HAZELNUT DATE TRUFFLES - TRUFFES AUX DATTES ET NOISETTES

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
Winter is dead.
- A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.
- Rainer Maria Rilke

It’s official, spring is finally upon us! One must be a fool not to have witnessed nature’s boisterous reawakening. The signs are omnipresent and unless you live in a cave or you are deaf, dumb and blind (not in the medical sense, but in the spiritual one), it is quite impossible to miss them.

Yes, spring is here and there’s no denying it. From morning to evening the birds are chirping hysterically, trees are blossoming rapidly, a cacophony of lush flowers has invaded the lawns and meadows, the air smells of honey and mowed grass, market stalls are looking more vibrant than ever, afternoon temperatures flirt with the twenties (celsius), the mountains are losing their snow, warm sunshine graces our skin again, the longer days have arrived and most of us are struggling with seasonal fatigue or hay fever.

Spring drew on...and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps.
- Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

Something in the air this morning made me feel like flying...
- Eileen Granfors, And More White Sheets: An expanded text edition

I find this time of the year quite thrilling, revitalizing and inspiring as once more life takes over and grim darkness, decay and silence is supplanted by bright light, joyfullness, efflorescence and excitement. After an extensive period of hibernation, suddenly each living being, without exception, is shaken from its torpor and fuelled with new energy.

Spring, the season of transformation and resurrection, revives our hopes and dreams, blows away our fears as well as doubts and brings positive change in our existence. It is a fresh beginning for us all and like a phoenix that has risen from the ashes, we are ready to take a leap into the unknown, conquer the world and discover unexplored horizons.

I, myself am no stranger to the sheer euphoria that takes hold of us humans when we turn over the third page of the calendar, spot the very first primrose or hear the melodious morning song of blackbirds. As soon as the vernal equinox occurs, I become as restless and impatient as a small child on Christmas Eve and I cannot wait for the big transition to happen.

Unfortunately, the blooming period is ephemeral - I am always surprised by how fast things go and how soon summer arrives - and the tender and luxurious colors of spring are fastly replaced by dark shades of green. This is the reason why I try to be mindfully attentive to my surroundings and fully savor every single moment that is offered to me…

En tout être comme en toute chose se côtoient et s’imbriquent Lumière et Ténèbres. Dans une datte que vous croquez, la chair nourrit votre corps, mais le goût suave et le parfum et la couleur nourrissent votre esprit. La Lumière qui est en vous se nourrit de beauté et de connaissance, songez à la nourrir sans arrêt, ne vous contentez pas de gaver le corps.
- Amin Maalouf, Les Jardins De Lumière

Speaking of time passing fastly, Easter is once again upon us and I hope that you all have wonderful plans for the long weekend ahead. Well, in case you still don’t know what treat or snack to prepare for the April celebrations, you might be interested in giving my “Hazelnut Date Truffles” a try.

These refined bites are easy to prepare (a real lifesaver) and aside from tasting divine and being addictive, they are also healthy (no guilty conscience here!) - this is a perfect after dinner or teatime nibble, especially if you have been eating rich food all day long.

Hopefully you'll attempt to make them as they are an absolute crowd pleaser (even kids love them) and besides, this recipe is highly adaptable (extra fun in the kitchen)...

Hazelnut Date Truffles
Recipe by Rosa Mayland, April 2014.

Makes about 16-20 truffles.

Ingredients:
1 1/3 Cup (about 22) Pitted & chopped Medjool dates
2/3 Cups (80g) Toasted Hazelnuts (or any other nut of your choice)
1 Tbs Whisky (or water)
1 Tsp Pure vanilla extract
3 Tbs Unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for coating the truffles
A pinch fine sea sealt
1/4 Cup (45g) Small chocolate (dark, milk or white) chunks/drops

Method:
1. Put the dates, hazelnuts, whisky and vanilla in a food processor and run until a fine and sticky paste forms.
2. Add the cocoa powder and sea salt and pulse a few more times.
3. Incorporate the chocolate chunks/drops.
4. Shape into 2.5 cm (1 inch) balls and coat with cocoa powder.

Remarks:
Add a little water (or whisky) if the paste is too dry and crumbly, or add a little cocoa powder if the paste is too wet and sticky.
The whisky can be replaced by water or any other alcohol of your choice.
Flavoring Options (add at the same time as the cocoa powder): 1 tsp finely grated orange zest or 1 tsp instant espresso powder or 1 tsp ground cinnamon or a pinch ground tonka beans or 1/2 tsp ground chipotle chili powder.
These truffles can be made 1 week ahead and they must be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Serving suggestions:
Serve the truffles (at room temperatures) with a small glass of liquor or a good cup of coffee.

