Rudolph Truffle Cupcakes

One of my favorite holiday traditions as a kid was watching the Claymation production of Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer.  I remember being just giddy with excitement when the promos for this would start to air.  I don’t know if I was more excited about seeing it or the fact that I knew it signified Christmas was just around the corner. 

In my house, the Rudolph special was pretty much our first holiday event of the year so its airing was a big event.  The only thing that remotely excited me this much was Christmas itself.  I remember anxiously awaiting the school day to end, dinner to be eaten and the long, long wait for the late hour of 7pm.   This was way before the days of the DVR or even the VCR so it was very important we were nestled in with snacks in hand so as not to miss a single moment.  Missing the Rudolph special would be like missing, well….um,  Christmas! 

It is just such a feel good story.  You are immediately drawn in by the cute little reindeer with the candy red nose and big eyes.  You feel sorry for him when he can’t “join in the reindeer games” and you cheer for him when his “nose so bright” guides Santa’s sleigh on that foggy night.  The clumsy, lovable little reindeer becomes the unlikely hero who saves Christmas.  Who could watch that and not get into the Christmas spirit?

As an adult I still love the Rudolph special and have a favorite treat that will bring a smile to both young and old alike and make you the heroine of the holiday dessert table.  These Rudolph Truffle Cupcakes are easy, adorable and not to mention quite delicious!  Working with chocolate can be a little like working with clay, I guess-except a lot tastier.  And on the upside, unlike the Claymation creators, you can eat your mistakes!

These yummy little morsels start with a deep chocolate cupcake.  I suppose you could make another flavor but in my book, there’s no better flavor than good chocolate.  I prefer using the foil cupcake liners as they are a bit sturdier than the paper ones.  But the paper ones will work just fine if that’s what you have on hand.  In order to make all of your cupcakes the same size, use an ice cream scoop to fill the cupcake liners.  It’s quicker, easier and neater than using a spoon. 

A pair of cotton gloves are ideal for rolling the truffles.  These can typically be found in cake supply stores or online and are made for handling chocolates.  Now, you don’t have to wear any gloves but they do make the process much neater.  Other food-safe gloves which you can find in the grocery store can be used but the chocolate does tend to stick to them when rolling.  To perfectly portion your truffles, use a melon baller.

Here’s to a new holiday tradition!

Rudolph Truffle Cupcakes

1 Dozen Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting Made with Dove Chocolate Discoveries™ Dark Chocolate Baking Mix

1 Dozen Milk Chocolate Truffles (Recipe below)

24 Dove Chocolate Discoveries™ Leaves

Red Candies for Nose

White or Yellow Gel Frosting

Black Gel Frosting

Bake, cool and frost cupcakes per box directions.  Top each cupcake with a flattened truffle that has been dusted with cocoa.  Place 2 chocolate leaves under truffle pressing into the frosting for the antlers.  Using a toothpick hollow out 2 small holes for eyes and one where the nose will go.  If you do not hollow out the eyes, the gel will not stick to the cocoa powder.  Using either white or yellow gel, pipe in the eyes and a dollop of gel to hold on nose.  Place nose and carefully add a black pupil to each eye.

Milk Chocolate Truffles

6 oz. Dove Chocolate Discoveries™ Chef Series Milk Chocolate

¼ Cup Heavy Cream

Cocoa Powder for Dusting

Chop chocolate into ¼ inch or smaller pieces and place into a 4-quart bowl.  In a small pan heat the heavy cream over medium low heat to a roiling boil.  Remove from heat and pour over chocolate.  Let stand for 5 minutes then stir until smooth.  Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm before shaping into 1-inch balls.  Roll in cocoa powder.  

Kale Chips.....Seriously!

Recently our friend Paul asked if I had ever made kale chips.  Kale chips?  As in the leafy green my grandfather used to grow in his garden??  And chip as in a, um, chip??  “They’re quite good,” he assured us in his British accent.  Hmmm….I thought.  In all my cooking and perusing of cookbooks and reading recipes, I’ve never heard of a kale chip.

Intrigued, I asked how he made them.  “It’s quite simple, really.  Cut the leaves into pieces, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake them at 350 for about 10 minutes,” he said.  He assured me that would be like a potato chip.  I was a little skeptical and wondered what I might be getting myself into.

Never having had a dish is all the reason I need to venture out, buy the ingredients, and give it a whirl.  Off to the Madison Farmer’s Market I went and was delighted to find fresh kale.  The vendor asked what I was about to make with it and I questioningly told him kale chips and explained that a friend had told me about them and I was curious.  He smiled and picked up a recipe card from his table with a recipe for kale chips.  Ok, so Paul wasn’t making this up.

