RECCHIUTI CONFECTIONS, FERRY BUILDING SAN FRANCISCO

Rose Caramel. 


One bite of this Recchiuti confection and I knew it was quality stuff.

See that one lonely square of Fleur de sel caramel from my bag of many that didn’t get squished in my carry on luggage (it’s the little square with the white diagonal lines at each corner)?  They were very tasty squished anyway.



Funny thing about squished chocolates.  For some reason, there is impetus in me to eat them quickly.  I pop them in my mouth without  hesitation because their beauty is marred.  I save the prettiest confections for last, to be savoured slowly.  I linger over perfectly beautiful desserts. 

On our recent trip to San Francisco I was given a big goodie bag of confections from  my cousin from the Recchiuti Confections shop that we visited in the Ferry Building.

Only now have I gotten around to tasting the different chocolates I brought home to Vancouver and boy are they delicious! 

Marshmallows


The Vanilla bean marshmallows had that hand-cut home-crafted look.  My daughters inhaled them.   They saved a few for a playdate…and their girlfriends inhaled them as well.  They received sticky thumbs up all around.

Smores bites.


These were covered in dark chocolate and the little square of graham cracker rested on the bottom of the marshmallow. 

Rose Caramel


“Delicate rose geranium oil swirled into light, buttery caramel. Cast in a white chocolate couverture and capped with bittersweet chocolate”.

Recchiuti Confections, located in the Ferry Building in San Francisco is a chocolate lover’s paradise.  There were specialty chocolates for wine pairing, beautiful custom chocolates and other chocolate-related paraphernalia.  They seemed to specialize in chocolate covered fleur de sel caramels and marshmallows.
Thank you Sylvia for introducing me to these gorgeous chocolates!  You have good taste!

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PURPLE CUPCAKE BALLS

I have rediscovered the joys of cakeballs.

Since Daylight Saving time, it’s been such a drag what with such little sunshine during waking hours.  My little ones are constantly asking if it’s time for bed yet because it’s dark so early. 

I have little inclination to bake (as you can see from my lack of posts) because I’m so tired from just the daily grind of work and household management.  What I have found time for is cakeballs.  If you're not a baker, or you're too lazy to make a cake and frosting from scratch,  turn to my trusty pal, Betty Crocker (or Duncan Hines).  Horrors!  Yes, it's perfectly fine for cakeballs.  In fact, it's preferable because you'll be expending most of your energy on cakeball decorating--the fun part.



Ever the recycler, if I have a chunk of leftover pound cake or banana bread, I use it for cakeballs.   I always have leftover frosting in the freezer.  If you don't bake, you can always purchase a pound cake or other unfrosted cake from the bakery.  However, I always have chunks of cake in my household.  I bake a lot of frostingless cakes for snacking and inevitably, there's a buildup of cake.  What's so nifty about making cakeballs is the sometimes dry leftover cake chunks get remoistened from the incorporated dollop of frosting.  Yum factor is enhanced and the fact that it's bite-sized makes the recipient feel all-so-special.  It's like a little perfect individual gift.  Guilt is low because it's only a mouthful...unless you eat a dozen.  The value-added feature of decorating cakeballs is rewarding.  I always get more smiles with little cakeballs than I do with a slice of homemade layer cake and real buttercream frosting made from scratch.  I think it’s the cute factor.

Cakeballs, or in this case, my sorry little attempt at “cupcakeballs” as seen here by the chocolate base, are all the rage due to Bakerella’s awesome blog and new cookbook.  Though cakeballs have been around for years, no one does it as well as Bakerella.  Before I learned about her blog, I was using leftover cake pieces I made from scratch (and banana bread) to make my own cakeballs.  They weren't as pretty as hers nor were they as cute because she spear-headed the "pop" factor with the addition of sticks.  She has pretty much refined the cakeball making techniques in her book.  I recently purchased her book (because it took me this long to find one in our local Chapters) and I was inspired to use the peanut butter cup candy molds I have from Wilton.  All I had on hand were purple candy melts, and though the unnatural colour may be offputting to some people, it is somewhat cheery during these dark days approaching winter.