Truffes Aux Dattes Et Aux Noisettes

Recette par Rosa Mayland, avril 2014.

Pour environ 16-20 truffes.

Ingrédients:
22 Dattes Medjool dénoyautées et hachées 
80g de Noisettes torréfiées (ou tout autre noix de votre choix) 
1 CS de Whisky (ou d'eau)
1 CC d'Extrait de vanille pure 
3 CS de Cacao en poudre non-sucré, et plus pour enrober les truffes 
Une pincée de sel de mer fin 
45g de Chocolat (noir, au lait ou blanc) coupé en petits cubes ou de pépites de chocolat

Méthode: 
1. Mettre les dates, les noisettes, le whisky et la vanille dans un mixeur et les broyer assez finement afin d'obtenir une pâte collante et fine. 
2 . Ajouter le cacao et le sel, puis mixer encore un peu. 
3 . Incorporer les pépites de chocolat.
4 . Façonner en boules d'environ 2,5 cm et les enrober de poudre de cacao.

Remarques: 
Ajouter un peu d'eau (ou de whisky) si la pâte est trop sèche et friable, ou ajouter un peu de poudre de cacao si la pâte est trop humide et collante.
Le whisky peut être remplacé par de l'eau ou tout autre alcool de votre choix. 
Vous pouvez aussi arômatiser vos truffes avec 1 CC de zeste d'orange finement râpé ou 1 CC de café en poudre (instantané) ou 1 CC de cannelle en poudre ou une pincée de fève tonka râpée ou 1/2 CC de piment chipotle poudre.
Ces truffes peuvent être fabriquées 1 semaine à l'avance et elles doivent être entreposées au réfrigérateur, dans un contenant hermétique. 

Suggestion d'accompagnement: 
Servir les truffes (à température ambiante) avec un petit verre de liqueur ou une bonne tasse de café.

DATE BARS - BARRES AUX DATTES

I have a very special relationship with food. You see, I tend to act like a squirrel and keep perishable products for far too long. Because of that bad mania, I generally end up creating menus or making treats in order to rescue from the dustbin the food that I have amassed greedily and stocked as if I were preparing for war...

So, as I had a leftover packet of Christmas dates that was about to expire, I thought that it would be great to not let it rot any further and to use it for making a sweet something that'll uplift our spirits which have been shattered by the awful weather outside. Some of the best treats to bring back a smile on your face are certainly cookie bars, so that's what I decided to bake.

After a little research, I found the perfect bar in Tish Boyle's "The Good Cookie". If you can't find anything interesting to bake in this "bible", then you must be a cookie hater! There is not one recipe in this book that you would want to make and most importantly, all of the recipes I tested until now have been very successful.

The "Date Bars" are wonderful on all levels. They have a delightful spicy, nutty, buttery and fruitty flavor and a very pleasant flaky, crunchy as well as chewy (not too much, though) texture. Those bars are excellent and extremely addictive. Perfect for picnics, brunches or tea time!

~ Date Bars ~
Recipe taken from Tish Boyle's "The Good Cookie" and slightly adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Makes 16 bars.

Ingredients for the "Sweet Pastry Crust":
1 1/3 Cups All-purpose flour
1/3 Cup Granulated sugar
1/2 Tsp Sea salt
1/2 Cup (1 stick) Cold unsalted butter, cut into
1/2-inch cubes
1 Large egg yolk
2 Tsp Cold water
1 Tsp Vanilla extract
Ingredients for the "Date Filling":
2 Cups pitted dates, cut in half
1/3 Cup Granulated sugar
1 1/2 Cups Water
1 Tsp Finely grated organic orange zest
1/4 Tsp Sea salt
1 Cinnamon stick
Ingredients for the "Topping":
2/3 Cup All-pupose flour
1/4 Cup Firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 Tsp Ground cinnamon
1/8 Tsp Sea salt
1/2 Cup Walnuts, coarsely chopped
60g Unsalted butter, melted Confectioner's sugar for dusting (optional)

Method for the "Sweet Pastry Crust":

1. Position a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F).
2. Grease the bottom and sides of a 22cm (9-inch) square baking pan.
3. Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process until blended.
4. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 6 seconds.
5. In a small bowl or cup, whisk together the egg yolk, water and vanilla extract.
6. With the food processor running, add the yolk mixture through the feed tube and process just until the dough begins to come together in large clumps, 15 to 20 seconds.
7. Scrape the dough into prepared pan and, using your fingers, pat it evenly into the bottom of the pan.
8. Bake the crust until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
9. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool while you prepare the date filling and topping.
Method for the "Date Filling":
1. In a medium saucepan, combine dates, sugar, water, orange zest, salt and cinnamon.
2. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until the dates are tender.
3. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes, then remove the cinnamon stick and transfer to the bowl of a food processor.
4. Process the mixture until smooth.
5. scrape the filling onto the cooled crust and spread evenly, covering the crust completely.
Method For the "Topping":
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cinnamon and salt until blended.
2. Stir in the nuts and then the melted butter, until the mixture comes together.
3. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the date filling, covering it.
Method for the "Baking":
1. Bake at 180° C (350° F) for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. 2. Cool completely on a wire rack.
3. Cut into 16 bars and sprinkle with the confectioner's sugar.