I washed and rinsed the leaves and cut them into pieces.  Tossed them with olive oil and some smoked sea-salt.  Popped them in the oven on 350 for about 10 minutes.  Pulled them out and was totally amazed that they were actually getting crispy!  No way!  I popped them back into the oven for about 2 more minutes to crisp them some more.

After they were nicely crisped I popped one right in my mouth.  It was warm , crispy and salty just like a potato chip!  A turnip greenish flavored potato chip!  I loved them.  My husband walked in, sampled one and said, “Tastes like cabbage.  They’re all yours.” 

The flavor of the kale took me right back to my grandmother’s kitchen.  My grandparents grew a variety of greens and kale reminded me of a cross between a turnip green and mustard leaves.  I remember eating it fresh right from their garden many times. 

A couple of things I learned....next time bake them on a rack so the heat can circulate above and below.  I think it will make a crisper chip.  Secondly, they are not crispy the next day so don’t plan for leftovers.  

And next time, I’m going to sprinkle them with a little Dove Chocolate Discoveries™ Sweet ‘N Spicy Cocoa Rub for a touch of sweet and spicy deliciousness. 

3-2-1 Action!

Our day of live media interviews began at a very early 4am.  Considering it was 4am EST, it was really 3am for me and was my second day in a row of getting up before dawn.  It was the opportunity of a lifetime so I decided the lack of sleep would be worth it.  But now I not only had to worry about my flat hair but worry about the bags under my eyes.  Oh yeah, and then there was the whole message I had to be sure and deliver on camera. 

We arrived at the home office test kitchen at 5:30am with no make-up as instructed.  We all made a pact that no photos would be taken until after hair and make-up.  There were people buzzing all around, a huge satellite truck out front, people running around like it was a major production.  Oh wait, it was!  We would be live all across the country in just 2 hours!

I was second in the chair for hair and make-up.  I carefully instructed the stylist, Elizabeth, that I needed some “puff” in my hair.  She was amazing.  As we chatted I learned that she had been an art student and had done sculpture and painting.  Whew!  Sculpt my hair into a masterpiece, please!  We chatted about clients she had done before and I had my second diva moment of the event when I learned I was being made up by someone who had also made up Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, and a number of celebrities.  My first diva moment came the day before when Andrew, the producer, had asked my requirements for breakfast the morning of the shoot.  Hehe…..my requirements.  Of course I went total diva and asked for…..coffee.  Yep, just coffee.  I giggled like a little kid when I heard them refer to us as “the talent”.  I love my job!

So Betty Palm, the DCD President, and I were up first with an interview in San Diego.  It went well and amazingly fast!  Wow!  This is fun!  Next up we were on Breakfast With Bob a radio program in Roanoke, Va.  Tums out, Bob had lived in Huntsville for years and was a real pleasure to chat with.  After the first couple of interviews, Elizabeth stepped in to freshen our hair and make-up.  She said, “You flattened your hair on top, didn’t you?”

After a radio interview in Greenville, SC and a tv interview in Atlanta, I was able to take a break for a while and watch my fellow chocolatiers do their interviews.  We all filmed a commercial together and after completing one more tv interview with Shreveport, that wrapped up my day of interviewing.  Time to relax and let my hair down……..

Media Training-Intense!

Just over two years ago when I “discovered” Dove Chocolate Discoveries™ online, I knew I was on to something big.  I couldn’t believe there was such thing as a chocolate tasting party, let alone, people who were paid to conduct the parties.  Not to mention the brand was Dove® which had an unparalleled reputation for being top-notch.  I literally felt like I had won the career lottery!  I started my chocolate career with the idea that I just wanted to have fun and bring a little happiness into people’s lives by sharing with them exclusive chocolates they couldn’t buy anywhere else.  Fast forward two years later and there are many days I wake up and think, “Is this all real?”  When I started my business I never dreamed it would take me down such an amazing path with opportunities I never could have imagined.

One of those opportunities happened recently when I had the chance to represent the company on a national media public relations campaign.  To prepare for the live tv and radio segments we each had to take a media training class.  It was one of the most intense things I have done!  We had to craft our message into a 1-minute commercial.  Now, I have been doing elevator speeches for years and have done both live and recorded tv segments but there were times during training that I wondered if I would even be able to get my name out on camera!  I went in confident of speaking in front of anyone to wondering if I could even remember my own name when asked. 

