I have to confess that this dessert is way too chocolatey for me; however, it seems incredibly romantic.  Homemade truffles served with champagne sauce, the name alone screams romance.  For anyone who has a valentine that adores chocolate, this is the recipe for you to master.

Balsamic Truffles with Strawberry Champagne Sauce

Jonathan & Nate of Camden Drive

Balsamic Ganache
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
5 oz. high–quality chocolate chips (60% cocoa), such as Ghiradelli, divided
2 Tb. good balsamic vinegar

Chocolate coating
4 oz. high–quality chocolate chips (60% cocoa)
good, unsweetened cocoa powder for rolling

Strawberry Champagne sauce
1 cup drinkable champagne
1/2 cup seedless strawberry jam
1/4 cup granulated sugar (adjust to desired sweetness)

For the balsamic ganache:
Gently warm the whipping cream in a heavy small saucepan until scalded. Remove from heat; let cool until lukewarm.

Meanwhile, stir 3 ounces of chocolate in the top of double boiler until smooth. Remove from heat. Add the remaining ounce of chocolate; stir until smooth. Stir in cream. Let cool slightly and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet until firm, about 1 hour.

Line a second rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Quickly roll 1 tablespoon of ganache into a ball, being mindful not to allow your hands to warm the ganache too much (you also may want to use disposable gloves to avoid messy hands). Transfer to prepared sheet. Repeat with the rest of the ganache; chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

For chocolate coating:
Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler until just melted. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.

Using a fork as you would a spoon, place 1 chilled truffle in warm (not hot) melted chocolate, coat and remove quickly. Let any excess chocolate drip back into the pan before transferring to prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining truffles, rewarming chocolate if necessary. Roll in cocoa powder after chocolate has been allowed to set slightly.

These steps can be done 1 week ahead of time if stored in an airtight container and kept chilled. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

For Strawberry Champagne sauce:
Whisk together ingredients in a small, heavy sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and let reduce by half.  Let cool to room temperature before serving.

To Serve:
Drizzle sauce on serving plate as desired and arrange truffles. Garnish with fresh strawberries.

Yield:

Makes approximately 12 truffles.

I know that fresh herbs impart better flavor than dried.  However, I have a limited amount of window space for growing herbs.  Are there certain herbs that are better when used fresh, or oppositely are there herbs that are more acceptable in dried form?

Fresh herbs aren’t always preferable to their dried counterparts. Some, like oregano, are often better dried. (There are many different varieties of oregano. The one I planted years ago I didn’t realize is virtually tasteless, but the flowers are pretty and the bees love it, so it maintains a place in my garden.) Bay leaves are equally good fresh or dried. The other consideration when choosing fresh or dried herbs is how they’re to be used.

Herbs are divided into two types, fine and resinous. Tender fine herbs like basil, chervil, chives, cilantro, dill, parsley, and tarragon, are good eaten raw. They will quickly give up their essence to a dish and become washed out with long cooking. Resinous herbs include bay leaves, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Resinous herbs are tougher and contain stronger oils that need to be extracted through long cooking. Generally, resinous herbs dry much more satisfactorily than fine herbs.

For quick cooking dishes, for use in salads (not necessarily salad dressings), and for adding toward the end of cooking and/or garnishing, fresh herbs are the way to go. For dishes like stocks, stews, stocks, spaghetti sauce, some soups, and even breads, dried herbs will hold up better to the long cooking.

It’s relatively easy to grow certain herbs like basil, mint, parsley, and rosemary indoors, although in my experience they’re subject to spider mites. This is insidious; you’ll see the leaves yellowing and think either under- or over-watering is the problem. Too late you realize it’s not, and by then the plant is weak and unhealthy.

Furthermore, herbs grown indoors rarely have the same depth of flavor and strength of those grown in direct sun. However, I live in New England, with dry forced hot air heating; folks who live in warmer climates may have better luck growing herbs indoors in the winter.

I keep almost all dried herbs on hand with the exception of chervil, chives, cilantro, and parsley (in all cases, I find the dried variety vastly inferior to fresh.) Dried herbs like tarragon need to revived in a small amount of vinegar or boiling water before being used in salad dressings or sauces. If you have the option, using the dried herb for the sauce, and a bit of chopped or minced raw herb to finish a dish gives a wonderful flavor and liveliness.

