaves
Orange (zest)
Lobster bisque
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Prepare your mise en place: have the tagliatelle ready & cooked (1 minute less then the indicated time because you are going to heat it again later on). Chop the estragon and grate the orange. In a deep saucepan, sauté the spinach leaves with some olive oil, salt & pepper. Set aside or keep on a very very low heat so that it stays warm but doesn’t burn. In a pot, lightly add some olive oil, add the cooked tagliatelle, and throw in lots of chopped estragon & salt. You want to heat the pasta mixed with the estragon and have it ready to be eaten at the right temperature when the salmon is cooked. Heat the lobster bisque with orange zest in a pot, and JUST before serving- either whisk it or use a hand blender to ensure an impeccably smooth consistency. This is absolutely critical, and always recommended when serving a considerate amount of sauces- always blend it just before serving. You want the bisque to feel rich & silky in the mouth. On a dish, pat dry the salmon and season before cooking. Add some olive oil to a pan, heat, and transfer the salmon. Cook on both sides according to your personal taste. In a deep plate, start by placing some spinach in the center. Top off with the tagliatelle, on top place a salmon pave, and finish off by drizzling the lobster bisque around it all.

Before I end this post, and without wanting to sound annoying, I would like to emphasize that timing and the order of things is absolutely vital here. When I’m not baking desserts, I am very picky on serving everything at the right temperature, because this is what is going to help enhance the harmony in taste when presenting and enjoying the dish. In a glance, this is what I recommend:

1.Cook tagliatelle- approx 9 mins
2.Grate orange- 1 min
3.Chop estragon- 1 min
4.Sauté clean spinach leaves- approx 5 mins
5A. Mix tagliatelle & estragon- approx 4 mins
5B. At the same time, heat the bisque- approx 5 mins
6. Cook the salmon- approx 6 mins
7. Blend the bisque- 30 seconds
8. Transfer everything to dish- 1 min

Total time: about 30 mins for a classy seductive tasty dish!

PERSONALIZED CHOCOLATE BARS!

This has to be by far one of the most fun recipes I am going to post on my blog- and also one that I am most excited to share! From time to time here in Paris, I 'll walk into a chocolate shop or stroll around a chocolate fair and notice these stands that display these gigantic chocolate bars that come in an infinite amount of flavours. Do you see what I'm talking about? Huge milk, dark or white chocolate barks with an addition of nuts, cereals, cookies, fruits, so on and so forth. They always look so dazzling for the eye and so tempting to taste, and at the same time there is something intimidating about them because they just seem impossible to make from scratch as if there was a mystery about their fabrication. Well people, let me tell you a little secret- they are probably the easiest thing to make, ever! You just need two things: a very good quality base chocolate and the topping(s) of your choice. For instance, I experimented around with white and milk chocolate. As Christmas is soon approaching, I did one bar that contained a palette of this holiday season's colours: white, green (from the pistachios) and red (glacé cherries) and even some little gold coloured candies for a bit of spark. Another bar I personalized was a Mont Blanc inspired one: milk chocolate, bits of marrons glacés (candied chestnuts) and meringues. And these are just two examples amongst the infinite possibilities you can try out in your own very kitchen. To find out how, scroll down to the end of this post!

Above: the base ingredients that constitute my Christmas and Mont Blanc themed chocolat bars. Below: the chocolat bars are ready!

Personalized Chocolate Bars:

You will need:

A high quality base chocolate- dark, milk or white
+
Ingredients of your choice. They should preferably be small in size (so if they are big, chop them!) and dry.


Have your mise en place ready: line a mould (doesnt need to be too deep, just something to "hold" your mixture) with baking paper- bottom and sides.

Then melt your chocolate in a bain-marie. Once it is fully melted, shiny and consistent in texture, mix in your selected ingredients. Pour this mixture into your mould, and if you wish, sprinkle on top some of the chosen ingredients for a greater visual effect. Let cool in fridge for at least 1 hour, and the rest is up to you- devour it, share it, wrap it and offer as a gift, propose with a coffee alongside other "mignardises"...

