back to my roots

hand carved swiss flag bunting stamp

The annual elementary school international festival is coming up this weekend. That means I'm gearing up to use large quantities of cheese, chocolate and butter in honor of my swiss heritage....ahem.

I make cheese tarts (chaes chueche) and chocolate truffles and they're always a big hit; decadent and not too exotic for South Carolina taste buds.

The truffles are simple but classic, the recipe is adapted from my mom's old Betty Bossi cookbook.

here's how I make them: (I make a few batches for a crowd)

ingredients:

8oz semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1/2 cup  powdered sugar, sifted

1-2 Tbs Kirsch schnaps, strong coffee or Whiskey  

cocoa powder 

1. pour boiling water over chocolate pieces in a large, heatproof bowl. Poke with a knife to check softness (don't stir!!) and pour off water when chocolate is melted.
2. quickly stir in chunks of butter and stir until completely combined
3. sift in powdered sugar, add Kirsch or experiment with other flavors and let cool in refrigerator until firm.
4. use two teaspoons, or even better , this nifty gadget, which I've borrowed but always forget to order in time, to make balls, and roll in cocoa powder.
5. arrange in small baking cups to look fancy, keep cool

check back later this week if you want to see a picture of mine, I've got some illustration work to do first