Do keep in mind that dried herbs are more concentrated than fresh. The general rule of thumb is to use one-third the amount of dried herbs as fresh. And check your dried herbs regularly. Crush a bit between your fingers, and if they’ve lost their pungency, replace them.

As a parent, I have made only version two for my children, which actually is their favorite type of macaroni and cheese.  Of course, they also eat the stuff that comes in the blue box, but that is a make-it-themselves sort of lunch.  If they ask for mac and cheese for dinner, they always are requesting my homemade dish.

I have made a couple changes to my mom’s recipe.  Her recipes specifies “nucoa” as the fat in the recipe.  I use unsalted butter as a tastier substitute.  I also have eliminated the colby and replaced it with more sharp cheddar.  Everyone seems to prefer the stronger bite of flavor it provides.  Of course, you could try your own combination of cheeses.  We have been known to add mozzarella for more gooey-ness and blue cheese for additional depth of flavor.

Mom’s Mac & Cheese, Version 2

3 Tb. unsalted butter
3 Tb. flour
2 cups milk
8 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked

Preheat oven to 350.  Melt butter in a medium-sized pot over medium heat.  Add flour and stir until golden, about 3 minutes.  Slowly add milk, whisking constantly until it begins to boil.  Add cheddar cheese and stir until melted.

Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart baking dish.  Combine macaroni and cheese sauce in dish.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

We arrived at Olé about 30 minutes prior to our reservation.  However, we were able to be seated promptly.  The restaurant was packed but well-staffed, which seemed to keep all of the patrons happily enjoying their meals.  We were provided with menus and water and given a moment to study our options.  We each chose a cocktail and were provided with complimentary chips and salsa.  It must be noted that this salsa was the most unique I’ve had.  It had a smoother texture than most and a hint of sweetness that I could not determine the source of.  Although I typically try to eat few chips to save room for the dishes I order, it was quite hard to do.

When the server returned with our drinks we ordered Guacamole En Mocajete.  This dish is the one item that left us conflicted.  I’ll start with the negative.  Although the menu describes the guacamole as being prepared table-side, that isn’t quite the case.  Our guacamole was made out of my sight, behind where I was seated.  The other negative was that we weren’t asked about preferences, as we have been at other table-side presentations, such as salt or not, lime juice or not.  The positive was that the guacamole was quite tasty as it was presented.

Olé offers two different dining styles:  tapas or entrées.  As both of us love tapas and the fact that eating tapas would allow us to sample more of the menu, we opted for that style.  Being ambitious eaters, we chose five different dishes.  While that may sound like a good amount of food, it probably was the perfect amount for us.

Our first tapas item to arrive was the Ceviche De Atun.  After eating quite a few chips, this dish was a nice change of pace.  Consisting of ahi tuna marinated in lime juice and accompanied by red onion, jalapenos, and olives, it was light and flavorful.  The tuna was tender and the contrast of crunchy onion to tender tuna was well-balanced.

For the next round of food, three of our tapas dishes were delivered together.  The Queso Fundido Con Hongos was a nice variation on the queso that you find at typical Mexican restaurants.  This dish consisted of goat cheese served with adobe marinated shiitake and crimini mushrooms with tomatilla salsa.  The queso was presented with miniature corn tortillas to scoop the melty cheese and mushroom combination.  The meaty nature of the mushrooms made this queso a heartier dish with a great bite from the goat cheese.

A side of Fried Plantains also was part of this course.  This dish was ordered with my husband in mind, as he loves both fried food and plantains.  In order to provide a thorough review of the dinner, I did sample one of the plantains and was pleased to find that it was not greasy, and also had a crisp exterior and creamy interior.  A drizzle of crema added a nice bit of flavor to the dish.

The final item of this course was the Falda Asada Con Mole.  Skirt steak marinated in adobo and cooked until medium rare, it was presented with haricots vert on red mole.  This dish was delicious.  The steak was well-cooked and also quite tender.  Although it was served with more of the mini corn tortillas, I opted to skip them so as not to interfere with the delicious flavors in the steak and haricots vert.

Our fifth tapas item was the Tacos de Pescado, which our server had recommended.  Taken straight from the menu, this dish is “beer battered haddock in homemade corn tortillas topped with cabbage slaw, cilantro pesto, chipotle mayonnaise and black sesame seeds”.  Again, fried foods fall quite low on my list of favorites.  However, the batter was crispy, not greasy, and light, and the fish was flaky.  The combination of toppings worked well together and provided a mixture of crunch, sweetness, and spice.

