Szechuan Chocolate Truffles

Add chilli and szechuan pepper to Côte d'Or Noir de Noir.

See eclectic recipes for details.

Ingredients

400g Noir de Noir (or other quality dark chocolate)

200ml heavy (40%) cream

40g unsalted butter

2 dried pasilla chile peppers

2 teaspoons szechuan pepper

cocoa powder

Chocolate and butter should be warm but not melting. Break the chocolate into a warmed mixing bowl.

Toast chiles and pepper briefly in a hot oven. Crumble the now crisp chiles, and put them, with the szechuan pepper into the cream. Bring the cream slowly to the boil.

Strain the hot cream through a sieve, onto the chocolate. Let it stand a few minutes, so the chocolate melts, then stir to mix chocolate and cream. Add the butter a bit at a time, stirring to incorporate. Let the mixture cool until it begins to set.

Warm gently over hot water until you can beat the mixture to a smooth paste. Let it cool.

Once it is set enough to work, form into bite-size truffles, using two teaspoons (or otherwise). Roll the truffles in cocoa and keep in a cool place.

Confit again

This time Sainsbury's had ducks at half-price. We cooked two en confit. For details see eclectic recipes.

Ingredients

2 ducks

salt, pepper

duck fat or fine lard

Bone the ducks (leave the leg and wing bones in). Season liberally with salt and pepper and leave to cure for 48 hours.

Poach the ducks slowly for a couple of hours, submerged in the protective fat. Keep them, refrigerated, safely buried in the solidified fat, for a week or two.

Warm the pot gently until the fat is liquid. Tenderly remove the ducks to a baking tray letting the fat drain off. Bake 20-30 minutes in a hot oven, until the skin is crisp and brown. The trick is to do this quickly so the duck is (relatively) fat-free, while still moist and succulent.

Serve with peas and artichokes.