Can anyone help Stefin keep her pots from slipping on her induction stove top? Especially when making Black Licorice last week, having a pan filled with hot sugar sliding about has Stefin on red alert. Tips needed!

Recipe Review: Brigadeiros from Saveur

This week’s recipe for Brazilian Fudge Truffles, or brigadeiros, starts with some exciting ingredient discoveries. Andrea is over the moon about a new semi-sweet chocolate chip she sourced from Equal Exchange. It’s fresh, it’s fair trade, and it’s delicious. Stefin mixed dark Guittard with milk chocolate to create a semi-sweet chocolate for her recipe. Andrea tried Black Cocoa from King Arthur Flour while Stefin used cocoa from Green & Black’s Organic. Finally, Andrea purchased Black Magic sprinkles from India Tree and found them to be a tasty topping.

Andrea committed to sitting in her new bar stools and stirring her batter for the full 16 minutes as instructed in the recipe, although she found it thickened halfway through (at the eight minute mark), and was incredibly thick by 13 minutes. Nevertheless, she persisted. Andrea found four hours of chilling was not long enough, and had better success buttering her hands and rolling and shaping after eight hours. Both hosts cut their serving sizes down to a more manageable, bite-size portion, and Stefin found the batter could be shaped and rolled in stages, rather than all at once.

Taste-wise, Stefin loved this treat! Since it’s more of a chocolate caramel than a traditional chocolate truffle, it reminded her of Sanders hot fudge sauce from Detroit, Michigan, which also deliciously marries the two flavors. Her whole family enjoyed making and eating the brigadeiros, and the Kohn family now has a new holiday tradition. Sadly, Andrea did not love them as much, and thought they tasted more like chocolate pudding. Listeners, make your own and tell us what you think!

Blue Ribbon for December

It’s the fifth Monday so it’s time to award a Blue Ribbon from December’s Confection Affection month. Here’s the contenders:

• Episode 154: Marshmallows from Foodie with Family
• Episode 155: Pretzel & Nut Mix from David Lebovitz
• Episode 156: Red Licorice from Gluten Free on a Shoestring
• Episode 156: Black Licorice from Dessert for 2 via Food 52
• Episode 157: Brigadeiros from Saveur
  

And the winners are … Stefin selected the brigadeiros, while Andrea selected the Pretzel & Nut Mix. What a fun month of gifting goodies! Listeners, which Confection Affection recipe won your blue ribbon?

#19for‘19 Baking Resolutions Recapped

Heading into the end of the year, did the hosts complete their #19for19 baking resolutions? Andrea made gingerbread using a recipe for Billie’s Gingerbread from Ruth Reichl’s Delicious! book, discussed back in Episode 118. She found the cake to be spicy, sweet, fresh and delicious, and she was lucky enough to source young ginger and use her new NordicWare Brilliance Bundt pan. She also clocked a few more entries into her “10 new recipes from five new cookbooks” with Cardamom Buttermilk Panna Cotta and Olive Oil Maple Granola from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Alas, the Bûche de Noël and Angel Food Cake might have to slide until next year.

Stefin made marshmallows in Episode 154 and she completed her Turkish odyssey of baking, cooking and eating by tackling real Turkish Delight. She was inspired after reading a recipe by Tamal Ray in The Guardian‘s Saturday Feast magazine, and added blackcurrant, which didn’t add quite enough zing to make the recipe sing.

To cap off the year Andrea made an eight-strand challah bread. While the final result might not have been as beautiful as desired, it sure did taste good!

Previously on Preheated …

Three Years Ago: Episode 9, Champagne Dreams

Two Years Ago: Episode 58, 2018 Baking Resolutions

One Year Ago: Episode 105.5, A Pudding Worth Singing About

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