But most of all- be creative! Add nuts, dried fruits, cereals, cookies, candies, M&Ms, Oreos, caramels, pate de fruits, marzipan...whatever your inner Willy Wonka is in the mood for! You can even mix two different chocolates together! If you do try this recipe out, I would certainly be curious to know what you experimented around with, so please, drop me a message and DO share your chocolatey results!

x

Marianna

MARRONS GLACES TREATS

People- I am starting to get into this culinary Christmas-y mood now. So do not be surprised if a lot of festive images & recipes start popping up on my blog in the coming weeks :-) Anyway, having said that, it only makes sense that marrons glacés are involved in today's post. Here in France, marrons glacés are really one of the most popular sweet delicacies to have at your table during the Christmas festive season. They can be found at shops throughout the year, but as of mid-November, they take over all the shelves alongside truffles, mendiants & other winter treats.
I personally love the combination of marrons glacés, milk chocolate and a tad bit of Grand Marnier, and these little truffle lookalikes contain exactly all these ingredients. They are easy to make if you get ready made marrons glacés. But if you are feeling really courageous... you can make them from scratch! ;-)Recipe for Marrons Glacés Grand Marnier Chocolate delights:

Ingredients:
Marrons glacés
Milk chocolate melted in liquid cream (as for a ganache)
Grand marnier
Cocoa

Inside your milk chocolate ganache preparation, add your desired quantity of Grand Marnier. Adjust the quantity according to your personal taste. Roll each marrons glacés in the ganache mixture. Place in fridge for about 30 mins, and roll again in ganache. Place in fridge once again for about 15 minutes, and then roll each ball into the cocoa. They will need to rest in the fridge for a good hour before being consumed. Enjoy!

TIME FOR A BLOG MAKEOVER!

Yes, something has indeed changed! My blog has gone through some sort of revamp - makeover - newlook - whatever you want to call it really! I just felt it was time to give it a new face, and also a new name: SCRUMPTIOUS. I've always loved that word- something about the way it's pronounced and the images that go through my head when I hear somone (or myself) saying it. What's more: I've tried to associate my blog's new name with a hopefully powerful visual identity- a pair of luscious raspberry lips that I had photographed a while back. So voila my friends, this is the new face of my blog and I hope you like it. Any comments and critiques are of course more then welcome :-) Finally note that I've kept the same address as to not create any confusion.

Last but not least, I just want to say THANK YOU to all of you who pass by and check out my blog, for those who comment in silence and those who take the time to leave a few words. It all means a lot to me as in a certain way it fuels my passion for the culinary arts and my never ending love to everything delicious in this world.

x

Marianna

AN APPLE (cake) A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY...

Despite my love for everything sweet (I am an extreme sweet-tooth!) , in the recent years I have really tried to become healthier, and when I am cooking or baking, I try to watch out what is going into the pots, pans, moulds or dishes. Now taking a healthy approach doesn't always work with some recipes because it can alter the textures or flavours- but when it doesn't, I always believe that it is best to go with the healthier option. And so all this talk leads me into introducing a healthy apple cake I came up with the other day. We happened to have a huge basket of apples in the kitchen and as I am really not a big fan of raw apples, I decided to use them in a cake. After a quick brainstorming session and while looking out from the window into the clearly approaching winter season, I decided to cook up something that would omit all the typical culprits- egg yolks, butter, white sugar & Co. Let's take a look at some of the good-for-you ingredients I've included:

Apples (duh)- and we all know how healthy apples are ("an apple a day keeps the doctor away")

Almonds (tons of it) which can help to fight off cholesterol, promotes cardiovascular health, excellent for smooth & supple skin, an infinite list of benefits...

Egg whites only - hello proteins, goodbye cholesterol

Ginseng honey- for better stamina and vitality, and better resistance to stress. Real brain food here!

