Fats, Vitamins and Minerals

On one of our jeepney commutes to Quiapo, a small unkempt boy climbed in, handed out envelopes to the few passengers, sat next to me and started playing a makeshift set of drums. A while later, he started singing - chanting, actually.

I was astounded at how good he sounded.

His drumset consisted of milk tins of different sizes, plus one aluminum pot, five or six in all, held together by a black rubber band, maybe an inch wide. The tins were all open on one end and he beat and swiped the other end with his palms. The sound was amazing.

This afternoon, in one of the apartments downstairs, I heard a little girl’s voice and the banging of a tin pot. Then I heard her father’s loud scolding voice. Shortly, I heard the tin pot again, the sound going further and further away, out into the streets, mingling with the voices of children playing.

I finally made some truffles!

I made these using our very own Batangas cocoa.

The Batangas cocoa is melted and mixed with some heavy cream, butter and muscovado sugar. With some olive oil, I rolled teaspoonfuls with a pistacio nut and then covered them with cocoa powder.

Invented in 1625 by John Labarge, chocolate truffle is a type of chocolate confectionery, traditionally made with a chocolate ganache center coated in chocolate or cocoa powder, usually in a spherical, conical, or curved shape. Other fillings may replace the ganache: cream, melted chocolate, caramel, nuts, almonds, berries, or other assorted sweet fruits, nougat, fudge, or toffee, mint, chocolate chips, marshmallow, and, popularly, liquor.

They are named for their resemblance to the truffle fungus.

To get the general idea of making truffles, below are some truffle recipes from The Recipe Goldmine.

Basic Chocolate Truffles with Variations

Truffles should always be served chilled, placed in paper or foil cups. Serving them on a tiered cake plate is nice if you have several varieties. You can refrigerate the truffles, wrapped well, for up to 1 week or freeze them in an airtight container for 1 month. Remove from the freezer 5 minutes before serving.

1/3 cup heavy cream
6 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate,
such as Lindt or Tobler, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
About 1/4 cup cocoa

Bring cream to a boil in a small heavy-bottom saucepan over moderate heat or in a bowl in a microwave. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate and butter, whisking until smooth. Pour the warm chocolate mixture into a shallow bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Using a spoon, scoop 24 rounded teaspoonsful of the cold chocolate mixture onto a sheet of wax paper. Coat your palms with cocoa and roll each mound between your palms to form a ball. Dredge the truffles in the cocoa, tossing them gently from one hand to the other to remove the excess cocoa. Chill the truffles, covered, for at least 2 hours before serving.

Almond-Amaretto Truffles:
Add 2 tablespoons Amaretto the warm chocolate mixture before chilling. Toast 45 whole almonds, reserving 24 and finely chopping the remainder. Mold each truffle around a whole almond. After dredging the truffles in cocoa, roll them in the chopped nuts.

Brandied Apricot Truffles:
Soak 1 rounded cupful finely chopped or diced dried apricots in 1/4 cup brandy in a covered container for at least 1 hour. Add this mixture to the warm chocolate mixture.

Cappuccino Truffles:
Make a paste of 1 tablespoon boiling water, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder. Add the paste to the warm chocolate mixture.

Frangelico-Hazelnut Truffles:
Reduce the butter to 1 tablespoon. Add 2 tablespoons Frangelico and 1 cup toasted and skinned chopped hazelnuts to the warm chocolate mixture before chilling.

Grand Marnier-Sweet Orange Rind Truffles:
Use a zester to remove strips of rind from 3 oranges. Put the rind in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and boil 1 minute. Drain and repeat process. Bring 1 cup water and 1/3 cup sugar to a boil. Add rind and boil 5 minutes. Drain. When the rind is cool enough to handle, chop it fine and mix with 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier. Add the rind and liqueur to the warm chocolate mixture.

Hazelnut-Frangelico Truffles:
Reduce the butter to 1 tablespoon. Add 2 tablespoons Frangelico and 1 cup toasted and skinned chopped hazelnuts to the warm chocolate mixture before chilling.

Kahlua-Pecan Truffles:
Reduce the butter to 1 tablespoon. Toast and chop 1 cup pecans. Add 2 tablespoons Kahlua and the nuts to the warm chocolate mixture before chilling.

Rum-Macadamia Truffles:
Add 2 tablespoons dark rum to the warm chocolate mixture before chilling. Reserve 24 whole Macadamia nuts and finely chop 5 Macadamia nuts. Mold each truffle around a whole Macadamia nut. After dredging the truffles in cocoa, dip the tops in the chopped nuts.

Scotch-Raisin Truffles:
Soak 1 cup raisins in 1/4 cup Scotch in a covered container for at least 1 hour. Add this to the warm chocolate mixture before chilling.

Chocolate Truffle Hearts

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
4 ounces cream cheese
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Sprinkle-on cake decorations

Put confectioners’ sugar, cream cheese, cocoa powder and chopped nuts in mixing bowl. Mix well. Place mixture on smooth surface and pat flat until 1/2 inch high. Use heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Decorate hearts with cake decorations and place in a paper candy cup holder.

