Red Curry White Chocolate Peanut Butter Thai Truffles

imagine this...

like nothing you'd ever expect in a typical peanut butter chocolate candy morsel.
upon first bite, instantly you are transported to another country...

but where am I ?...

what are those flavors ?...
yes, i see peanuts and chocolate, but...

lemongrass, coconut, red curry, ginger...
oooh AND there's a spicy kick at the end ?!

it's like some little Thai mother infiltrated the Reese's factory and slipped in a few of her own ingredients...

"REESE'S" GOES TO THAILAND

these are a huge hit among my foodie friends.  some were a bit sceptical...possibly from my description alone.  i didn't know how to explain the flavors.

the best i can do is liken it to that delicious spicy Thai peanut dipping sauce you get with a good plate of Satay...or the sauce you get with spicy peanut noodles and end up licking the bowl...

i know...it all sounds so weird,

BUT i promise you...

this is an unforgettable outrageous truffle. 

RED CURRY WHITE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER THAI TRUFFLES

makes about 38-40 truffles

14 oz. white chocolate

3/4 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup creamy "brand" peanut butter

1 Tsp Thai Red Curry Paste

1/2 tsp coconut extract

1/8 tsp cayenne powder

zest 1/2-3/4 lime

6 oz roasted salted peanuts, small chop.

dark chocolate, TEMPERED for dipping

crystallised ginger for garnish

put white chocolate, peanut butter, red curry paste, lime zest, cayenne in a medium glass bowl.  set aside.

in a small sauce pan add cream and bring to "almost boil".  stir while heating so as not to scald on the bottom.

pour hot cream over white chocolate mixture and let sit for just a moment.  stir with a whisk (just stir...not vigorously).  as it comes together add in the coconut extract.  when it is all combined, give it a little whisking to make sure it is all emulsified and is not separating.  TASTE TEST.  add a little more something if you see fit.  i usually do a little tweaking at this time.  let come to room temp.  put mixture in the fridge, uncovered.  you don't want condensation from a cover in your chocolate mixture.  in about an hour, come back to it and give it a stir...if it isn't set yet...taste test one more time.  this is the last time you can add anything.  then cover and put back in the fridge for at least a few hours or over night is better.

when absolutely set, make 3/4 inch balls.  USE THIN RUBBER GLOVES...rubber gloves make everything so much easier.  when ball is formed roll in bowl of chopped roasted salted peanuts.  you need to press the peanuts in a little bit to cover the ball.  when these are all done...set aside if dipping in chocolate.  i think they should be close to room temperature when dipping so you won't have any cracks or seepage.

click HERE for some Tips and Tricks for a good TEMPER

work in a cold room if possible.

temper your dark chocolate.  dip balls half way and set on prepared parchment cookie sheets.   if room is too warm, refrigerate balls for about 15 minutes to set.

drizzle chocolate over full sheet of balls...it's easier than one at a time.

you will probably have left-over tempered chocolate so have other goodies on hand to dip or throw into a quick "bark".

Coriander-Peanut Pesto

I'm usually very happy about the food I post, but this recipe is AMAZING. Really, you have to try it. The only chance you won't like this is if you're one of those freaks of nature who doesn't like fresh coriander. (I mean freak of nature in the kindest possible way, of course.)

I got this from Thomas who works for Hamonoya, the agent for Microplane in the Nordic countries. We met, together with Dagmar and Lena, at a convention where he showed the latest news from Microplane, and we chatted about our mutual love of coriander. He enthusiastically described this great coriander peanut chutney, a recipe from Danish food writer and TV cook Camilla Plum that he had often made and adjusted to his liking. He spoke Danish, and I, admittedly don't. So I was very thankful that he also e-mailed me the recipe.

Here's my version of it. I find it more of a pesto than a chutney, so that's what I've chosen to call it. It goes with everything. Eat it with meat, chicken or fish. With asian food. On bread. With a spoon. It doesn't matter.

Coriander-Peanut Pesto
200 g peanuts (I use roasted, ready-salted, in which case you don't need more salt)
1 large bunch of fresh coriander
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp demerara sugar
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp sambal oelek or other chili paste, or one fresh red chili
3 tbsp peanut oil
possibly salt, if not using ready-salted peanuts

Mix everything in a food processor, to a coarse paste. Season to taste, you might want more heat, more acidity - lime - more salt or more sugar.

TOFU SATAY with PEANUT SAUCE

TOFU SATAY with PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE...

i never thought i'd see the day that i could honestly say...I LOVE TOFU !

well, i'm not really that in love with it...i am a pork lover that's for sure. if you can wrap it in bacon or cook it with duck fat i'm all over it. hey...i think the next tofu creation/experiment will have to be confit tofu wrapped in bacon...hmmmmm good idea, i might try that this weekend. but seriously, i do really like this recipe. if you're a little unsure about the tofu try it with chicken, i did and it was super fabulous. friends told me it was one of their favorites and demanded the recipe.

SATAY MARINADE

i found this while googling around for recipes with TOFU. i guess Daring cooks took on the satay challenge a while back and i came across this great idea from a fellow blogger... Mango & Tomato. i've always loved satay with it's yummy peanut dipping sauce so this seemed like a safe way to break into the world of TOFU

below is just the satay marinade recipe i found at Mango & Tomato. i'm sure her peanut sauce is fabulous, but i used another due to ingredients on hand. the one i made turned out incredibly finger lickin' good.

SATAY MARINADE
1/2 small onion
2 garlic cloves
2 cm piece of ginger
2 T lemon juice
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric

Directions
1. Puree all ingredients in the food processor (how easy is that?).
2. Marinade cubed tofu covered for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Saute the tofu on all sides till golden brown (I used coconut oil).

i only used 1 block of tofu, but this is enough for 2

if using chicken (1.5-2 lbs boneless, skinless) cut in large cubes

i sauteed the tofu

i skewered and grilled the chicken

tip for chicken...wrap in foil as soon as it's just done to keep in moisture)

PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE

found here at Recipekitchen

1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy (i used 1/4 creamy and 1/4 chunky)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbl. lemon juice
2 Tbl. brown sugar
3/4 tsp. ground ginger (i added a little grated fresh ginger as well)
1/2 tsp. red pepper, crushed flakes

heat all ingredients in a sauce pan on low-medium heat. stir well about 5 minutes so all flavors will meld. add more water if it's too thick. it will thicken as it cools so if serving at room temp. be aware of this. the sauce saves well for leftovers. just give it a stir and a reheat.

to my amazement the tofu held up quite well the following day. good as new with a quick microwave (don't over nuke)..quite resilient i must say.

i will definitely be making this again, with both TOFU (in the fridge right now) and with Chicken. it's easy and a sure bet for Satay lovers. keep the recipe out because you'll be asked for it i'm sure.