Remarks:
You can replace the dark brown sugar by light brown sugar and the walnuts by pecans.
Store those bars in an airtight container (I keep them in the fridge) at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Serving suggestions:
Eat those squares with some ice cream (vanilla, pecan, walnut, caramel, etc...) or alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Barres Aux Dattes ~
Recette tirée du livre "The Good Cookie" par Tish Boyle et adaptée par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Donne 16 barres.

Ingrédients pour la "Pâte Sucrée":
170g de Farine fleur/blanche
70g de Sucre cristallisé
1/2 CC de Sel
120g de Beurre non-salé froid et coupé en petits cubes
1 Gros jaune d'oeuf
2 CC d'Eau glacée
1 CC d'Extrait de vanille
Ingrédients pour la "Garniture Aux Dattes":
~315g de Dattes dénoyautées et coupées en deux
70g de Sucre crystallisé
360ml/g d'Eau
1 CC de Zeste d'orange bio
1/4 CC de Sel de mer
1 Bâtonnet de cannelle
Ingrédients pour le "Streusel":
85g de Farine blanche
60g de Sucre brun foncé
1 CC de Cannelle en poudre
1/8 de CC de Sel de mer
60g de Noix de Grenoble, hachées grosssièrement
60g de Beurre non-salé, fondu Sucre en poudre pour saupoudrer (en option)

Méthode pour la "Pâte Sucrée":
1. Positionner une grille de cuisson au milieu du four et préchauffer à 180° C (350° F).
2. Beurrer/graisser le fond et les bords d'un moule carré de 22cm (9-inch).
3. Mettre la farine, le sucre et le sel dans le bol du mixer et mixer jusqu'à ce que ça soit bien homogène.
4. Disperser les cubes de beurre sur le mélange farine/sucre/sel et mixer 6 secondes afin d'obtenir un mélange grossier ressemblant à un appareil à crumble.
5. Dans un petit bol ou une tasse, battre ensemble le jaune d'oeuf, l'eau et l'extrait de vanille.
6. Ajouter ce mélange au "crumble" dans le mixer et pulser pendant 15-20 secondes jusqu'à obtention d'une pâte.
7. Racler cette pâte et la mettre dans le moule, puis, en utilisant vos doigts, bien la presser de manière afin de couvrir le fond du moule de manière égale.
8. Cuire pendant 20 à 25 minutes, jusqu'à ce que la pâte soit dorée.
9. Sortir le moule du four et le mettre sur une grille afin que la pâte refroidisse pendant que vous préparez l'appareil aux dattes et le streusel.
Méthode pour la "Garniture Aux Dattes":
1. Dans une casserole moyenne, mélanger ensemble les dattes, le sucre, l'eau, le zeste, le sel et le bâtonnet de cannelle.
2. Porter à ébullition et réduire la température. Faire mijoter pendant 15 à 20 minutes, jusqu'à ce que les dattes soient tendres.
3. Faire refroidir le mélange pendant 10 minutes puis enlever le bâtonnet de cannelle et mettre le mélange dans un blender.
4. Mixer jusqu'à obtention d'une purrée fine.
5. Verser le mélange sur la croûte et répartir de manière homogène en recouvrant entièrement la croûte.
Méthode pour le "Streusel":
1. Dans un bol moyen, mélanger la farine, les sucres, la cannelle et le sel.
2. Ajouter les noix concassées et le beurre fondu. Bien mélanger afin que la préparation soit légèrement colmatée.
3. Répartir le streusel sur la purrée de dattes afin de la recouvrir entièrement.
Méthode pour la "Cuisson":
1. Cuire à 180° C (350° F) pendant 25 à 30 minutes jusqu'à ce que le dessus soit légèrement doré.
2. Laisser refoidir sur une grille.
3. Couper en 16 parts égales et saupoudrer avec le sucre en poudre.

Remarques:

Vous pouvez remplacer le sucre brun foncé par du sucre brun clair et les noix de Grenoble par des noix de pécan.
Ces barres se conservent 5 jours (à température ambiante - je les mets au frigo) dans une boîte.

Idées de présentation:
Vous pouvez servir ces carrés avec une boule de glace (vanille, café, noix de pécan, noix de Grenoble, caramel, etc...) ou servis tel quel.