What had training done to me?  Would I be able to get thru the interviews?  Would I remember my name?  Would I deliver my message?  What if the reporter asked a tough question?  What if I goofed up?  What if I froze?  Would my hair look flat?  Yep, flat hair was covered in media training.  Yikes!

I was mentally exhausted when the day was over and was in bed at 8:30pm.  By 12:30am I was wide awake and woke myself up rehearsing my message but most importantly wondering who my hairstylist would be that day.  Would she be able to cure my flat hair?  Would I have big 80’s hair?  Would I look like me?  What was I going to wear?  At least if I totally froze on camera and forgot my name, I wanted to look ok doing it!  Again, exhausted I rolled back over and went back to sleep.

I had a week to rehearse my speech, some new clothes but no idea what I was going to do with my flat hair………      

Fried Cheese for Dessert Anyone?

My friend Cathy and I recently ate at a new Puerto Rican place called My Old San Juan.  I had never been to a Puerto Rican restaurant and was very excited to try out some new things.  We had no idea what to expect but Cathy is adventurous just like me when it comes to trying new foods.  

As we were looking over the menu I honed in on something called queso frido (fried cheese) with guava paste.  I decided I was going to order that for my meal.  We continued looking over the menu and picking out things that looked good but I had made my decision-I was ordering the queso frido.  Cathy then pointed out that it was actually a dessert.   No wonder it had been calling my name!  Since this was Cathy’s “moving away” lunch, we decided to go all out and try an appetizer, entrees and of course the queso frido.

We split something similar to an empanada.  It was a beef filled dough that was made with yucca plant instead of the normal pastry used for empanada.  Greasy, crispy, yummy!  For my meal I had a wonderful, juicy piece of chicken with fried plantains and she had a delicious pork dish with rice and beans. 

Then the piece de resistance-the queso frido!  The plate came out with strips of lightly browned fried cheese sticks.  Situated on top were thick strips of guava paste and a couple squirts of whipped topping with sprinkles.  We dug right in without hesitation.  First we tried the cheese alone.  It was crispy, creamy, buttery and salty and just a little nutty.  Next we tried the guava paste.  It was like a very thick jelly and sweet.  Then the marriage of the two.  There was something magical about the way the wonderful buttery cheese combined with the sweet goodness of the guava.  It was a myriad of flavors all rolled in one and it was muy delicioso!  We asked about the dish and learned it was a traditional Puerto Rican dessert.  So to whoever first thought of pairing these two, I say mucho gracias!

Carrot Cake-Still A Delicious Fad After All These Years

We had the in-laws over for lunch to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday.  She and my father-in-law both love my homemade carrot cake.  Apparently they have been known to hide leftover pieces of it from one another.  So the dessert choice for the day was clear-carrot cake. 

That was fine by me because I too love homemade carrot cake.  There is nothing like biting into a moist, dense, golden piece of carrot cake and as your teeth slice thru the tender pieces of carrot, they discover the crunch of a pecan and a succulent golden raisin.  Follow that up with the silkiness of cream cheese icing and you’ve got a real winner! 

As I was grating carrots for the cake I started wondering who created the first carrot cake because I would really love to thank them.  I thought it probably hailed back to a time when some other ingredient was in short supply and it was a handy substitute.  Or perhaps a carrot farmer had a bumper crop of carrots and to avoid spoilage they were added to a cake.  Or had it been an accidental creation?  I’m not sure how one would accidently grate and slip 3 cups of carrots into a cake unknowingly, but many everyday foods are the result of a major kitchen blunder. 

After some research online, I’m still curious as I didn’t find a huge amount of information on the history.  According to Wikipedia though, it has likely been around since the medieval period when carrots were easier to come by than sugar.  Wikipedia also says it first appeared in American restaurants in the 1960’s and that Food Network listed it as #5 of the top 5 fad foods of the 1970’s.  Hmmm, should we call something this delicious 40 years later, a fad?  Call it what you will, I’m just going to call it delicious!

Read the Wikipedia history here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot_cake

Crispy Potato Cakes

In one of my recent trips to the farmer’s market I bought these wonderful little golden potatoes.  They reminded me of Yukon Golds but the farmer from whom I bought them said they were something else and I’ve now forgotten the name.  He told me they would make the best, creamiest mashed potatoes I had eaten.  Ok, so all I could think about until I actually made them, was mashed potatoes.  I could imagine the butteriness, the creaminess, the straight from the farm goodness.

