Cardamom-Scented Truffles for Valentine’s Day

With Valentine’s Day approaching, I’m excited to share some chocolate truffles with you. While eating chocolate is an almost daily experience in our house, this chocolate-inspired holiday calls for some extra indulgence and these rich, dark, silky truffles provide just that.

Truffles elevate any occasion and add an elegant touch of sweetness. Happily, they are quite easy to make, with only a few ingredients and a dusting of cocoa powder.

I usually prefer pure dark chocolate truffles with a whiff of vanilla, and you can easily tailor them to your taste just by adding a touch of bourbon, rum or your favorite liqueur.

Lately, though, I’ve discovered the joys of bitters. Scrappy’s Bitters, crafted here in Seattle, have a tempting selection of flavors. They enhance glasses of seltzer and make wonderful cocktails (we recently made this delightful one with grapefruit bitters).

My newest favorite is their cardamom. I’ve been adding a dash or two to my coffee, and just made a marvelous hot toddy with ginger tea, honey, bourbon and a few drops of cardamom bitters. So as I was making these truffles, I reached for that bottle of bitters sitting on the counter.

I didn’t want the cardamom to overwhelm, and with bitters a little bit goes a long way. A couple of dashes scented the truffles with a warm spice and blended beautifully with the homemade bourbon vanilla that was already mixed into the glossy bowl of melted chocolate and cream. After chilling in the fridge, I rolled small scoops in raw cacao powder to finish them.

Not too sweet and extremely rich, with hints of cardamom and vanilla, these truffles are divine and handmade with love. They have a rustic, charming appeal and are a luscious sweet to savor while snuggling with your Valentine.

Cardamom-Scented Truffles
Makes 28

1/2 pound dark, good quality chocolate (I use 70-85 % cocoa content)
1/2 cup organic heavy cream
1 tablespoon homemade bourbon vanilla (or store-bought vanilla)
2 – 4 dashes cardamom bitters, depending upon your preference for cardamom flavor (taste and see as you go)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder

Chop the chocolate and set aside in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Watch it closely to make sure it doesn’t boil over or scorch. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and gently stir to melt the chocolate. Keep stirring until it is smooth and glossy. Add vanilla extract and bitters and mix in. Cover the bowl and pop in the fridge to chill until firm, about 2 hours (can make ahead and chilled overnight).

Sift the cocoa powder onto a sheet of parchment paper. Remove the truffle mix from the fridge. Using a teaspoon or very small cookie scoop, drop rounded scoops of the truffles onto the cocoa powder. Roll each truffle until it is well coated in the cocoa powder. Store the truffles in a covered container in the fridge where they will keep for 2 weeks.

Burmese-Inspired Eggs with Rice for Breakfast

I have to share with you what I’ve been eating lately for breakfast. Most days, I wake up eager to get into the kitchen (of course, pouring a big cup of coffee may be part of this, too) where I usually have a list of what I’d like to cook, what I need to prep for dinner or a new recipe idea to play with ... but breakfast takes priority before I dive in.

With early morning light softly coming through the window (yes, our pitch-black mornings are beginning to brighten!), I sip my coffee and think about what to cook up. I like to start the day with protein and prefer savory breakfasts with eggs. As much as I adore pancakes, if I make a batch I always have to have an egg alongside. Now that our backyard hens are laying again after the dark winter days, I am happily collecting eggs and admiring their bright, sunny yolks.

This past December, I had Naomi Duguid’s beautiful book, Burma, on loan from the library and did quite a bit of cooking from it. I’ve since added it to my wish-list since it is a marvelous collection of stories, history and very delicious dishes (a new favorite is Golden Egg Curry). In addition to chopping and frying lots and lots of shallots, I fell in love with the combination of fish sauce and lime juice that is the foundation for many of the meals.

