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Aliya LeeKong
  • Home
  • Blog
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    • Recipes
    • Spices + Ingredients
    • Lifestyle, etc.
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3-Ingredient Chocolate Truffles

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3-INGREDIENT CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

With Valentine's Day just a few days away, chocolate is on the brain.  Nothing says “I love you” more than a double decker box of chocolates…but making your own chocolate truffles is way simpler than most people think (and who doesn't prefer a handmade gift?). 

This is a super simple, 3-ingredient recipe to get you started to make decadent, silky, chocolate truffles.  Then, if you want, you can tailor to your preferences.  I'm including options for flavorings to add to the base or leave the recipe as is and just coat the truffles in a different ways (think cocoa powder, crushed pistachios, shredded coconut, etc…).  Enjoy!

Yields approximately 2 dozen truffles

12 ounces dark, semisweet or milk chocolate chips, roughly chopped (1 bag)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp salt

Place the chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl.  In a saucepan, bring the heavy cream and salt to a simmer, just enough to dissolve the salt and watch that it doesn't boil over.  Pour the cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for 5 minutes before stirring.  Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth (this is also the time to add any liquid ingredients for flavor).

Allow to cool at room temperature for an hour.  Using a teaspoon or a small cookie scoop, scoop the truffles onto parchment paper.  Place in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes to firm up a bit.  Roll in the palm of your hands to get them perfect (but quickly or they will start to melt!).  Roll them in whatever toppings you like and enjoy!

Mix-ins: 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons liqueur (coffee, rum, Grand Marnier, kirsch), 1 tablespoon orange blossom water, 1 tablespoon espresso, 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract

To Coat: cocoa powder (with or without cinnamon, cardamom, etc), sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut, crushed nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios), sprinkles, flake sea salt (just a pinch on top!)

 

 

tags: Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day gift, what to give for Valentine's day, chocolate, chocolate recipes, chocolate desserts, chocolate truffles
categories: all 3, blog, desserts, holiday, lifestyle-1, quick & easy, recipes
Friday 02.12.16
Posted by Aliya LeeKong
 

Link Love: Valentine's Day

LINK LOVE: VALENTINE'S DAY

 

Valentine's Day is fast-approaching, and I thought I would share with you guys some thoughts, food and gift ideas and even stories for the big day.

 

Here is, by far,  the best chocolate gift roundup I've seen including ones "for the bae in training" and "for the lover of surprises."  - Tasting Table

The only thing missing from this collection are the chocolate-covered potato chips from Royce.

 

For those of you not yet at the chocolate gift stage, you can say it with a card, and who better to say it for you than Drake.  Love this! - Refinery29.

 

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Check out this perfect Valentine's Day dinner menu complete with shopping list and detailed how-to (who doesn't love spaghetti carbonara?!?), but I must say I would much prefer, at the end of the meal, this other recipe for "Chocolate Pudding You Can Serve Naked." - Food52

 

If a big dinner isn't your thing, I love the idea of staying in bed all day and making french toast.  Here are seven splurge-worthy recipes to choose from. - Food & Wine

 

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Before all of that good food, why not work out with your partner with these great moves?  I totally miss my boxing workouts of old with my husband (sorry about that jaw, baby).  - Shape

 

For traditional but with a bit of edge, you can NOT go wrong with a fragrance for a guy or gal from my favorite boutique. -Twisted Lily


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For inspiration, here's a pretty cool collection of love stories - some traditional and some not-so.  - Vogue

 

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And last, but not least, a bit of marriage advice from a couple who's been married for 50 years!  From one of my favorite sites. - Nowness

 

tags: Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day gift, Valentine's Day menu, what to give for Valentine's day, love, marriage, marriage advice
categories: all 2, lifestyle
Tuesday 02.10.15
Posted by Aliya LeeKong
 

Valentine’s Day & Fig Sundaes

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Valentine’s Day & Fig Sundaes

Valentine’s Day.  It signifies different things to different people, and, for many, it’s completely meaningless.  I think of it as a day to celebrate someone or people you love – partner, girlfriend, boyfriend, family, or friends.  Since it’s coming up next week, I started to think about a menu from recipes on the site that would work well if you happen to be cooking for someone or even for a group.  I also came up with a delicious dessert, vanilla sundaes topped with sweet wine-poached figs and toasted almonds – it’s light-hearted enough for an early paramour, fun for a family (sans wine for kids!), and all about love for that someone special.

I think a great Valentine’s menu would start with spiced sunchoke soup.  Sunchokes are still in season, and this dish is an easy do-ahead one for an elegant starter.  For the main course, I’d go with berbere-spiced lamb chops and freekeh with summer squash and brown butter (using winter squash, of course).  The lamb is super easy.  I like to sear ahead and then finish in the oven while everyone’s eating the starter.  Also, the vegetables for the freekeh can be roasted a day ahead and reheated once thrown into the freekeh.

This dessert was very much an accident.  I had eaten some beautiful sweet cheese-stuffed Turkish apricots that inspired me to do something similar with dried figs.  I thought it would turn out artful and pretty, but my version sort of looked stuffy to me.  The figs are cooked in a sweet white or dessert wine until glazed, and you end up with this honey-wine-fig-infused syrup.  Drizzled over vanilla ice cream with the poached figs and a sprinkling of some toasted, nutty almond slices – heaven!  If you ask me, a sundae as a Valentine’s Day dessert wins in my book.  Oh, and figs and almonds also happen to be aphrodisiacs…  Enjoy!

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 ½ cups Sauternes, Riesling, or any dessert/sweet white wine you like

½ cup water

2 tbsps sugar

2 tbsps honey

¼ tsp lemon zest

½ lb (8 to 10) dried figs (I used Calimyrna figs but Black Missions are also great)

1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

vanilla ice cream

Procedure

In a saucepan, bring the wine, water, sugar, honey, and lemon zest to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes uncovered.  Add the figs, cover and boil for another 10 minutes to plump up (they will significantly).  Remove the cover and boil for another 10-15 minutes until the liquid reduces to a syrup consistency.

Top ice cream with figs, a drizzle of syrup, and a sprinkle of the toasted sliced almonds.

tags: fig sundaes, holiday recipes, Valentine's Day, fig recipes
categories: all-4, recipes, desserts-1
Wednesday 02.09.11
Posted by Aliya LeeKong