So I made them.  Boiled them skin on.  For one, they were a little small to peel.  Plus I just really like skin on mashed potatoes.  I added a little garlic and bacon.  Hello!  Garlic, bacon and potatoes.  You just can’t go wrong with that combination. 

My husband and I enjoyed them with our dinner.  Honestly I don’t even remember what else I cooked.  The potatoes were the star.  Now what to do with the leftovers?  Some things are just not good as leftovers and just about any kind of potato is not worth saving.  But these were so good I just hated to throw them out.  Aha!  I remembered what my mom did on occasion with leftover mashed potatoes when I was a kid.  She made potato cakes!  I had done them before but it had been a while.

I dare say that I think we enjoyed the crispy potato cakes the next night almost as much as the mashed potatoes.  And the best part is, I still have some of those yummy little potatoes left to cook and enjoy on another occasion!

Jenny’s Crispy Potato Cakes

2 Cups Cold Mashed Potatoes

1 Egg

Finely Crushed Cracker Crumbs for Coating

Mix potatoes and egg until incorporated.  Mixture should be firm enough to hold together like a meatball.  If it is too thick, add a splash of milk.  If too thin, add a sprinkling of the cracker crumbs.  Form patties and lightly press into the cracker crumb coating.  Pan fry in olive oil over medium heat until a light golden brown on each side (about 5 minutes per side).  Serve warm and enjoy!

The Donut

I had a flat tire the other day.  Not that there is ever a great time to have a flat, but this day was a really bad day for a flat.  I’m driving down the road with just enough time to get from one appointment to the next when suddenly I hear a “pop” and then a “whoosh”!  I pulled into a church parking lot and watched as my tire quickly flattened to the ground taking all my sense of accomplishment for the day right along with it. 

What to do?  I knew how to change a tire but I was in a hurry!  Oh well, I decided, I was going to miss my next appointment no matter who changed the tire.  So I unloaded the trunk and dug out the “donut”.  My husband’s lessons of showing me how to change a tire paid off and in 45 minutes I was on my way.  A little dirty but felling a sense of accomplishment at having changed my tire.

On the way home I realized I was hungry and for some strange reason I had a craving for donuts?  I had no time for donuts so the best I could do was reminisce about one of the best donuts I’ve ever had.  When we were in Portland, Oregon last year we visited a funky little shop called Voodoo Donut where I had the most delicious, fluffy donut with maple icing and strips of bacon.  It was not a round donut but rectangular like a bar and enough for two servings (or maybe 1 serving after changing a flat tire).  It reminded me of dipping bacon into maple syrup while eating pancakes.  It was the perfect balance of sweet, savory and yum!

I sure could go for one of those about now but Portland is a little far to travel for a donut…..hmmmm, I feel a kitchen experiment coming on!

Shut the Front Door Lime Basil Milk Chocolate Truffles

So one of my new favorites to pick up at the Madison Farmers Market is lime basil.  It tastes like basil.  It tastes like lime.  It is amazing!  I’ve been infusing it into my sweet tea for a refreshing, light summer beverage.  But I’ve finally discovered the true calling for lime basil.  Lime Basil Milk Chocolate Truffles!  I’m firmly convinced that all lime basil was destined to wind up in a creamy, indulgent, delicious truffle.

I hit the market and was ready get started.  Lime basil-check.  Heavy cream-check.  100% pure cocoa butter milk chocolate-check.  Fresh lime-no check.  Ok so I did have a fresh lemon and decided that would suffice just fine. 

The final result was one kitchen experiment gone right!  No trifle would be made of these delicacies.  Super creamy and rich.  The lime hit my tongue first.  Then the basil.  All followed by the silky milk chocolate.  WHOA!  I thought they were amazing.  Since I never think I’m a good judge of my own creations, I did what I always do.  I found some victims.  When you are giving away food, especially chocolate, it’s not too hard to find some willing participants.

My friend Cathy was the first victim….I mean volunteer.  After getting one bite she yelled out, “Shut the front door!  These are amazing!”  She shared them with several other folks and they all agreed they were “shut the front door amazing”.  They all informed me they were coming home with me for the leftovers.  Um, leftovers?  Would we call that stash I’m hoarding all for myself leftovers?  Note to self:  never mention leftover lime basil truffles unless you are unless you are actually willing to give them up.   