A bowl of leftover brown rice inspired me recently to think about a change from my usual eggs-on-toast-with-avocado. With fish sauce and lime juice still on my mind, it wasn’t long before I was chopping green onions, chiles, and, of course, shallots to whip up a fine breakfast. I find that if I keep little bowls of diced onion, ginger, garlic or some leftover veggies in the fridge, then this is indeed quick to prepare. But keep it simple, it’s first thing in the morning after all.

The rice is warmed in a bit of coconut oil with shallots and chiles, then doused in fish sauce and lime juice. A fried egg, sunny-side up, tops it off with a sprinkling of green onions. The salty, sour flavors awaken your taste buds while the creamy egg yolk coats the rice lusciously. A satisfying, energizing breakfast, and best of all, only one skillet!

Burmese-Inspired Eggs with Rice
Serves 1 (easily doubles)

1 teaspoon coconut oil (or more if needed)
2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon red chile, finely chopped
1 cup cooked brown rice (either short or long grain)
1 tablespoon fish sauce, or more to taste (preferably Red Boat Fish Sauce, an amazing all-natural, quality sauce)
1/2 lime
1 egg
Green onions, chopped for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Warm the coconut oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and red chile and sauté for a few minutes, until soft. Add the rice and stir to warm the rice and mix in the shallots and chile.  Add the fish sauce and squeeze the lime over the rice and stir. Taste to see if you like the salty-sour balance and add more of either. Scoop the rice into a small bowl.

If needed, add a bit more of coconut oil to the skillet and warm. Crack the egg in and fry sunny-side up or however you prefer. Slip the egg out of the skillet onto the rice, scatter with some green onions and salt and pepper to taste. Pour another cup of coffee and enjoy!

Kumquat Vanilla Bean Marmalade

Citrus season abounds. I can’t seem to buy fruit quickly enough around here! We are eating oranges and satsumas and tangerines every day – I even ate a Meyer lemon when a craving for citrus hit and the fruit bowl was empty. Citrus’ bright flavor is a burst of sunshine during these winter months and just what we need to tide us over until the first whispers of spring arrive.

With lemons, limes and oranges spilling over at the markets, I decided to revisit marmalade. I have not been a real fan of marmalade in the past ... eating peels never really grabbed me. But I do like kumquats and happily eat them sliced, peel and all, in salads. Having never cooked with them before, I began to wonder if they would open me up to marmalade?

Kumquats are pretty adorable.  Tiny and cheery in appearance, they have a thinner, sweeter skin that is much more appealing for me to eat. Perfect for marmalade! As thoughts of marmalade evolved, I knew I wanted to include some other flavors to round out the tartness of the kumquats. My brother and his family are living in Vietnam and sent us some plump vanilla beans and fragrant cinnamon sticks over the holidays. Adding the warm, cozy flavors of vanilla and cinnamon sounded just marvelous and I headed to the kitchen.

The pot of marmalade bubbled away on the stove and the scent was intoxicating. After cooling a bit, I gave it a taste. Flecked with specks of vanilla bean and a hint of cinnamon, citrusy and sweet from a bit of honey – yes, I had found my marmalade!

I was inspired further and decided to bake with the kumquat marmalade. I chose the barley flour scones from Kim Boyce’s Good to the Grain, where the marmalade is baked in the center. They emerged tender and buttery from the oven, with bits of kumquat peeking out.  Let me tell you, nothing cheers a dark winter afternoon like a marmalade-filled scone and a cup of tea!

Kumquat Vanilla Bean Marmalade
Makes 1 cup

12 ounces kumquats, thinly sliced, seeds removed
2 cinnamon sticks
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out and pod reserved
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups water

In a medium sized sauce pan, combine all the ingredients (including the reserved vanilla pod) over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Give a stir, partially cover the pan, lower the heat and let simmer until very soft, about 45 minutes. Uncover and cook for about 10 minutes more to thicken a bit, stirring to prevent sticking or burning.

