As a small holiday gift, here is a recipe from my cookbook. It appears in the mignardise chapter, which collects sweet little bites to serve at the end of a meal — instead of, or alongside, dessert, and perfect with coffee or tea.
These treats-on-a-stick begin with an easy homemade hazelnut marzipan: grind toasted hazelnuts with confectioner’s sugar and a touch of honey, shape the paste into small balls, then dip them in chocolate. They’re fun to assemble and make a charming finish to a festive menu. They’re also handy to nibble while decorating, wrapping gifts, or curled up with a warm drink and a good book. The recipe follows below.
While you’re in a giving mood, please consider bidding on items offered by food bloggers worldwide for our Menu for Hope fundraiser. You can bid in someone’s name to give a thoughtful present that also supports a good cause — and the winning bidder will receive the item in January. Read on for more details about the campaign and the prizes I’m contributing.
Last year I suggested a number of holiday-worthy recipes from the archives. To those I now add the following favorites:
Savory:
~ Cheese thins,
~ Green pea cilantro spread,
~ Jerusalem artichoke soup with bacon,
~ Champagne and saffron mussels,
~ Lamb and orange khoresh (Persian stew),
~ Gratin dauphinois (potato gratin),
~ Spaghetti squash gratin with walnuts,
~ Brussels sprouts with onions and squash seeds,
~ Saffron-roasted cauliflower.
Sweet:
~ Raspberry dacquoise,
~ Green tea and red bean cake roll,
~ Maple pecan ice cream,
~ Vanilla-poached quince.
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Prep Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Serving Size: Makes about 25 marbles.
Ingredients
- 120 grams (1 cup) shelled hazelnuts, toasted and husked*
- 100 grams (3/4 cup) confectioner’s sugar
- A pinch fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons honey (or maple or agave syrup); grease the measuring spoon with a little vegetable oil
- 85 grams (3 ounces) high-quality bittersweet chocolate
Instructions
- Place the toasted, husked hazelnuts, confectioner’s sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl and make a well in the center. Stir together the honey and 1 tablespoon hot water to dissolve the honey, then pour into the well and mix with a fork until combined.
- Knead the hazelnut paste by hand for one to two minutes until it forms a cohesive ball. It may feel slightly sticky; this will firm up as it chills. Wrap the paste in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to a day.
- Remove the paste from the refrigerator. Using rounded teaspoons, portion out the paste and roll into small balls about 2 cm (3/4 inch) in diameter. Arrange them on a plate and insert a toothpick vertically into each ball. Cover loosely with plastic and return to the fridge to chill.
- Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Melt the chocolate gently in a double boiler, stirring occasionally until smooth.
- Dip each marble into the melted chocolate while holding the toothpick, swirling to coat. Leave the very top uncoated so the hazelnut paste shows. Allow excess chocolate to drip off, then place the marble on the prepared sheet with the toothpick pointing upward. Let the chocolate set in a cool spot (not the refrigerator) for about two hours, until dry. Store the marbles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.
Notes
*If your hazelnuts still have skins after toasting, rub them in a kitchen towel while warm to remove most of the brown papery skins.
https://cnz.to/recipes/candy-mignardises/chocolate-dipped-hazelnut-marbles-recipe/