This recipe that I will share with you is full of goodness that it may possibly help you fight off the chilly winter season and protect your immunity system! (ok, maybe that last bit was a slight exxageration). It's not the prettiest cake to look at, but it turned out to be amazingly delicious with a melt-in-your mouth almondy texture, and a scent composed of a swirl of baked apples, honey & almonds...mmmm... Let me tell you one thing- if I had kids (which I don't), I think I'd be making them these cakes for a yummy but healthy treat. Enjoy the recipe, at the end of this post!

Recipe for a Healthy Apple Cake:

*Ingredients based on a 20cm cake mould:

2 egg whites

40gr vegetable oil
3 tablespoons ginseng honey

40gr natural brown sugar (Muscovado, Demerera, etc)

20ml almond essence

100gr ground almonds

30gr whole wheat flour

2 big apples- sliced

Natural brown sugar

Preheat oven to th4/180C/350F. In a bowl, whisk the egg whites (as for a meringue). In another bowl, mix the vegetable oil, ginseng honey, brown sugar and almond essence. Then gently incorporate the egg whites into this mixture. Finish by adding the ground almonds and whole wheat flour, mix. In a seperate bowl, mix the apple slices with some brown sugar. Grease & flour the sides of a cake mould and line the bottom of the mould with parchment paper. Start by placing the apple slices (mixed with the sugar) on the bottom. Then follow with the cake batter. Bake for 40 mins (you can check at 30 minutes, but it took me 40 minutes). Let cool, and turn cake over upside down. Enjoy!

P.S: I grinded the almonds myself, but I did not grind them ultra-finely, therefore leaving in some crunchy bits. Personally, I prefer keeping in some crunchiness (say 10-20% of total almonds remained crunchy) as the contrast with the moist base and baked apples turned out to be lovely.

CHOCOLATE CARDAMOM DATE & SESAME CAKE

There has been a lot of chocolate on my blog lately, right? Well, I must be going through a chocolate phase and it might also be a seasonal thing as I tend to prefer chocolate based desserts when the weather is chilly. Nothing like some nice chocolate to brighten up a cold winter day! This time however I took a break from the truffle factory I had been running in my kitchen to a most rich, moist yet basic (but heavenly) chocolate cake that I jazzed up with some Middle Eastern influences: cardamom, dates and sesame seeds. I felt that the cardamom gave some depth to the overall flavour, and the dates (which are so underestimated in my opinion- there see to be so many date haters out there!) add a nice chewy fruity texture. The sesame seeds then add a bit of crunch and a toasty scent to each bite. Overall, there is a really nice mixture of flavours, but to be enjoyed in moderation (if you can resist)- this is a very rich and heavy cake!

A pattern in the cake batter (above). Adding the dates to the batter (below)

The first cut...and the heavenly scent of cardamom infuses in the kitchen...

Recipe for Chocolate, Cardamom, Date & Sesame Cake:

100gr chocolate
40gr butter
3 eggs- seperate the yolks & whites
50gr sugar
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
A handful of dates, seeds removed, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla essence or 1 vanilla pod
30gr flour
For the chocolate coating:
50gr dark chocolate + 25gr liquid cream
Sesame seeds

*Ingredients for approx 20cm/8inch diameter cake mould.

Preheat oven to th4/180C/350F. Melt the chocolate & butter together, mix well to obtain a shiny and smooth texture. In a bowl, whisk your egg whites until firm. In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks with the sugar, cardamom and vanilla. Add the flour, mix well. Add the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites and mix slowly. Then add the melted chocolate mixture, stir gently. Finally throw in the chopped dates and mix the batter gently one last time. Transfer batter to greased & floured cake mould and bake in oven for 40 mins. When the cake is ready, remove from oven and let cool. In the meantime, you can start preparing the coating. For the ganache, heat the liquid cream in a pot, then turn off heat, add dark chocolate, cover and leave for 5 mins. Remove cover, stir will until shiny and smooth. In a pan (no oil or butter needed here), toast the sesame seeds by placing on heat and keeping a close eye as to not burn them. You just want to get them into a nice golden colour and achieve a toasty smell. Coat cake with ganache and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

NUTMEG & ORANGE PRALINE TRUFFLES

I made truffles again! But these were the result of total experimentation and randomness, but turned out surprisingly amazingly good that I can't wait to make them again! Do you like nutmeg and chocolate? Well if you do, then these truffles are for you! I personally adore nutmeg and chocolate together, but add a bit of praline chocolate, an orange-y flavour and a crispy dark chocolate shell and you have got what I am posting about today. Unfortunately, I have only one photo to share (lighting was really terrible, I took the photos in the evening!) but it is better then nothing I guess! At least you can see how creamy the interiour remains when you bite into these easy-to-make and lovely to share truffles!