Shut the Front Door Lime Basil Milk Chocolate Truffles

½ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

24-36 Small to Medium Sized Fresh Lime Basil Leaves, Rinsed

1/8 Tsp. Lemon Zest

12 oz. Good Quality Milk Chocolate (I’m a little partial to Dove®)

Powdered Sugar

Bring cream, lime basil leaves and zest to a boil over medium low heat.  Remove from heat and allow to infuse for 1 hour.   Strain basil leaves from cream.  Chop chocolate into bits about the size of chocolate chips.  Bring cream to a boil over medium low heat a second time.  Pour over finely chopped chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes stir until smooth.  Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm but not hard.

Using a melon baller scoop the chocolate and roll into smooth balls.  I like using cotton gloves* for this part as it makes it a lot neater.  Roll balls in powdered sugar and enjoy!

*These can be found at candy supply stores or ordered online. 

Cookies and Cream Trifle

So my friend Jennifer recently had a birthday and as I typically do for a friend’s birthday, I created a special dessert for her-Cookies and Cream Trifle.  I love trifles because they are an easy 5 minute go-to dessert and you really can’t mess them up.  I’ve actually saved several dessert disasters from the garbage disposal by dumping them in a pretty bowl, layering in some real whipped cream and calling them a “trifle”.  For the record, Jennifer’s dessert had nothing to do with a dessert disaster and everything to do with the fact I wanted to make some white chocolate whipped cream and had some double dark chocolate chip cookies in the freezer.  I knew the combination would be a match made in....well, a match I couldn’t wait to get in my mouth!

Now traditionally trifle is made by soaking cake usually in some sort of liquor and layering it with custard, sometimes fruit and of course whipped cream.  I’ve created so many trifles from kitchen experiments gone awry that we now label anything that is layered in a bowl with whipped cream, a trifle.  When my husband sees a trifle in the fridge his first question is, “So what recipe went wrong this time?”

In making Jennifer’s trifle I was reminded of one of the better trifles I’ve made which was the direct result of a pretty large kitchen catastrophe.   Last Thanksgiving I was attempting a Cherpumple which is a cherry pie baked inside a white cake, stacked on a pumpkin pie baked into a yellow cake, stacked on an apple pie baked into a spice cake and then slathered with cream cheese icing.  Seriously, I’m not making this one up.

After watching a short video on this monstrosity, I decided I could do that but only I would make everything from scratch!  The man in the video used premade pies and boxed cake mixes.  I figured that if it looked that good all store-bought, it would be a masterpiece from scratch.  There’s one thing about me, I never take the easy way out but this was one of those times I wished I had. 

Since it looked like it would serve 100 I decided I needed a big group to try it out on.  My husband’s office was having their Thanksgiving lunch the following week and his co-workers had served as guinea pigs for many recipes in the past so why not wow them with what was sure to be the dessert of the year-maybe the decade.

Off I went measuring ingredients, slicing apples, rolling dough and all the other work that went into the 3 homemade pies.  Whew, 3 pies from scratch and I was only 50% of the way done.  I fell asleep that night with visions of frozen premade pies and boxed cake mixes.  I’m pretty sure I heard them laughing at me. 

The next night I was all set to finish the beauty.  I got the first pie and cake in the oven and baked them.  And baked them.  Did I mention that I baked them?  Toothpick test-still gooey.  Baked, baked, and baked some more.  Finally the toothpick came out clean enough that the center of the cake should be done.  I let it cool for a few minutes and just could hardly contain the excitement as I dumped the cake over onto the cooling rack.  One scrumptious layer down and two to go!  Boy was this going to be the talk of the office!  But this is where it all went really wrong.  My gorgeous perfect cake with the luscious homemade pie in the middle just dumped out into a crumbled mound of pumpkin pie and cake.  I was mortified.  Well at least nobody knew what I was bringing.  Or did they?  Had my husband shared with the whole office that they were going to be treated to a Cherpumple?  Surely he had just signed up for “dessert”.  Please don’t let him have signed up to bring Cherpumple!  I quickly rushed to ask him and, yes, he had shared with the office they were going to get to sample the granddaddy of all desserts.  Panic!

Ok, well I have 2 pies left.  It will just be a 2 layer Cherpumple.  Baked the apple pie and the same thing-a big mound of apple pie and cake mess.  My husband found it a little funny and jokingly said, “Well, we’ll just tell everyone it’s a Cherdumple”.  I was not amused but decided I had to do something with it after all that work. 

