Chocolate truffle, a christmas recipe

We are planning our christmas holidays, so I thought I could try Vovoi's cookbook christmas recipe.

You can't miss this one !

I hadn't done some in ages, I had completely forgotten what it was exactly.

Chocolate ganache, covered with unsweetened cocoa (photo 1), 

grated chocolate  (photo 2) or coconut (photo 3)...

For 30 to 40 truffles

   You will need :   

5.6 oz of grated dark chocolate 70% (160gr)

2 tbsp of evaporated milk or half & half

2 tbsp. of white sugar 

1tsp of vanilla extract or 8g of vanillasugar or 1/4 of a grated vanilla pod

2.1 oz of diced butter (60gr)

2 egg yolks

for the topping 

unsweetened cocoa, grated chocolate or grated coconut

Put in a bowl your chocolate and make it melt the "bain-marie" way, stir until melted

- put water in a casserole, and make your bowl float in that water,

 it must not touch any surface of the casserole, just the water -

When the chocolate is fully melted, stir in the eggyolks one by one to have a smooth and shiny texture

Add your diced butter and the sugar,

let it melt 5 to 6 minutes until the sugar is well melted

you've done a ganache chocolat

Remove your bowl from the bain-marie, 

Set aside 30 minutes and put in the fridge for 30 minutes

Prepare a small bowl in which you put the topping (cocoa, chocolate or coconut)

Use a teaspoon to gather a big hazelnut of ganache on the top of your fingers

make it rowl in the bowl, using the edges to make it an approximatively round-shape 

When it's fully covered, put it in a plate or small papers and do the same for the rest of the bowl

Put all your truffles in the fridge for ten hours

- Tips : If the ganache is too hard after too much time in the fridge, 

use your hands palm to warm the exterior of the truffle to put the topping -

They are eatable as soon as they are out of the fridge,

I'll do more next time :)

Stuffed Sole filets

Autumn is definitely here ! Weather got cooler, mushrooms are prolific.

It's also black truffle season coming, enjoy :)

Last night meal, first try of a "fish dish" from Vovoï's cookbook.

I wanted something light, I had to make a few changes to the recipe, but it was still delicious.

In this recipe, you have to "poach" the fish, there is two whole pages in Vovoï's cookbook about this technique, that I've resumed for you at the end of that post.

According to me, it was easy enough and pretty quick

15 minutes to prepare, 45 minutes to cook

   You will need :   

Sole filets

- 2 par personne -

cod fish filet, grated

- there wasn't any fresh ones -

1 or 2 truffles

- there wasn't any either :( -

a half pound of mushrooms for 2 person

a good white wine

- I took a burgandy Chablis -

Chopped parsley

- I used a dry mix of parsley + other herbs, like cilantro -

1 slice of old bread for 2 person

- 1 slice of regular white bread is ok  -

1 glass of hot milk 

- put the crumb of the bread in it -

1 tsbp of butter

- I replaced it with 1tbsp of heavy whipped cream -

Turn on the oven at 340°F 

- my translation of "medium" -

Start by cooking half of the mushrooms with the butter in a pan, on medium fire

- or the cream and the dry herbs -

Chop the parsley with the truffles and those mushrooms

Add the bread crumb that was in the milk 

- I added a hint of grated parmesan to that mix -

Display your sole filets on you chopping board and spread the stuffing you've made on them 

- put less of it on one of the end to roll them easily -

If you have some, use a string to keep them rolled.

- I have everything... but a regular string... - 

If you don't have any, no big deal, it works without !

They will slightly open during the cooking and it will be harder to serve them, that's all

Put them in a dish, in which you put the rest of your mushrooms and truffles, 

some salt and pepper and pour white wine at 1/4 of the filet, finish with the same amount of water

Your filet are half under liquid

Put it in the oven for 45 minutes

Serve with pastas and a glass of white wine

- I didn't have the right pastas, It goes well with rice, greens.... suggestions :) -

 - Even watching Fringe didn't disturb us from our meal ! -

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To poach

Filet cooking has to be made at short boiling/broth "court-bouillon"with no boiling, 

that's the caracteristic of poaching. 

If it boils, filets will twist and distort.

The best way to cook them is to poach thm with butter only, with a few drops of lemon juice

- but that's too much butter -

So we use butter OR wine, diluted in water

For 4 filets of 0.8 oz each,

 Use 0.8oz of butter and 3 tbsp of water

Or 2tbsp of water for 1 tbsp of white wine

When the dish is in the oven, check on boiling signs, as soon as it begins, 

lower down the temperature to keep that short boiling and moderate the cooking

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