Recipe for Nutmeg & Orange Praline Truffles:


200gr praline chocolate
100gr liquid cream, 30%
Zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon orange essence
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
150gr dark chocolate, melted in a bain-marie
Caramel crispy bits (and can also be replaced with Praline crispy bits)

Heat the liquid cream in a small pot. Add the orange zest and essence and let the flavours infuse for a good hour. Transfer the liquid cream into another pot using a strainer in order to remove the zest. Heat again, then remove from heat. Add the praline chocolate, and cover pot, leave for 5 mins. Remove cover, and stir the praline ganache until it is smooth and shiny. Place ganache in fridge for about an hour, then shape ganache into small balls. Mix the melted dark chocolate with the caramel crisps in a deep container. Throw in the praline ganache balls so that they are fully coated, and remove with a fork onto a dish covered with parchment paper. The chocolate coating will solidify quite quickly, but the praline interiour will remain rich and creamy!

JASMINE & CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Yes I know, I know, Christmas is not here just yet... but... I am starting to feel it's spirit in the kitchen already! And with this approaching feeling of pine trees and festive tables comes the traditional mood of making chocolate truffles, which of course is a staple item to share and enjoy anytime between Christmas and New Years (and any other time of the year too actually). But anyway, my point is that I particularly enjoy making truffles most towards the end of the year, and this time I made jasmine & chocolate truffles. This flavour combination came up after having seen it at famous Belgian chocolatier Pierre Marcolini who includes jasmine & chocolate ganaches amongst his many other incredibly tempting flavours. And by lovely coincidence, I happened to come accross a bottle of jasmine essence while exploring some Asian food shops the other day (because finding jasmine flowers this time of the year and in this geographic part of the world is quite mission impossible). I must say however, that the essence I used was VERY very very strong, that a drop or two is enough to flavour and add a wonderful scent. Really, a drop too much and you can say goodbye to your truffles. You know how I know? Because during a first small batch trial, I did a jasmine overdose and although the kitchen smelt lovely, but taste wise it was too overpowering. So the key here is tasting with each drop you add- literally. The jasmine should complement the chocolate in a discreet and elegant manner. Finally, I rolled half of the truffles in cocoa, and the remaining half in coconut...but I personally felt that the coconut made a better combination with the jasmine. In my opinion, it just added more exoticism without masking the base flavours.

So I sense that this is just the beginning of my seasonal truffle experimentation, and I will certainly be exploring other combinations in the coming weeks & months. One thing I love about truffles is that there is so much versatility to it's core recipe, and even better, everyone loves truffles (I have personally never met anyone who has said "no" to a truffle before!). Before you scroll down to the recipe, I would just like to say that my recipe does not include butter, although many truffle recipes do. The reason I excluded butter was for health reasons and also that it tastes just as good without it!

Recipe for jasmine & chocolate truffles:

350gr dark chocolate, broken into pieces

170gr creme fraiche

300gr dark chocolate for coating, 70%, melted in a bain-marie

100gr bitter cocoa or coconut

Boil the creme fraiche and add a drop of jasmine essence (you will have to control the quantity of essence to add by tasting). Pour the hot creme fraiche onto the dark chocolate pieces. Leave it to melt for about 5 mins. Then stir to obtain a shiny ganache with a consistent texture. Place in fridge for 2 hours. Form balls with the cooled ganache mixture, and pass twice into the melted dark chocolate (the one melted in a bain marie). Place balls in fridge for about 30 mins, then roll in cocoa or/and coconut.