If you’re a regular reader, you know that although this was a filling meal, neither my husband nor I quit before dessert.  So, with the goal of reviewing the meal from beginning to end, we studied the dessert menu.  We each found a sweet treat to our liking and placed our orders.

My husband definitely chose the better of the two desserts.  I order the Tres Leches Cake.  The cake itself was tender, but it seemed to be lacking the tres leches.  As its name indicates, this is a cake made with three milks, which produces an incredibly moist cake.  While my cake wasn’t dry, there also was no moistness to it.  Additionally, it was to have been topped with Kahlua whipped cream.  Try as I might, I could not find a hint of coffee flavor to the whipped cream.

My husband ordered the Crepas De Cajeta, which were fabulous.  (In fact, I should have asked that we switch plates.)  These crepes were filled with candied pecans, topped with a goat milk caramel sauce, and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  The most amazing part of this dish was the caramel.  It was delightfully sweet but also had the trademark, savory flavor from the goat milk.  The pecans had a nice sugary taste that was tempered by the crepes.  A perfect way for one of us to end the meal.

The service at the restaurant was excellent.  At our table and all of the surrounding tables, glasses were kept full, plates were cleared in a timely manner, and patrons’ needs were checked in a reasonable manner.  The only caveat to dining at Olé is that as it is a smaller dining area, it can be loud.  Intimate conversation is difficult, but there is a vibrant atmosphere.  If you’re in Cambridge and seeking some tasty Mexican food, Olé Mexican Grill is a good choice.

Editor’s note:  Our evening of dining was provided at no cost to my husband and myself.  That being said, this review accurately reflects the quality of our experience at Olé Mexican Grill.

This week’s dessert idea is a wonderful combination of wine, pears, almonds, and mascarpone.  Not only is it a delicious dessert, but it also has a beautiful presentation.  Although it looks intricate, it really is quite easy to prepare.   Your valentine is sure to be amazed by your culinary talents.

Red Wine Poached Pear with Candied Almonds and Mascarpone

Chef John Van House of Murray’s, courtesy of usapears.org.

Poached Pears
6 Bosc USA Pears
1 750 ml bottle red table wine
2 cups granulated sugar
2 Tb. Chinese Five Spice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
Mascarpone Filling
8 oz. mascarpone cheese
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
1 cup candied sliced almonds, such as Almond Accents® Honey Roasted Sliced Almonds

Peel pear and core from the bottom to extract core and seeds.

In a saucepan, combine wine, granulated sugar, five spice, cinnamon and cloves. Add pears and just enough wine to cover pears. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until pears are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove pears and cool to room temperature. Cover and chill.

Simmer wine mixture until reduced to a syrupy consistency.

Whip mascarpone, cream, powdered sugar and almond extract on high speed until mixture forms firm peaks.

To serve: Spoon 2 tablespoons mascarpone filling into center of each pear. Place on dessert plates. Spoon 2 tablespoons mascarpone around bottom of pears. Drizzle 2 tablespoons slightly warm wine syrup over each pear. Garnish with candied almonds and serve immediately.

Makes 6

The tricky times are when there are only three of us dining.  It feels more cumbersome to make two different entrées for a party that small.  Our of deference to our vegetarian, I make a meal that is vegetarian and (hopefully) will please all of us.  Depending on which person makes the third in the party determines what route I will take.

We had a dinner for three the other week, and being a cold, windy day, I decided to make soup.  In my opinion, soup lends itself to vegetarianism quite nicely, as it can be made hearty with the addition of legumes, root vegetables, or pasta.  For this soup I chose lentils.  Not only are they filling, but they need less prep time than most dried beans.

This soup was a great way to warm us all with little effort.

Lentil Soup

1 cup lentils
water
1 Tb. olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1/2 cup red wine
6 oz. tomato paste
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 Tb. dried basil

Place lentils in a medium-sized stockpot, cover with water, and allow to sit for one hour.  Drain and set lentils aside.

Heat olive oil in same pot over medium heat.  Add onion and cook for 5 minutes or until translucent.  Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.  Add stock, 2 cups water, wine, tomato paste, carrots, celery, basil, and lentils.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 1 hour.