If you want to use leftover cake from your counter to make cakeballs, add a little bit of buttercream frosting (from scratch or purchased) a tablespoon at a time to the crumbled cake in a large bowl.  Do not add too much frosting.  Too much will lead to a cakeball that will fall apart.  Knead the products together until everything is combined thoroughly.  Roll into balls and refrigerate.  Dip into melted chocolate or candy melts.  Decorate with sprinkles or drizzle more chocolate on top.  Poke a stick into the cakeball before dipping if you want a cakepop.  Ta-dah! Not brain surgery.

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HOMEMADE BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOWS

homemade bittersweet chocolate marshmallows

Bebe loves marshmallows. She can pop back a few in a blink of an eye.

Until just this year, I didn't even think to make marshmallows.

I found a marshmallow recipe in Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Baking: From My Home to Yours, and chose a bittersweet chocolate variation. I used VanHouten cocoa powder and Lindt 70% dark chocolate and the chocolate flavour rang through very clearly.

the light dusting of cornstarch you see covering these marshmallows was largely gone after an overnight rest

Freshly made, these marshmallows, with their dusting of cornstarch, were okay. After waiting a day, they were so much better. The chocolate flavour was more intense and the texture of the marshmallows was soft and pillowy.

I dusted off the surplus cornstarch from some of the marshmallows with a pastry brush because patting them didn't seem to get enough of the cornstarch off of the marshmallows. Too much cornstarch kind of left you with an overwhelmingly powdery residue in your mouth. With the overnight marshmallows, the light film of cornstarch had been mostly absorbed. You definitely need the cornstarch there so you can cut the sticky marshmallows, so it's not as if you can do away with the dusting altogether.

I cut them in little squares and they were so light, airy and soft that you could easily eat the whole pile of them. The chocolate flavour was a winner and I'd make these again!

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOWS

(adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours)

About 1 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup cold water

1 1/4 cup plus 1 T sugar

2 T light corn syrup

2 1/4-ounce packets unflavoured gelatin

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 t vanilla extract

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate [I used Lindt 70% dark]

2 1/2 T unsweetened cocoa powder [I used Van Houten brand cocoa powder]

• Line a rimmed baking sheet--choose one with a rim that is 1 inch high-- with parchment paper and dust the paper generously with cornstarch. Have a candy thermometer at hand.
• Put 1/3 cup of the water, 1 1/4 cups of the sugar and the corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup--without stirring--until it reaches 265degrees F on the candy thermometer, about 10 minutes [note: it took only 6 minutes when I made it]
• While the syrup is cooking, work on the gelatin and egg whites. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining cold water (a scant 7 tablespoons) and let it sit for about 5 minutes, until it is spongy, then heat the gelatin in a microwave oven for 20 to 30 seconds to liquefy it. (Alternatively, you can dissolve the gelatin in a saucepan over low heat.)
• Working in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in another large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until firm but still glossy--don't overbeat them and have them go dull.
• As soon as the syrup reaches 265 degrees F, remove the pan from the heat and, with the mixer on medium, speed, add the syrup, pouring it between the spinning beaters and the sides of the bowl. Add the gelatin and continue to beat for another 3 minutes, so that the syrup and the gelatin are fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla.
• Melt the 3 oz chocolate with the cocoa powder, stirring until glossy and smooth.
• Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the melted chocolate mixture into the the batter and fold in until mixed.
• Using a large rubber spatula, scrape the meringue mixture onto the baking sheet, laying it down close to a short end of the sheet. Then spread it into the corners and continue to spread it out, taking care to keep the height of the batter at 1 inch; you won't fill the pan. Lift the excess parchment paper up to meet the edge of the batter then rest something against the paper so that it stays in place. Greenspan uses custard cups.
• Dust the top of the marshmallows with cornstarch and let the marshmallows set in a cool, dry place. They'll need about 3 hours, but they can rest for 12 hours or more.
• Once they are cool and set, cut the marshmallows with a long thing knife or pair of scissors. Whatever you use, you'll have to rinse and dry it frequently. Have a big bowl with the remaining cornstarch at hand and cut the marshmallows as you'd like--into squares, rectangles or even strips. As each piece is cut, drop it into the bowl. When you've got 4 or 5 marshmallows in the bowl, reach in with your fingers and turn the marshmallows to coat them with starch, then, one by one, toss the marshmallows from one hand to the other to shake off the excess starch; transfer them to a serving bowl. Cut and coat the rest of the batch. [I found using a pastry brush to dust off the excess cornstarch was more effective]

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