Remove from the heat and let cool. Take the vanilla bean and cinnamon sticks out and spoon the marmalade into a clean jar. Cover and pop into the fridge (it will thicken further as it chills). The marmalade will keep for a month in the fridge.

“Award Winning” Beef Chili

We like football in our family. My son, Sam, is an especially avid, loyal Seahawks fan and you can imagine how happy we’d all be if the Seahawks were in this year’s Super Bowl! Sigh, it was an exciting season, but it was not meant to be. Let’s hope for next year! So, on Super Bowl Sunday, we will be gathered around to watch the Ravens and 49ers play and will, of course, need to eat.

My Super Bowl menu has evolved over the years to include deviled eggs, spicy Korean chicken wings, nachos (this year I’m making this Nacho Cheese Sauce) and our family chili – a thick, hearty bowl of simple beef, no beans. While I love veggie bean chili, sometimes the richness of beef is called for and that’s when I make this one.

Back in the late ‘90s, Bob entered his company-hosted chili cook-off. He and his buddy got together to create the ultimate meat chili. They wanted it to be pure beef. With beer. And spice and heat. But no beans. Now, I’m not kidding, this chili really is award winning! Judges came from CASI for the chili cook-off to taste and judge, and this chili won first prize for the meat category! I really wish I had a photo to share with you from the event, but this was back in my toddler-and-baby-days, and remembering a camera as we hustled out the door just didn’t happen. But what a thrill!

This hearty chili recipe is now part of our family repertoire, and the only tinker we’ve made is to add tomatoes ... we just really like tomatoes in our chili. Oh, and I decreased the amount of beer scrawled in the original recipe (or maybe that was the amount the guys consumed while cooking the chili?).

Making the chili couldn’t be easier as it’s done in the slow cooker. You could brown the meat and onions first in a frying pan if you’d like, but I prefer the ease of tossing everything into the crock pot, giving it a stir and leaving it to simmer all day. Fragrant spices, onions, garlic, chiles and tomatoes cook slowly with the beef, and it’s heavenly to come home to a house filled with the mouthwatering scent of chili. The beef becomes meltingly tender, and I use a couple of forks to shred and break up about half of the meat for a variety of textures. After scooping out a bowl of chili, be sure to have a toppings bar ready with green onions, corn chips, olives, avocadoes, sliced jalapenos and tomatoes. I like to add a squeeze of fresh lime to mine, too.

Robust, with a nice buzz of spice and loads of flavor, this is one to settle back and enjoy on Super Bowl Sunday!

Award Winning Beef Chili
Serves 6-8

4 pounds beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 onion, diced
8 cloves garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons chili powder (I use a medium spiced one from Penzey’s)
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 fresh jalapenos, sliced in half lengthwise with seeds (increase or decrease to your taste)
12 ounces dark beer
14 ounces diced tomatoes, with juice
6 ounces tomato paste

Optional toppings
Corn chips
Green onions
Black olives
Diced tomatoes
Diced avocadoes
Sliced jalapenos
Lime wedges

Pull out your slow cooker. Add the beef, onion, garlic and spices and stir to coat. Add the jalapeno (s), beer, tomatoes and paste and stir gently to mix. Pop the lid on, set the cooker on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours and walk away.

When ready to serve, use 2 forks to shred and carefully break up about half the chunks of meat (the beef will be so soft it will be easy to do).  Serve the chili in bowls with toppings of your choice and enjoy!

Braised Eggs with Lamb, Tahini and Sumac: Tasting Jerusalem

I’ve embarked on a culinary adventure. This is a new journey, one where I am cooking virtually with a community that shares a love for trying unique flavors and exploring a cookbook in depth. I couldn’t be happier! The inspiration for this group comes from two friends, Beth Lee of OMGYummy and Sarene Wallace. We are cooking from Jerusalem, the treasure of recipes created by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. Each month, we’ll focus on a spice and some selected recipes, and share our experiences and what we’re learning as we cook.

