COGNAC TRUFFLES: 3 Recipes for National Cognac Day!

Today is National Cognac Day! Cognac is a brandy that comes from the Cognac region in France. Distilled for a long time, it's this aging process that gives Cognac its very distinctive taste. Only brandy that is produced in Cognac can be labeled Cognac. 

Cognac goes so well with Chocolate, especially in Cognac Truffles. I always opt for easy truffle recipes. I've posted two of these great recipes in the past, but I've added a third which includes orange zest! The second recipe includes raw eggs (although they heat up a bit in the chocolate), so if that's a problem for you, make the first or third recipe. I have tried many different types of chocolate (brands and amounts of cacao), and as always the flavors will change with the chocolate. These recipes are basically ganache truffles, so no tempering needed. You can roll them in cocoa or chopped nuts.

1. COGNAC TRUFFLES

Ingredients
8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp Cognac
unsweetened cocoa or chopped nuts

Directions
Put chopped chocolate in bowl. On low heat warm cream and butter until nearly boiling. Pour cream and butter over chocolate and mix gently and thoroughly until chocolate is melted. You can always just melt all ingredients together in the top of a double boiler, if you're careful.
Cool and add cognac, mixing into chocolate mixture.
Cover and refrigerate 3 hours or more.
Using a melon baller or spoon, scoop chocolate into balls. Then roll in hands to smooth out the ball.
Roll balls in cocoa or nuts and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2. COGNAC TRUFFLES

Ingredients
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1-1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
2 Tbsp cognac
cocoa or chopped nuts

Directions
Melt chocolate.
Combine sugar and butter in bowl then cream together.
Add egg yolks 1 at a time then stir in melted chocolate and cognac.
Chill mixture at least one hour then scoop out and form into balls.
Roll in coating of your choice and dry for 1 hour.

3. COGNAC TRUFFLES

Ingredients 
6 ounces DARK chocolate, chopped
3 ounces heavy cream
1 Tbsp cognac
1-1/2 Tbsp grated orange zest
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions
Bring cream to simmer in saucepan over medium-high heat. Set aside. Add chocolate and stir until smooth. Add cognac and orange zest and stir well. Cover and chill it refrigerator for 4 hours until stiff.
With scoop or teaspoon, make small balls.
Put cocoa powder in bowl and roll truffles in it.
Chill for half an hour and serve.

No time to make these today? Coco Delice has great Cognac Truffles!

ROCKY ROAD BROWNIES: Retro Ad & Recipe

Yesterday was Rocky Road Day, and I posted a recipe for Rocky Road Truffles. Here's a 1971  Diamond Walnuts Retro Ad & Recipe for Rocky Road Brownies. The recipe is really for transforming your favorite brownies into Rocky Road Bars with a thick Rocky Road frosting. So make a batch of brownies either from a box or from scratch and follow these directions.

ROCKY ROAD BROWNIES

Ingredients
9-inch square pan of brownies
1 ounce square unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons soft butter
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup coarsely-chopped walnuts

Directions
Prepare brownies from your own recipe or a mix. Melt chocolate. Combine with soft butter, powdered sugar and milk; beat smooth. Spread over top of cooled brownies. Sprinkle with marshmallows and walnuts. With small spatula, swirl frosting around marshmallows and walnuts. Let frosting set before cutting.

ROCKY ROAD TRUFFLES: National Rocky Road Ice Cream Day!

Today is Rocky Road Ice Cream Day! I'm a huge fan of Rocky Road Ice Cream, and I've posted recipes for Rocky Road Ice Cream Pie, Rocky Road Ice Cream Sandwiches and more. But for today's holiday I thought I'd post this fun recipe for Rocky Road Truffles the appeared on the California Walnuts site. It's always good to check out food association sites for ideas and recipes.

I can never have too many truffle recipes. This recipe was created by Emily Luchetti, pastry chef at two of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco -- Farallon and Waterbar. She also has several excellent cookbooks. This is an easy recipe. If you're a purist, you can always have some Rocky Road Ice Cream to celebrate the day!

Rocky Road Ice Cream, by the way, was 'invented' in Oakland,  CA, which makes it pretty special to me, since I live in the Oakland/Berkeley area. One story goes that the Rocky Road ice cream flavor was created in March 1929 by William Dreyer in Oakland, CA. He cut up walnuts and marshmallows with his wife's sewing scissors and added them to his chocolate ice cream that reflected his partner Joseph Edy's chocolate candy that used walnuts and marshmallow pieces. Later the walnuts were replaced by toasted almonds. Fenton's Creamery in Oakland claims that William Dreyer based his recipe on a Rocky-Road style ice cream flavor invented by his friend, Fentons' George Farren, who blended his own Rocky Road-style candy bar into ice cream.  So however it came into existence, be sure and have a scoop of Rocky Road Ice Cream... or make some Rocky Road Truffles.

ROCKY ROAD TRUFFLES

Ingredients
6 Tbsp heavy cream
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup mini marshmallows cut in half (use scissors it’s much easier)
1/2 cup walnuts cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1/2 cup milk chocolate chip or 1/4 inch pieces
1/3 cup cocoa powder

Directions
Warm cream in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until hot and bubbling around edges, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate. Swirl pan lightly so chocolate is covered by cream. Cover and let sit 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Whisk occasionally until room temperature. Stir in marshmallows, walnuts and milk chocolate chips.

Spread chocolate cream in 9-inch pan or pie plate. Refrigerate until hard, at least 1 hour.

Form chocolate into balls using heaping teaspoon for each, placing them in single layer on pan.

Refrigerate until hard.

Place cocoa powder on plate or in small bowl. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

One at time, place chocolate balls in cocoa powder. Dust palms with cocoa powder and lightly roll the truffles between your palms until round. (The cocoa powder keeps them from sticking to your hands.) Roll in cocoa powder.

(If at any point the chocolate gets too warm and the truffles become difficult to roll, refrigerate the chocolate for 30 minutes until it firms up.)

BANANA NUTELLA BUNDT CAKE: National Hazelnut Cake Day

Are you getting tired of banana bread? Still have lots of bananas to use up? Well then you're in luck. Today is National Hazelnut Cake Day, and Banana Nutella Bundt Cake is the perfect cake to use up those black bananas and celebrate the day! 

Nutella is an amazing chocolate hazelnut spread. It's great on just about anything. You should have it in your pantry.

BANANA NUTELLA BUNDT CAKE

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 medium (or 3 large) over-ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans (optional)
1 cup Nutella, divided
powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spray bundt cake pan with cooking spray. In large bowl, whisk together banana, sugar, brown sugar. Beat in egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour, baking soda, and baking powder, until there are no lumps. Fold in pecans.
Fill pan with half batter. Add 2/3 of the Nutella, trying not to let it come in contact with pan. Add rest of batter on top, covering all the Nutella.
Bake 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and flip onto dish. T
Dust with powdered sugar.