Since its opening in November 2011, I have dined there on two different occasions.  The first was a business lunch, which gave me a small glimpse into the workings of 36 deLux.  The second was a leisurely dinner with my husband that gave me the ability to experience more of what the restaurant has to offer.

Meeting the other members of my lunch group, the ten of us were seated at a large table.  Our drink orders were taken, and several bread baskets were provided.  As noted in a previous article, Richard’s Bistro had one of the best bread baskets in New Hampshire.  I eagerly peeked inside the basket and discovered that the bread appeared to be the same.  I took a piece of focaccia, topped it with some sweet butter, and took my first bite.  Immediately I recognized that not only did the bread look the same, it tasted the same: tender and flavorful.

For my entrée, I ordered  my go-to meal, Caesar Salad with Chicken.  The 36 deLux version of the salad did not disappoint.  A decent portion of chopped romaine was topped with perfectly grilled chicken.  Also adorning the salad were parmesan shavings and delicious croutons.  Normally, croutons are a garnish for me: something pretty to look at but not worth eating.  These croutons were unique; made of polenta they had a crunchy coating and a soft middle.  They added a nice dimension to the salad.

After the enjoyable lunch, my husband and I decided to spend a Saturday evening there.  We arrived at 7:30 to a restaurant that was nearly full.  As we didn’t have reservations, we were grateful that we were able to be seated promptly.  Our waitress provided menus and water, and we began reviewing all of our options.

After ordering our appetizer, the waitress delivered our wine and our bread basket.  As I had been anticipating this evening out, I had made sure that I would have an appetite that allowed me to sample a little bit of everything, especially the bread basket.  Usually I like the focaccia the best, but on this evening it seemed to be lacking something in its flavor.  My favorite bread was their roll that contained dill.

We started our ordering with Foie Gras a la “deLux”.  This evening’s presentation was a country style foie gras served with a Nutella sauce and cole slaw.  While my husband adores foie gras, I typically find it to be less exciting.  Knowing that there would be the fabulous bread basket, I figured I wouldn’t eat much of the appetizer.  Was I mistaken.  The foie gras was creamy and delivered excellent flavor.  While I do not enjoy chocolate very much, the Nutella did provide a nice contrast to the foie gras.

My husband ordered the Duck in a Jar as his entrée.  As their menu explains, it is an interesting combination of “carrots, pearl onions, foie gras, duck confit, and goat cheese crusted bread”.  Delivered in the jar and then poured into a bowl, it makes for a fun presentation.  My husband enjoyed the variety of ingredients and the delicious sauce.  Both the goat cheese crusted bread and our basket bread were put to use absorbing every drop of sauce.

I chose an item from the specials menu for my dinner, Pomegranate Braised Lamb Shanks.  The only disappointment to this dish was that the pomegranate was unnoticeable in the dish.  However, the lamb was amazingly tender and flavorful in its own right.  Served with goat cheese polenta, brussel sprouts, roasted corn, and apples, it was a wonderful meal: a delightful combination of flavors and textures that thoroughly pleased my palate.

Although at this point both of us were quite content, we do what we always do.  Sigh, and then peruse the dessert menu.  If we are going to indulge on a night of dining, then it should include a sweet ending.  We ordered the Warm Toffee Pudding, which was served with banana rum sauce and crème anglaise.  This is the perfect dessert for a cold winter night.  The combination of the warm, moist pudding and sweet, creamy sauces provide a delightful combination of heat and happiness.

In addition to the pudding, we also ordered two Coconut Macadamia Nut Balls.  These little orbs of sweetness were amazing.  They delivered a sugary ending to the meal with fabulous balance.  Yes, they were sweet but being a smaller dessert, it was the perfect amount of sweetness.

At both meals, I received excellent service.  The waitstaff is mindful of refilling water and wine glasses and insuring that the diners are pleased throughout the meal.  Even on a busy Saturday night, there was neither a delay of service nor a rush to have us finish our meal.  36 deLux lives up to its name, it truly is a deluxe dining experience.

This recipe is sure to appeal to those who prefer vanilla.  The use of soy milk should be helpful to those who avoid dairy products due to allergies.  Plus, as Chef English notes, “Soy milk has never tasted as good as it does in this version of Panna Cotta.  The creamy texture of the soy milk is complimented by the bright, clean flavor of the blackberries.”

