February, 2018 | Brit In The South

Valentine’s Day may be upon us but it isn’t too late to make some handmade chocolates for your loved one.

This is a variation on a basic water ganache recipe from Paul. A. Young, one of Britain’s best chocolate makers. No visit to London is complete without popping into one of his shops. His book, “Adventures With Chocolate” is a great resource for anyone wanting to dabble in chocolate making and he has a handful of handy chocolate making videos on his YouTube channel.

Water ganache is made with just three ingredients: chocolate, sugar and water, so is dairy free, and you can tweak the liquid to your heart’s content, so instead of water you can experiment with wine or beer or whisky or in this case, coffee. I used one of my favourite blends from my local coffee shop.

You simply bring your liquid of choice plus the sugar to a simmer until the sugar is dissolved, pour it over chocolate and then stir until it is melted into a smooth ganache. To turn the ganache into truffles you simply chill it and roll it into balls. In this case I finished the truffles by rolling them in cocoa powder, or you can get fancy and roll them in chopped nuts, coconut, chocolate sprinkles…….the only limit is your imagination.

They are pretty straightforward to make but the results not only look good but are smooth, intense and delicious.

Coffee Ganache Truffles

7oz dark chocolate (chopped into small pieces)

1.5oz dark muscovado sugar

1/3 cup strong black coffee

Put the chocolate pieces in a heatproof bowl.

Put the coffee and the sugar in a pan and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Pour the coffee and sugar mixture over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate has melted and the ganache is smooth.

Let the ganache cool for a few minutes and then place in the fridge for a couple of hours to set.

Use a teaspoon to scoop walnut sized pieces from the ganache and roll into balls.

Roll the truffles in cocoa powder to finish. Shake off excess powder using a sieve.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container.

This is a recipe with a Southern twist, inspired by a New York City restaurant dish that itself is based on a classic from Italy.

King is a bistro in the Soho area of Manhattan that serves simple comfort food influenced by the food of Italy and Southern France. Their recipe for “Chickpea Puree with Wilted Dandelion Greens” first appeared in the Wall Street Journal in February 2017.

A creamy warm puree of chickpeas topped with dandelion greens, which have been wilted and simply seasoned with salt, pepper and good olive oil, it is a comforting dish for the cold days of February. The New York restaurant version is based on a simple Italian dish known as “crema di ceci e cicoria”

Rather than chickpeas I turned in a Southern direction and tried a variation on the recipe with field peas. Field peas are plentiful and common in our corner of the south at the height of summer. Last year we saw plenty in our CSA box and cooked and froze a few bags ready to enjoy in the middle of winter.

Field peas thrive in the hot, humid Southern summers. They are a family of legumes that come in a variety of guises and go by a range of names from the well known black eye peas to crowder peas, cowpeas, pink eyed peas and lady cream peas.

Thawed from the freezer it didn’t take long to combine the field peas with some aromatics and turn them into a soft, warm puree which went perfectly with some simply cooked and seasoned greens. A truly comforting dish for a winter’s day.

Field Pea Puree with Wilted Kale

12oz cooked field peas (I thawed a bag that I had previously cooked and frozen)

1 sprig rosemary

8 small sage leaves

5-6 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the side of a knife

1 small potato, peeled and diced

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch kale (or greens of your choice)

Put the peas in a heavy bottomed pan and add water to cover. Add the rosemary, sage, garlic, potato and 1/2 cup of the olive oil.

Bring to a boil over medium high heat and then turn down to a simmer and cook until the potato is tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.

Remove the rosemary, sage leaves and garlic cloves.

In a food processor, puree the field peas and potato with the other 1/2 cup of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more oil or cooking water as desired to achieve a smooth consistency.

Meanwhile, take a bunch of greens (I used kale), and cook in salted water until tender. Once cooked, drain and then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Spoon the puree onto a plate, drizzle with a little more oil and serve with the greens on top.

Brit In The South

A Blog from the Deep South with a British Twist

Monthly Archives: February 2018

Coffee Ganache Truffles

Field Pea Puree with Wilted Kale