Danger! Danger! Chocolate Alert!

Oh happy day!! It's Foodie Friday which means party time at Designs by Gollum! 

I could really use a party this week. A time to kick back, relax, and....zzzzzzzz....

Huh?? Oh, right.

Wake up Pattie.  


You can sleep AFTER the party. For now, grab a glass of wine (or some caffeine), sit back, and bring your appetite- Blogland's most talented foodies are ready to party!!

It's been a loooooong week here at Casa Bramasole and a long weekend of barbecue and sunshine is happily anticipated. My days start early

My office at 4 a.m....

I mean before 4 a.m. early

No human being should be up before 4 a.m.

Just sayin'.

My Nonno was always an early riser and summer mornings in Italy would find the 2 of us sitting out on the terrazzo watching the sun rise over the soccer stadium. Many times we would creep out for an early morning passegiatta down to the river

The buildings had a glow as the sun came up- they actually seemed to absorb the light and radiate it back out. This was a couple of blocks from my grandparents house.

There were 2 other things my Nonno and I had in common.

 One was a love of wonderful chocolate. 

Not just ANY chocolate. 

GOOD chocolate.

Creamy, dreamy, rich, chocolate.

The other thing was a strong love of country- Italy AND "America"

Nonno was so proud of the fact that his grandchildren were Americans. And his love of his own country was legendary- from his extraordinary pride in his only son who was an air force pilot to his refusal to salute Hitler during a ceremony before a soccer tournament in which he was playing (despite the fact that his teammates warned he was risking his life).

On this Memorial Day weekend I'll remember my Nonno. He would LOVE these truffles and he'd be talking about how grateful we should be for all those who have served and are now serving our country. God bless them all.

Now- be forewarned- this is a KILLER for chocolate lovers. It will cause swooning, fainting, palpitations, serious addiction, and major tightening of the waistband.

It's also a little tricky as it MUST be served immediately and is probably not a good choice for large crowds unless you don't mind a queue by your frying pan. The final product has a slightly cool, truffle-y, ganache-y consistency in the center and ooey, gooey, creamy melty chocolate outside surrounded by crusty, sweet, cinnamon-y, spicy breadcrumbs. 

Isn't that a professional description? 

Hmmm....well, I never claimed to be a writer. Just trust me- these are decadent!

Take note: these require good couverture chocolate. The supermarket stuff really won't work well. Trust me (though the trial and error DID require the consumption of huge quantities of chocolate- how bad can that be??) And don't make them too large- they're only in the hot oil for seconds.

Hot Chocolate Truffles

based on a recipe by Michel Richard

1 pound semi-sweet chocolate

1 cup hot heavy cream (brought to a low simmer)

Chop chocolate and place in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally till melted then remove from heat and stir in hot cream till combined and blended. Let set for 30-45 minutes to cool, then cover and refrigerate till completely cold

Using a small scoop, make small balls of ganache on a parchment lined cookie tray. Place in freezer for 90 minutes.

2 cups sifted flour

3 eggs beaten with a couple of tsps. of water and a good pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups fine fresh white breadcrumbs (put white bread in food processor) mixed with 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/3 cup cinnamon (trust me- this is not too much) and a pinch of cayenne

Lightly roll balls of ganache in flour- tap off excess; this is important- roll in egg, then roll in breadcrumb mixture. Use your hands to firmly pat crumbs on. Be sure to coat completely and well. Put balls back on a parchment lined baking tray and freeze again for at least 90 minutes (I've done this up to this point several hours ahead). Save the extra crumbs and roll truffles again just before frying. 

Heat 2 inches of canola oil in an electric skillet to 375 degrees. Doing only a couple of truffles at a time, lower into the hot oil for about 10-15 seconds to crust. Drain quickly on paper towels and serve immediately. 

Then swoon. 

You can thank me later :)

As Always,

Buon Cibo, Buon Amici,

Pattie and Allie