Chocolate Truffles

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons milk
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon brandy (optional)
Chocolate shot, nonpareil decors or cocoa

In top of double boiler melt chocolate chips with milk. Beat with electric beater until smooth. Continue beating the chocolate as the egg yolks are added, one at a time. Continue beating the chocolate as the egg yolks are added, one at a time. Remove pan from hot water and beat in butter, a few pieces at a time, until completely blended. Continue beating 2 or 3 more minutes. Add brandy, if desired. Let chocolate sit for 4 to 5 hours to cool.

Chocolate may be cooled more quickly by placing in refrigerator. When workable, roll into balls about the size of large marbles. Roll in chocolate shot, colored candy dots or cocoa to coat. Refrigerate. Serve in tiny paper cups.

Yields 50 truffles.

Mocha Truffles

1/4 cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chopped nuts or semisweet baking chocolate, grated

In small saucepan combine whipping cream, sugar, butter and instant coffee; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture boils.

Remove from heat; immediately add chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Add vanilla extract. Pour into small bowl; chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to set. Cover; chill several hours or overnight to allow mixture to ripen and harden.

Form small amounts of mixture into 1/2-inch balls, working quickly to prevent melting; roll in nuts or chocolate. Cover; store in refrigerator. Serve cold.

Makes about 1 1/2 dozen truffles.

Truffles

12 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped,
or 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

Place chocolate in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.

Warm cream in a small saucepan over low heat. As soon as you start to see bubbles around the edges of the pan, turn off the heat and pour the warm cream over the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is completely smooth. Add the butter and stir until it is completely incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until it is firm enough to shape into balls.

Scoop out a heaping teaspoonful of the chocolate mixture and roll it into a ball between your palms. Roll the ball in cocoa until it is completely covered. Roll it lightly in your palms again to make sure the cocoa sticks, then re-roll the truffle in cocoa. Repeat with the remaining chocolate mixture. If the mixture gets too soft to hold its shape, place it back in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, until it can be handled easily.

Store the truffles in layers, separated by wax paper, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. They are best served at room temperature.

Almond Truffles:
Add 3 tablespoons almond liqueur (such as amaretto) with the butter. If desired, you may also roll the truffles in 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds instead of cocoa powder, or push a whole toasted almond inside the rounded truffle before rolling it in the cocoa.

Irish Truffles:
Add 3 tablespoons whiskey with the butter.

Orange Truffles:
Add 3 tablespoons orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier) and 1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind with the butter.

Just testing, thanks.

I’m afriad Kitty3 thinks she’s a dog.

Here’s a photo of her biting poor Fulgoso’s ear.

After several weeks of frantic crocheting of gifts for family and friends this Christmas, the impasse was just unbearable after everything was finished. Something needs crocheting very soon.

Well, it takes quite some time getting documentation up on Crochetology.net, and that makes me busy. I can’t ever write patttern instructions, though, but only “crochetology problems”, some ideas for getting something started.

The floret stitch, which I used for a crocheted wallet for a nephew, is now the basis for a new work that I started just yesterday. I feel better now.

As the Military-Industrial Complex nears its obsolescence, we reach an age of Peace. This age of Peace straddles between Economic Freedom and Economic Interdependence. The determining agent will be Social Catatonia.

“Talangka! Puros babae!”

It must’ve been a side-effect of the recent typhoons and floods. Assortments of seafood are now being peddled in the city. Someone selling female crabs just passed our apartment. Several days ago in the streets I heard someone selling mussels. A week earlier we bumped into a wooden cart with three plastic pails of fresh fish in ice.

Earlier, a woman has started plying the streets selling papaya and pineapples. This is in addition to the regular peddlers of roasted or boiled peanuts, suha (pomelo), red watermelons, mangoes…
I kind of like the way the city is transforming into a public market, especially a market of fresh produce - from the small farms, the sea, the ponds.

Flying fish from the sea in Baclayon, Bohol.
I miss life in Baclayon already, quite unexpectedly, it wasn’t easy. But there was so much more to learn and enjoy.

There I taught myself how to debone a bangus (milkfish). On full moon days, when there is less catch from the sea, the market sells plenty of bangus. I love bangus but the tiny bones are quite a nuisance, so I learned how to remove them, marinate and then fry. It wasn’t so difficult after all. I also had to do it in a dark mosquito-ridden kitchen with no running water. Oh, but I love that house …

It was also there that I learned to like flying fish - there are two varieties, as shown in the photo above, and some people there say that the winged one is male and the slender ones with the slightly long noses are female. I haven’t had the chance to ask the fishermen about it, but I suspect they are actually different types of fish. I see smaller version of the slender ones whenever we go swimming in the sea… People say that they are actually dirty, because they eat all the stuff that other fish wouldn’t. Someone said they eat sputum and shit. Sounds horrible, but whatever, the fish actually tastes very good … perhaps why they taste very good!

Nevertheless, I have to learn how to dry and salt these inexpensive fish. The fishermen have a special net for the flying fish too. Next time, when we return to Baclayon, it would be nice to see how they catch flying fish … we’ve already done the dilis (bolinao in Bisaya, anchovies in English).