Luscious Thai Truffles

This is an unusual combination of sweet flavors with spicy, hot sensations. Traditionally, cuisines from temperate regions of the world, as such as Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and the Mediterranean have  always  combined these ingredients. This time we are celebrating this widely known aprhodisiac in the form of a truffle. Enjoy!

Yield 50 truffles

Ingredients:

For the Spicy Semi-Solid  Ganache:

• 1 lb(16 oz) Semi sweet chocolate, chopped

• 1 teaspoon “Thai Curry Paste for desserts” or to taste, recipe follows.

• 1-1/2 cups heavy cream

Preparation

1. Place chopped chocolate in food processor and pulse until pea size. Bring heavy cream to boiling point and mix in the curry paste for desserts. Stir to combine. Remove from heat, cover and infuse no more than 3 hours. Strain through a very fine sieve and re-heat to a boiling point.
2. Pour the chocolate mix into the tube of a running food processor. Process until mixture becomes smooth. Transfer into a clean bowl and let set overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.
3. Pipe onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze overnight.
4. Pre-coat truffles with thin layer of tempered chocolate and dust with cocoa powder, OR toss in toasted coconut flakes.

Important Note:

chocolate is tempered when its temperature is between 84° and 88° F (29° and 31° C). One of the easiest ways to achieve this point is to place the chocolate  in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the chocolate is melted, be specially careful not to over do it. You may see lumps, but they will be dissolved with the residual heat of the chocolate. To speed this process up, you can use an immersion blender or a whisk. When the chocolate begins to set, scrape the sides of the bowl and mix in. It is very important to have your food thermometer on hand to verify when the mixture reaches ideal temperature.

 For the Thai Curry Paste for Desserts:

• 1 stalk lemon grass, finely sliced. Use only the bottom 6”of the stalk.
• 1 teaspoon lime zest, preferably kaffir lime, but any lime will do!
• 1-2 dried Thai bird chilies, seeds removed.
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cardamon pods, husked
• 1- 1/4 teaspoons turmeric
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon fresh galangal or ginger root, minced (see Chef's note)
• 1 tablespoon coconut milk (optional)

Preparation

1. Dry toast cumin, coriander, cardamom and cinnamon in a skillet under medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Do not leave unattended, and shake the pan often to prevent burning. Remove from heat, cool.
2. If making in a mortar and pestle, pound all the ingredients into a smooth paste. If making in a blender or food processor, blend everything into a smooth paste. Transfer to a small container and keep refrigerated or frozen. Read Chef’s note.

[Chef’s Note: this paste will keep for up to two weeks refrigerated and can be frozen in one-teaspoon quantities in n ice cube tray. To grind the ingredients use either a mortar and pestle, a blender, coffee grinder or spice mill. Remember that the number of chiles is up to you. If you find a paste too hot, simply reduce the number of chiles used. Galanga, sometimes called “galangal”, is known as “kah” in Thailand and is used even more widely than fresh ginger. Use whole pieces of dried galangal and reconstitute them by soaking them in water. Powdered “kah” has very little flavor. Fresh ginger can be used as a substitute for kah.]

Yield ½ cup

Enjoy,

Chef Melissa

Tags: chocolate, food blogs, cookingdiva, cooking, panama, panama chefs, food & drink, food, recipes

by Chef Melissa - CookingDiva · May 27, 2006 · 04:07 PM
Permalink · Comments (18) · TrackBack (0) · Categories: Ethnic Cuisine: Asian · Food & Drink · General · RECIPES: chicken · Sensual Food

Cocinemos como el Chef: Clase de Sushi del Chef Rafael Matsufuji

Un HOLA! afectuoso a todos mis lectores, aqui les reporto mi ultima aventura culinaria en Panama. Ayer tome una deliciosa clase de cocina Japonesa por el Chef Rafael Matsufuji, del Restaurante Matsuei, como parte de la oferta Culinaria ofrecida por Guadalupe Ramirez en "Cocinemos como el Chef".

El Chef Matsufuji, demostrando toda su destreza culinaria y carisma, compartio con los asistentes recetas y las tecnicas para preparar Furai Roll,California Roll, Spicy Tuna, Sushi Mixto...entre otros.

Realmente nos divertimos mucho, al mismo tiempo que aprendimos a elaborar paso por paso cada uno de los platos, al igual que a decorarlos con vegetales tallados.

Para mas informacion sobre los programas y clases de cocina ofrecidos por Guadalupe Ramirez en "Cocinemos como el Chef", los invito a visitar su website!

A continuacion comparto con Uds., algunas fotos de la clase.

Abrazos,

Chef Melissa

El Chef Matsufuji demostrando la tecnica para preparar rollos.

Sin duda alguna, deliciosos y muy atractivos!

by Chef Melissa - CookingDiva · July 07, 2005 · 11:03 AM
Permalink · Comments (17) · TrackBack (0) · Categories: Clases de Cocina en Panama · Cocina Etnica: Sushi · Cooking Schools in Panama · Ethnic Cuisine: Asian · RECETAS - Pescados y Mariscos