Friday, December 09, 2005

Weekend Cookbook Challenge




I took up the Weekend Cookbook Challenge from this lady gladly but had to ask if I could cheat and use my newest cookbook rather than my oldest as I had that day picked up a rather fine specimen from my local charity shop for the bargain price of £1.99. Simple Food is written by Jill Dupleix the cook for The Times and is full of .. well simple food really, simple but tasty!

I decided to make some chocolate truffles for the Christmas LETS Fair. Looking through the new book in my collection I found this great recipe which is an unusual one and one I have never tried before:

Chocolate Bourbon Balls

160g dark, bitter chocolate
125ml whipping cream
250g Italian sponge fingers
100g icing sugar
3tbsp cocoa powder
100g ground almonds
100g finely chopped walnuts
3tbsp bourbon or whisky
180g butter, melted
cocoa powder for dusting




Finely chop the chocolate. Heat the cream in a saucepan, stirring until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Add the chocolate and stir until melted.

Whiz the sponge fingers in a food processor, or crush with a rolling pin to fine crumbs.

Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Mix in the crumbs, ground almonds and chopped walnuts. Add the bourbon, chocolate cream and butter and mix well.




Take a walnut-sized pinch of the mixture and roll into a ball in your hands. If too wet, add a little more cocoa powder. If a little dry add more bourbon.

Place on a greaseproof paper on a tray, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours until firm. Roll each chocolate ball in cocoa powder to serve.





I found it easier to refrigerate the mixture in the bowl for 4 hours before rolling them. I placed them in little petit four cases and packaged them up in greaseproof bags for the fair.



They were delicious. I gained a pound! Pin It

7 comments:

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leon's life said...

I get comments like the top one sometimes. Normally you should be able to delete them. I think it sort auotmated junk mail...

The Bourbn Balls sound yummy, although I don't like alcohol ( I mean in chocolates)- I'd just need to have a bit on the side.

Tanya said...

Don't we all Pauline tee hee hee

Ziz said...

mmmm..those look and sound delicious. I've never had those either! So do they have primarily a chocolatey flavor? Bourbony flavor? They look gorgeous and well worth gaining a pound! :D

Thanks so much for participating Donna!! :D

Onyx said...

Wow, with all that decadence you're lucky it was only a pound!! LOL

I'll have to look for those heel grips. Thanks!!

Pirate said...

bourbon balls? they sound tasty.

lorna said...

mmmmmm....yummy! I think I'm going to have to squeeze in some time to make those next week. :o)