So I did the only thing I knew to do.  I made a trifle.  It was creamy pumpkin pie with a flaky crust, mixed with moist homemade cake, layered with real whipped cream, drizzled with homemade caramel, and it was good.   Really good.  It got rave reviews at his office.  I was feeling pretty proud of myself for pulling it off……until someone asked for the recipe.  I simply smiled and said, “Do you bake a lot?  If you do, I’d be more than happy to share the recipe with you.  But it is quite involved.”  Luckily there was some comment from the co-worker how if it required much work, they were likely to mess it up.  Oh if they only knew! 

Here’s my recipe for Jennifer’s  Cookies and Cream trifle.  It’s sure not as much work as the Cherdumple, but it’s sure to get you some rave reviews and you won’t have to cringe when someone asks for the recipe!

Jennifer’s Cookies and Cream Birthday Trifle

4 oz. Good Quality White Chocolate (I’m a little partial to Dove®.)

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Tsp. Sugar

2 Cups Crumbled Double Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies*

Chocolate Shavings or Cocoa Powder for Garnish

Melt chocolate in the microwave at 20 second intervals until smooth.  Stir between intervals as the chocolate will begin to melt from the inside first.  Cool to room temperature.  Beat cream and sugar until stiff peaks forms.  Fold melted chocolate into the cream.  Add 1 cup cookie crumbs to a 2-quart glass dish.  Layer on ½ of the white chocolate cream.  Repeat.  Garnish top with chocolate shavings or cocoa powder.

*I used homemade double chocolate chip cookies to which I had added cocoa powder to the batter.  You can use any store-bought cookie just make sure they pack a big chocolate punch (as rich as a brownie).  That super rich chocolate goodness paired with the light, sweet white chocolate cream is amazing.

Homemade Fresh Fig Syrup

I started a new Saturday morning routine this summer and that is to head down to the Madison Farmers Market on Hughes Road.  It’s not big but there are always wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables and I love supporting the local farmers.   A lot of Saturdays I even ride my bike there.  Biking to the farmers market just feels really “green”. 

So for the last couple of weeks, I’ve been eyeing all the fresh figs.  I remember eating figs right from the tree as a kid from the fig tree in my grandparent’s back yard.  It grew right next to the brick well house.  They lived in the country and had well water.  Still remember the distinct taste of that too.

This past Saturday at the market I just couldn’t turn down the figs.....they were plump, ripe and ready to be devoured.  I bought some Turkey figs and some green skinned ones that I believe were Kadota figs.  Turkey figs are really sweet and just a wonderful explosion of sweetness the minute you bite into them.  The Kadota figs were less sweet and had a meatier texture.

I got the idea to make homemade fig syrup.  You’re probably thinking that you’ve never heard of fig syrup.  Well neither had I but decided I would create it.  At last an absolute original recipe that no one had ever thought of.  I would be the mother of invention (at least the mother of homemade fig syrup)!  Before I got too excited, I remembered a line from Rod Stewart’s “Every Picture Tells a Story”.  It goes something like, “I couldn’t quote you no Dickens, Shelley or Keats, ‘cause it’s all been said before”.  It’s the same in the food world.  Somebody, somewhere has already made fig syrup. 

It was everything I imagined.  Rich, delicious with a wonderful fig flavor-perfect for drizzling over ice cream, pound cake, French toast or just eating right from the bowl.  Wish I would’ve had it for the chocolate chip gingerbread waffles I made Saturday. 

Without further adieu, here it is.  The world premiere recipe for homemade fig syrup.  So I’m sure if you googled fig syrup you would find a ton of recipes.  But for now, I’m resisting the urge so I can relish in the fact that I just might’ve created the world’s first!

Homemade Fig Syrup

2 Cups Ripe, Fresh Turkey Figs

2 Cups Ripe, Kadota Figs

1 ½ Cups Sugar

2 Cups Water

1 tsp. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

Rinse figs in cold water and remove any stems.  Add figs and remaining ingredients to a saucepot.  Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 35 minutes.  After 35 minutes use a large spoon and gently break the figs into pieces.  Bring to a boil and cook for 25 minutes or until reduced by ¼ and slightly thickened.

Serve warm over vanilla bean ice cream, waffles, French toast or pound cake.

Welcome to Huntsville Hot Chocolates

Welcome to the blog for Huntsville Hot Chocolates.....a cool place to read about hot trends in the world of CHOCOLATE!  And pretty much anything else related to food, travel or recreation that I want to write about.  But, a heads up, there will be a lot of chocolate chat here!

Check back often for delicious recipes and fun food talk.

"All you really need in life is a friend with chocolate.  I'm that friend."  ~ Anonymous