To kick off this first month, we’ve been cooking with sumac, a deeply red spice that is prevalent in Middle Eastern cooking and brightens dishes with its rather tart, lemony zip. It is sprinkled on top of Kohlrabi Salad, which was the first recipe I made from the book. Now, I’ve only bought kohlrabi once before and normally I would have paused over this recipe and then moved on to another since this is not a vegetable in my usual repertoire. Am I ever glad I made it! Before peeling and chopping the kohlrabi, I made sure to show the purple bulbs to my sons (to deepen their veggie education!). Its texture is crisp, like an apple, and when combined with refreshing mint, peppery watercress and a creamy dressing of yogurt, sour cream, mascarpone and sumac, it is dazzling.

I am continually drawn to the ends of cookbooks now, where the condiment recipes are usually stashed. Condiments and other such fundamental recipes are the building blocks of so many dishes. If you have good quality sauces and such on hand, it’s a snap to put together a delicious meal in no time or add a bit of flourish. Jerusalem does not disappoint! In order to prepare the Braised Eggs with Lamb, Tahini and Sumac, I saw I would need preserved lemons and harissa. Yes! Preserved lemons take some time (about 5 weeks), so I quickly salted some lemons and started the process.

But in the meantime, I still wanted to make this lamb recipe. So I also happily pickled some lemons overnight with red chile, salt, garlic and other spices. I’m finding lots of ways to use these lemons (tuna salad!) and I’ll be making them again and again.

And then there is harissa ... this one’s a winner. Red peppers and chiles, coriander, cumin and caraway toasted and ground, garlic and lemon - harissa has it all and pops with taste. I made a double batch knowing we’d fall in love with it, and next time I’ll be tripling it.

With the condiments prepared, the Braised Eggs with Lamb comes together quickly. Ground lamb, onions and garlic are sautéed and seasoned with sumac and cumin, then harissa and pickled lemons add a punch of flavor - a little tart, a little spicy. Braising the eggs in this mixture reminded me a bit of cooking eggs in tomatoes and peppers for shakshuka (another incredible dish). Charred tomatoes and more sumac top off the dish beautifully. There were many happy sighs as we ate dinner that night! If you’d like to make Braised Eggs with Lamb the recipe can be found here.

It is such a pleasure to learn, share and discover together. I can’t wait for next month!

If you’d like to join us in cooking or follow along, please do! Tasting Jerusalem is a virtual cooking community exploring the vibrant flavors and cuisine of the Middle East through the lens of Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Ottolenghi and Tamimi published by Ten Speed Press. You can follow along and cook with us by subscribing to omgyummy.com, following the hashtag #TastingJrslm on Twitter and Instagram, and liking our Facebook page.

Barley Fruit Salad for Tu B’Shevat

While it’s too early for buds to be appearing here, in Israel the fruit trees are beginning to awaken from their winter slumber. This time of season signifies the arrival of Tu B’Shevat (the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat), the agricultural holiday marking a new year for trees. I just love this celebration of nature and recognizing the trees’ cycle of life. In Israel, the festival has evolved to include planting new trees, as well.

On this day, it’s traditional to eat foods made from fruit and nuts, especially the seven species of Israel - olives, dates, wheat, barley, pomegranates, grapes and figs. With this in mind, I wanted to create a salad that highlights these traditional species. I started with barley. Barley is a rather quiet grain and doesn’t get a lot of fanfare, other than in mushroom barley soup.  I appreciate barley’s chewy texture and earthy flavor and I thought it would shine in a salad.

Roasted grapes are unbelievably good. While I am not really a grape fan, I’ll happily eat a pan of these. The heat transforms the grapes and a flavor emerges that is much more interesting to me. A simple drizzle of olive oil and quick roast softens the grapes and releases their juices, which mix with the oil and create the dressing for this salad.

Tart, crunchy pomegranate arils and sweet dates and figs add texture and color, while fresh mint and lemon zest bring a bright finish to the salad. This one is bursting with flavor! And it provides a nice balance to the heavy stews we are still eating during our chilly, damp season. We can savor this salad and dream about warm sunshine and flowering trees ... soon enough.

