This week’s recipe: Sweet Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Author: Marla Abramson

Is school getting to you? Between the job search and midterms, I’m more wound up than a matchbox car. Cooking often provides a good outlet and let’s face it, sometimes us Fuquans deserve to indulge. And nothing says indulgence better than chocolate. It can be complex, simple, or refreshing but anyway you make it, chocolate can be more than a sweet treat.

 

This past Saturday, Fuquans and partners tested this theory at the Culinary Club's Chocolate Progressive event. With 13 dishes in 10 apartments, there was a lot to sample. John Yuen rolled fruit and sticky rice into his chocolate sushi, while Erika Jennings dished out bread pudding. Other students offered Oreo-crusted white chocolate mousse torte, chocolate hazelnut mousse cake, white chocolate raspberry brownies, and chocolate caramel cheesecake.

 

I myself whipped up a batch of chocolate peanut butter balls: the chocolate tastes both simple and complex and packs enough sugar to fuel my team through midterms. Speaking of which, try this recipe to celebrate the end of exams and start your Thanksgiving early.

 

Sweet Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

 

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups creamy peanut butter

3 cups confectioners' sugar

3 cups crispy rice cereal, crushed

1 cup semisweet mini chocolate morsels

2  12-oz packages semisweet chocolate morsels

 

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, sugar, rice cereal and mini chocolate morsels. 

2. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls, place onto the parchment-lined cookie sheet, and put the tray in the freezer.

3. In a double boiler over simmering water, melt the semisweet morsels. Stir constantly until melted and smooth. If pressed for time, microwave the chocolate for 80 seconds, stirring every 20 seconds.

4. Dip the frozen treats in the melted chocolate, and put them on a cool cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

5. Place the chocolate-covered treats in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the chocolate has set.

6. Store the treat in an airtight container at room temperature.

 

Makes about 3 dozen

Chocolate Progressive Photos

Photos by Marla

Recipe for Chocolate Sushi by John Yuen

INGREDIENTS

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate (dark chocolate works better)

2-3 tablespoons light corn syrup

4 oz cooked sticky rice

fruit, cut into strips (Asian pears, tangerines, persimmon, and other sweet, fleshy fruits work well)

DIRECTIONS

To make the chocolate: Over low heat, melt the chocolate together with the corn syrup. Once melted, pour the chocolate ont a large piece of wax paper, and fold the paper over to cover the chocolate. While still warm, form the chocolate into a sheet about 1/4-inch thick. Let cool to room temperature. (To speed this up, you may also place it in the fridge for approximately 20 minutes.)

To make the sticky rice: A quick way to make sticky rice is to cook it normally in extra water, and add sugar. Use a medium grain rice, and wash thoroughly before cooking. Add 2-3 times the water as rice, and add sugar as the rice heats. Cook about 45 minutes. Alternately, to add flavor, you can cook the rice in sweet tea, fruit juice, or another sweet drink. Allow the rice cool to room temperature, and it will become sticky.

To make the sushi: Put the chocolate sheet on a flat surface. Test for firmness by making sure you can slowly bend the chocolate without it breaking; it should remain as one solid piece. Place the rice and fruit on the chocolate. Next, slowly and carefully roll the chocolate over. Cut with a sharp knife and serve immediately.

This week’s recipe: Elodie Farms Review/Goat Cheese Salad Recipe

The October issue of Bon Appetit magazine called Durham “America’s Foodiest Small Town.” The author writes, “Imagine a place where foodies not only have a favorite chef, but also a favorite farmer; a place where the distance between the organic farm and the award-winning restaurant is mere miles.”

 

While the Triangle has a special affection for local food, many neighboring producers also offer chances to get out and explore the farms. One such opportunity is offered by goat farmer and artisan cheese maker, Dave Artigues, at Elodie Farms in Rougemont, a small town about a half hour due north of Durham. This past Sunday, a group of Fuqua students and partners made the trek to Rougemont for a crash course in cheese making. 

 

Elodie’s specialty is chèvre, a soft, creamy cheese which follows a relatively predictable process. You start by pasteurizing the goat’s milk by heating it and then adding a culture and rennet, an enzyme found in the stomachs of cows and goats. After the right amount of time and heat, the cheese is cut and stirred, resulting in the separation of the solid from the liquid part, which are also known as curds and whey. The final step is to pour the solid part into a container with holes and place a weight on top so that the cheese takes shape. Depending on whether the cheese is soft or hard, it is eaten immediately or stored for months.

 

Exploring the Triangle’s local food scene is a great way to get to know one of its quirkier sides. Now that the weather is cool again and local salad greens are available, celebrate fall with a warm goat cheese salad.   

 

INGREDIENTS

½ pound fresh goat cheese (one 2 by 5-inch log)

½ cup fine bread crumbs

½ cup toasted walnuts

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar

Salt and pepper

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ pound garden lettuces, washed and dried

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 400ºF.

2. In a food processor, pulse the ingredients until the nuts are ground, being careful not to over-grind.

3. Slice the goat cheese into 8 disks about ½ inch thick.  Roll the disks in the bread crumb mixture, coating them thoroughly.

4. Place the cheeses on a small baking sheet and bake for about 6 minutes, until the cheese is warm.

5. Measure the vinegars into a small bowl and add a big pinch of salt. Whisk in the oil and a little pepper. Taste for seasoning and adjust.

