Jessye Norman’s interview at the Library of Congress – “What could be more important…to a singer than: I have a story to tell, I know the story, I’m going to help you to understand the story even if this isn’t your language”
At 3am on the anniversary of my fathers death – also the day after anniversary of launching my business, also the first day of the autumnal equinox or the start of fall, I contemplate, food and art, and health, and my family, and my house, and my job and wonder if this is worth the very few hours of sleep I’ll be getting?
I assure you it is. Because in these late, quiet hours, I search for the poem I remember hearing 5 years ago. I find the perfect image to reflect my mood and I ponder the reason I was craving Greek food and determined that it was the evening in an unfamiliar outdoor bodega in Costa Rica, despite the monsoonlike rains, I was going to make something delicious. Yes, beautiful, beautiful Costa Rica… but those were the early days of hard times, laced with apprehension, overflow for the senses, and a rather false sense of normalcy.
Not that normal was (or is) anything I would go for, but that loneliness filled with persistence to get this feat lovingly completed still brings the taste of fire roasted eggplant and nutmeg tinged bechamel to my tongue. Which all comes full circle to say that there’s a story here. Somewhere, when I make a moussaka for you, you will have to experience where this color, texture, aroma and composition came from. Of course, your interpretation will include your history, background and experience with Greek food. For all I know, you may have dated a Greek that was a jerk and now anything resembling Greek leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I may be exaggerating….slightly.
But this, my friends is how I envision art.
So, however you choose to roast, bake, grill, stir fry or just not eat an eggplant- you have your reasons and I have mine. How we choose to tell that story may very possibly change how it tastes this time.
At our last dinner on Connection and Community I featured a friend, and local chocolate maker with whom I consulted on starting this business. This integral connection is the story I wanted my guests to taste from her delicious Truffles. The tart recipe Debbi and I were going to make for the September event didn’t materialize but I’m sharing it here. Straight up from KitchenFrau with a few changes (as is my way):
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups ground hazelnuts
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup whole Medjool Dates (about 9)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Method
If you have made energy balls or ‘sugar free’ treats, you may have a good handle on using dates. I have a bag in my pantry at all times! Same goes for hazelnuts. Except they are whole (note that ground nut flour will go rancid sooner than whole nuts). Plus, by now you know the recipes I choose here are not a one and done deal. It’s the process: Roast the hazelnuts. Get frustrated when all the skin won’t come off. Get frustrated again when it flies everywhere. Toast them again and rub some more. Take an extra 5 minutes to determine that you are done toasting and the remaining skins will add some flavor/fiber.
Once you’ve got your hazelnuts, flour or toasted whole, throw them in a food processor with the oats. Pulse a few times so that you have a fine powder. Add the dates (make sure they are chopped evenly so there’s no chunks) and the remaining ingredients and continue pulsing until it becomes a somewhat pasty then sticky ball.
Now to get your hands in it! Spray a 9″ tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom, and dump the whole blob. You can use gloves or just have some water handy to dampen your fingers and start pressing the dough starting from the center and working up the sides of the pan. Music at this point is extremely helpful, as is slow breaths. I find both of those things help me feel the unevenness of the dough. Just genty even out those lumps, use the side of a cup if it’s useful.
Done! Theres no gluten here so no need to rest. Bake about 10 min in a 350 degree oven. Once it cools, (our plan was to fill it with her decadent ganache), alas, we all just popped the chocolate straight in our mouth! You can get some directly from her or fill it with whatever your heart desires.
If this peaks your interest, consider joining her link https://eatlocalcsra.com/chocolate-truffle-tribe/