Soy Milk Panna Cotta with Crushed Blackberries

Chef Todd English, author of Cooking in Everyday English: The ABCs of Great Flavor at Home

1 vanilla bean, split
1 Tb. unflavored gelatin
2 cups unsweetened soy milk
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 cups plain soy yogurt
1 pint fresh blackberries
2 Tbsp.  sugar

Garnish: crushed amaretti cookies

Scrape seeds from vanilla bean.  Stir together gelatin and ¼ cup water in a small bowl.  Bring milk, ½ cup sugar, ¾ tsp. salt, and vanilla bean and seeds to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium.  Whisk in gelatin mixture until well blended.  Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and cook 1 minute.  Remove from heat, and discard vanilla bean.  Stir in yogurt until blended.  Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl; discard solids.  Divide mixture among 6 (6 oz.) ramekins.  Cover and chill 3 hours or until set.

Stir together blackberries, 2 Tbsp. sugar, and remaining ¼ tsp. salt in a bowl.  Gently crush blackberries against sides of bowl until berries release their juices, using a fork.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Cook berry mixture in a small skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until liquid begins to thicken.  Let cool 5 minutes.

Hold each ramekin in warm water 5 seconds; invert onto serving plates.  Top with blackberry sauce.  Garnish, if desired.  6 servings.

I’ve been using cake flour for pasta dough lately, but it always seems to come out too sticky. Is it something to do with the wet weather we’ve been having, or should I go back to all-purpose flour?

Wet weather will somewhat influence how much moisture flour will absorb, but that’s not the problem here. Trying to substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour is the culprit, no question.

The first thing you’ll notice when substituting cake flour for all-purpose is how much less liquid it absorbs. If you use the amount your recipe usually calls for, you’ll be surprised to find that rather than dough, you’ve created something more like thick, sludgy soup. There are also other less-readily noticeable differences.

Wheat consists of protein, fat and carbohydrates, and is described as either hard or soft, depending on its protein content. The protein is what concerns us here. The proteins in flour, glutenin and gliaden, together form gluten when combined with liquid and mechanical action like mixing or kneading. Gluten is what gives strength and structure to baked goods like breads, pastry or cake, and to pasta.

Since the average consumer doesn’t consider the protein content of flour, millers usually describe their product by its properties, i.e., cake, pastry, all-purpose or bread flour. There’s even self-raising flour, which should be self-explanatory – it has leavening ingredients added, and is used for biscuits, quick breads, and cookies.

Bread dough needs a lot of structure to contain the carbon dioxide given off by fermenting yeast so it rises properly, and pastry and cake need enough to hold their shape but not so much that they’re tough. Pasta needs to be strong enough to roll out without breaking.

It follows, then, that bread flour is highest in protein at 12 to 14%. Cake flour is the lowest in protein at 6 to 8%. In addition to being lowest in protein, cake flour is also specially bleached to increase its ability to hold sugar and water, which makes for a tender product. (This bleaching process is not the same as the one that’s meant when a flour is referred to as “bleached” or “unbleached.”) All-purpose is somewhere in the middle at 10 to 12% protein.

In Italy, 00, or doppio zero, flour is used for pasta making. It’s a soft flour, not because it’s low in protein, but because of how finely it’s milled and how much of the germ and bran have been removed. Its protein content can vary, depending on what it’s used for, just like flours here. Some people seek it out for pasta-making. But Marcella Hazan, the generally acknowledged doyenne of Italian cooking in the US, finds unbleached all-purpose flour is easy to work with and produces pasta which is “plump and has marvelous texture and fragrance.” Going back to all-purpose flour for your pasta should resolve your problems.

Yes, chips would have been the quick answer, but I was hoping for something healthier.  I also knew that our fruit bin was filled with apples.  I haven’t consumed many servings of Waldorf Salad; the combination of mayonnaise and apples never seemed that appealing to me.  However, it is a classic recipe that is familiar to me and provided me with the basic idea for this salad.  I switched the mayonnaise for yogurt and added a few splashes of flavor, and we had a salad that pleased all of us.

Waldorf Salad Revisited

3 apples, cored & chopped
1 tsp. lemon juice
3 celery stalks, chopped
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 Tb. maple syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon

Toss apple with lemon juice in a large bowl.  Add celery and walnut, and toss to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, maple syrup, and cinnamon.  Pour dressing on apple mixture and stir.  Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.