6. Toss the lettuces lightly with the vinaigrette and arrange on salad plates.

7. With a metal spatula, carefully place 2 disks of the baked cheese on each plate and serve.

 

SERVES 4

 

Have a question about creative culinary treats or know of a great restaurant in the Triangle? Let us know at fuquaculinary@gmail.com or on our new blog: http://fuquaeats.blogspot.com.

This week’s recipe: Roasted Acorn Squash

Author: Misa Misono

The colors on the trees are changing, the sky turns dark before 4PM classes are finished, and MBA students are spotted all over campus wearing – wait for it – business attire. Fall has arrived at Fuqua, and while this means less time to find a job, it also marks the beginning of my all-time favorite season for cooking.

 

Through a produce program I joined, I receive an allotment of different fruits and vegetables at my door each week.  The neat thing about the program is that you find out what you’re going to receive ahead of time and can change it online, swapping apples for collard greens or vice versa, depending on what’s available.  I left my allotment up to chance for the first few weeks, and without fail, began receiving a funny squash called an acorn squash each week.  They started to pile up on my counter, causing my roommate to fear I was becoming a human-sized squirrel stocking up for winter.  It was time to take action.

 

Acorn squash is, as you might guess, shaped like an acorn, albeit a giant, softball-sized one. It is one of the most delicious squash out there, with vibrant orange colored flesh that when cooked, melts in your mouth.  The downside?  It is a huge pain to peel and slice, thanks to its hard, scalloped exterior that helps the squash last through the winter. Cooking it with as few preparation steps as possible is key, and the easiest way to do that is to bake it after cutting it in half.  Halving an acorn squash is no easy feat, so I turned to the Internet for answers. 

 

The answer came in the form of a bench scraper, a simple, cheap tool that many cooks use for baking and often repurpose for scooping up chopped ingredients.  A bench-scraper is a piece of tough stainless steel 6 inches across and 4 inches high, with a handle on the top made either of metal or hard plastic.  It’s a worthwhile $3-5 investment that can be found in most grocery stores and is one of the most used tools in my kitchen, from cutting biscuits and cheese to scooping up chopped onions.

 

But I digress - back to task at hand, the formidable acorn squash.  The method I discovered uses a bench scraper and gentle force from a hammer to easily split the squash into halves.  It is fast, easy, and a lot safer than trying to force a knife through the tough squash.

 

After conquering the squash, I found that baking it with a little oil and salt yielded soft flesh, rich flavor, and minimal fuss. Even better, by broiling the squash for a few minutes after cooking, you can create a beautiful, crackling finish that makes it plate-ready and impressive looking.  Think of the famous top of a crème brulèe, but with soft orange filling and far fewer calories.  Serve it with a simple salad and you’re done!

 

Shopping notes:

Bench scrapers can be found in the baking or kitchen tool section of grocery stores or Target

 

Cooking tools:

Bench scraper, hammer or mallet, small baking sheet, foil

 

Tip: If you do not want to invest in a bench scraper, there is documented success of opening an acorn squash by dropping on a hard surface (cement, asphalt...)

 

Ingredients:

1 acorn “winter” squash

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 ½  Tablespoon of butter

1 ½ Tablespoon of brown sugar

Salt and pepper

 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line baking sheet with foil. 

 

1. Wash and thoroughly dry acorn squash.  Place on cutting board, with stem facing upward. 

2. Place bench scraper next to hard stem, with the edge facing directly perpendicular to the cutting board, like you would hold a knife if you were about to slice through it. 

3. Using a rubber mallet or hammer, tap down with light-to-moderate force until squash splits.  Continue to tap down on scraper.  If it does not make it all the way through the squash, turn squash on its side and repeat process, using your first split as a guide. 

4. Continue until squash is cut in half stem-wise.

5. Pour oil on squash halves, making sure that the entire open surface is covered in oil.  Sprinkle each half with a pinch of salt.

6. Place face down on covered baking sheet.  Put in oven for 25-30 minutes.  To test doneness, push outside of squash – it should be soft.  Squash juices should also be present in the bottom of the pan.

7. Remove from oven and let stand for 3-5 minutes, to allow squash to reabsorb some of its juices.  Meanwhile, melt butter in a small bowl in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.  Add cinnamon and brown sugar to melted butter and mix.

8. Flip squash over using a spatula or a pair of tongs.  Watch out for the steam!  Pour melted butter mix over squash.  It is okay if some of it pools in the center.

9. Turn the oven (or toaster oven) to broil.  Place squash back into oven.  Let broil for up to 6 minutes, keeping careful watch of the squash, as it will go from toasty to black in a matter of seconds.

10. Remove from oven and let stand for 2 minutes.

Serve on a plate with a simple salad, such as the warm goat cheese salad featured in last week’s column.

 

SERVES: 2 persons.

 

Know of a great restaurant in the Triangle? Let us know at fuquaculinary@gmail.com or on our new blog: http://fuquaeats.blogspot.com.

Photos from a Cheese-tour with Elodie Farms

Some MBA students and their friends formed a motley crew to attend a cheese-making class at Elodie Farms.  Local goat cheese...delicious!

photos by Misa