Dark Chocolate & Aged Tahitian Vanilla Balsamic Truffles

Dark Chocolate & Aged Bourbon Vanilla Balsamic Truffles

Ingredients:

1 pound quality dark chocolate, chopped (Cocoa 56%+) 

8 oz. heavy whipping cream

2 tbs. Delizia Aged Vanilla Balsamic

1/3 cup good quality cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Place chopped chocolate in a wide, heatproof bowl; (I place mine in my stand-mixer bowl. This way I can melt the chocolate and then whip it, using only one bowl.)

In a heavy bottom pan, bring the heavy cream and salt to a boil. Turn down the heat and let the cream simmer for a full minute. Stir often, making sure the cream does not burn. 

Immediately take the cream from the heat and pour evenly over the chopped chocolate.  Resist the temptation to stir.  Allow to sit for 2-4 minutes in order to melt the chocolate.   

When the chocolate has melted, stir the ingredients together with a heatproof rubber spatula.   Use the spatula to stir any larger pieces of chocolate in to the warm cream to dissolve.

You should end up with a smooth, glossy mixture referred to as ganache.  Add the Vanilla Balsamic to the ganache and mix thoroughly.  The ganache will thicken as it cools and when it reached room temperature, can be piped.  To make traditional truffles, pipe small portions ( approximately 2 tsp.) of ganache on to parchment paper or another non-stick surface.  These portions will continue to cool and solidify and can then be rolled in to small balls.  Dredged the balls in to cocoa powder.  If used while warm, the ganache can be poured over cakes or used to dip fruit.

Goat Cheese Raviolis with Caramelized Shallots & Mushroom-Sage Cream Sauce

Goat Cheese Raviolis with Caramelized Shallots & Mushroom-Sage Cream Sauce

For The Pasta Dough
2 cups all purpose flour
3 large, fresh eggs

Filling
8 oz. fresh goat cheese
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper                                                                             

Sauce
1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup white wine
2 tablespoons of Delizia Mushroom-Sage Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsleySea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions
Whisk together the ingredients for the filling and set aside.  Mix the pasta dough and roll pasta sheets using a pasta machine or as thin as possible by hand with a rolling pin. Bring a a large pot of heavily salted water to boil. Carefully place a heaping teaspoon of filling in rows down the center of the bottom pasta sheet, allowing for at least 1" of space around each mound of filling. Wet the edges around the filling with water and lay a second sheet on top. Seal the edges of each ravioli thoroughly and cut in to individual raviolis. Place finished raviolis on a dry, clean towel or parchment paper. Once all the raviolis are assembled, in a large saute pan saute the thinly sliced shallots in mushroom sage extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Begin to boil the raviolis in small batches for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes per batch. Flip them to cook on both sides. Remove the thoroughly drained raviolis to a large serving bowl. Allow the shallots to become golden. When the shallots become golden and caramelized add the white wine and reduce by half.  Add the cream and simmer for an additional minute whisking to combine. Season the sauce with salt and fresh ground pepper.  Pour the warm cream sauce over the the raviolis and toss. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Whole Grain Lemon-Blueberry Tea Cake

It may look sinful but it's not thanks to the addition of white whole wheat flour, lemon extra virgin olive oil, honey, yogurt, and fresh berries.  This lightly sweetened bread is divine toasted and buttered for breakfast or simply enjoyed as a light snack.

Whole Grain Lemon Blueberry Tea Cake 

2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 cups ground whole grain corn meal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Delizia's whole fruit fused lemon extra virgin olive oil
fresh grated zest from one lemon
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grease or line muffin cups or miniature loaf pans.  In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients and lemon zest.  In three separate additions, add the went ingredients to the dry, scraping down the bowl.  Gently fold in the berries.  Fill the muffin cups or loaf pans half way with batter.  Bake in the center of oven for 20-25 minutes until a tester inserted in to the middle comes out clean.  Makes 18 standard size muffins or one dozen muffins and one large or two miniature loaf pans.