Tu B’Shevat Barley Fruit Salad
Serves 4

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup barley, rinsed
2 cups water
2 cups red grapes, stems removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup pomegranate arils
1 cup dates, pitted and roughly chopped (I used deglet noor dates)
1 cup dried figs, stems removed and quartered
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

In a medium sized sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the barley. Stir to coat with butter and sauté until the grains are toasted and a bit browned, about 3 minutes. Pour in the 2 cups of water, raise the heat and bring to a boil. Give the barley a stir, cover, lower the heat and simmer until the barley is soft but still has a bit of a chewy bite, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside, uncovered.

While the barley is cooking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet and add the grapes. Roll the grapes around to coat them in the oil. Roast the grapes for about 15 minutes, until they are soft and sweet and release their juices. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a serving bowl, scoop the barley in and gently stir in the lemon zest and salt. Add the pomegranate arils, dates and figs. Scrape the roasted grapes and collected juices/olive oil into the bowl and gently mix together. Scatter the mint leaves over the salad and fold them in.

This salad can be made a few hours ahead. Cover and let sit at room temperature until ready to eat.

Chocolate Espresso Soufflés with Homemade Crème Fraiche

Little pots of soft, warm chocolate are just right to end an elegant dinner. Or for that matter, a casual, simple meal of soup and salad. No need to wait for a festive party before making Chocolate Soufflés!

I have been making these little soufflés for years. Their pure, deep dark chocolate taste appeals to me, particularly the way it is intensified by the addition of unsweetened chocolate and espresso powder. I often add a bit of espresso powder to chocolate desserts as it complements the chocolate flavor beautifully without overpowering.

Recently, I made homemade crème fraiche for the first time and am shaking my head that I didn’t do this sooner. A bit of yogurt stirred into heavy cream turned it thick, rich, tangy and decadent overnight – what a smile I had in the morning! So easy and delicious, and a dollop adds just the right finishing touch to chocolate soufflé.

The soufflés can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge or freezer. When ready to bake, just pop them into the oven.  The soufflés emerge puffed and pretty from the oven and ready to serve.

Dip your spoon in and watch the little bursts of steam escape from the soufflé and the crème fraiche melt into the luscious chocolate. Savor the light, airy texture of the soufflés together with the rich cream – it is pure heaven and creates a special occasion, whether for a dinner party or weeknight supper.

Chocolate Espresso Soufflés
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Serves 8

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
8 ounces dark chocolate (I use 85%), roughly chopped
1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5 tablespoons sugar, divided
4 eggs, separated and room temperature
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Crème fraiche for serving (recipe follows)

Butter 8 ramekins and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour. Stir to mix. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove pan from the heat. Add the dark and unsweetened chocolates, espresso powder, vanilla and 3 tablespoons sugar. Whisk until it is melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature. You can keep the chocolate mixture in the saucepan.

Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture. With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and salt in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Slowly add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until glossy (do not over mix, though – no lumps). Fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining whites very gently. Divide the soufflé mixture between the 8 ramekins.

At this point, you can cover the ramekins and either freeze for 2 weeks or pop in the fridge for a couple of days.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the soufflés on the rimmed baking sheet until puffed and centers begin to crack, about 17 minutes for fresh or chilled soufflés or 22 minutes for frozen.

Serve immediately with crème fraiche.

Homemade Crème Fraiche
Makes 1 cup

1 cup organic heavy cream
2 tablespoons plain whole milk yogurt or buttermilk (I use yogurt)

Stir the cream and yogurt or buttermilk together in a bowl. Cover and let sit out on your kitchen counter for 12-24 hours until it reaches desired consistency. This will depend upon how warm your kitchen is – the warmer it is, the quicker it will thicken. Store it in your fridge and start dolloping. It will keep for a few weeks.