Chocolates for our housewarming

 

Pistachio-Kirsch recipe from Making Artisan Chocolates by Andrew Garrison Shotts
Dulce de Leche Coffee recipe from Chocolates and Confections by Peter Greweling
Notes: For our housewarming party, I decided to make a couple of batches of chocolates. Using a tray of hollow milk chocolate shells, I filled them halfway with store-bought dulce de leche, then topped them off with a coffee-chocolate ganache. I let these dry out for a day, then sealed them with a bit of milk chocolate. To finish, I dipped them in tempered milk chocolate, let them set up for a few minutes, then sprinkled a bit of instant espresso powder on top. The flavour of these ones were incredible, an intense coffee combined with the creamy, dairy taste of the caramel. There's a shot of the interior in this eGullet post.

I still had some Luxardo Marasca cherries left in the fridge and thought that the pistachio-kirsch recipe from Shotts' book would be a good starting point. I cut up the cherries into quarters, and used the cherry syrup in place of the corn syrup in the recipe. I piped the kirsch ganache over the cherry pieces, then let it dry out for a few days. You really have to watch the temperature of the ganache as there's a small window during which it can be piped easily. Dr. S helped me to roll the lumps into balls (a very messy job!) while I dipped them in melted and cooled chocolate. I didn't bother to temper it as the next step was to roll the chocolates in toasted, finely chopped pistachios. The cherry piece at the centre of the chocolate was a nice surprise, and I liked the nutty exterior as well.