Here is the basic recipe and then a list of suggested teas to infuse with. Have fun!

Tea Infused Truffles

• 1-1/2 cups of heavy cream
• 1/4 cup loose tea leaves,
• 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 1  cocoa powder for rolling the truffles in (or use cocoa with some dried chipotle added)

1. Heat the cream until it boils.
2. Remove from heat and add the tea. Allow to steep for 3 minutes.
3. Strain out the leaves and reheat the cream to a simmer.
4. Add the chocolate. Wait 10 seconds and whisk until melted.
5. Allow to cool.
6. Scoop out balls of chocolate with a melon baller and roll in cocoa. Refrigerate until firm.

Now here are some great teas for infusing with:

• Adagio Thai Chai – coconut and lemon flavors
• Earl Grey (very predictible)
• Earl Grey Lavender (not so predictable)
• Sour Cherry Black Tea
• Lapsang Souchon (this is very smoky and unique..not for the faint of heart)
• Ginger

You can use almost anything you like. This is seriously a great gift idea or a little party favor for your tea table.

image: marye audet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I had the new Starbucks Espresso Turffle Hot Chocolate today.   It was introduced on November 4th along with two other new hot chocolate drinks…

So, how does it hold up to the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate?

I liked it but not as much as the salted caramel hot chocolate.  The chocolate that they use is the same as the others but this is not rich, nor creamy. The texture is more like coffee and less like hot chocolate.  The espresso flavor is definitely there..as is the chocolate but it leans to coffee flavor more.  The whipped cream is topped with tiny curls of bittersweet chocolate.  It is a beautiful presentation.

If you like the combination of espresso and chocolate and if the other hot chocolates were too rich for you then this may be exactly what you are looking for.  If you are looking for a rich, creamy, chocolatey drink with the nuance of espresso then this is not it.

I forgot the camera so you will just have to imagine the cup topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls!

image:marye audet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Yep.

They can’t keep something that good to themselves.  Give this a try and let me know if you think it is close.  I made it a little more chocolate-y by adding the bittersweet chocolate, you could go with dark or a mixture.Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Copycat Recipe

• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt (the best you can afford)
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar crystals
• 1/4 cup whipped cream
• 2 tablespoons caramel syrup, divided (recipe at the bottom of that page)

Bring the milk, sugar, and cream to a simmer.  Keep it just under a boil and stir in the chocolate until melted completely.

Add one tablespoon of the caramel syrup to a warm mug and swish it to coat the inside of the mug.

Carefully pour in the chocolate.  Top with whipped cream, add a drizzle of caramel, a sprinkle of the salt and a dusting of the turbinado crystals.

Enjoy the fact that while Starbucks *may* stop making this delicacy you never have to!

Image:Marye Audet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Sean had a JBQ meet today and Marc was going with him…so I had to drop them off at 7 a.m.   What else is there to do at that time of day? Exactly.

Starbucks and a magazine.

Since the other day when Marc and I were there I wanted to try the Starbucks salted caramel hot chocolate. The idea of it was so intriguing that I kept thinking about it.  Yes..I was a victim of….Starbuck’s porn.  And after you read this you will be, too.

I told them I was blogging it today and to make it pretty.

She automatically made the drink in a venti mug because I always have a venti (with extra whipped cream…see I have trained them well!).  I smiled and mentally prepared for the sugar high that was to follow.

The salted caramel hot chocolate is the new signature hot chocolate topped with whipped cream, turbinado sugar, caramel, and sea salt crystals.

One more….just so you get the idea…..

O.k…The chocolate itself is not standard hot chocolate.  Imagine dipping your finger into melted semi- sweet chocolate chips…we have all done it, right?  Well imagine that in a slightly more liquid form  and you have the flavor.  It is not a particularly “milky” drink.  Completely rich, and honestly yeah, a little cloying.  I suggest you order a large glass of ice water with it.

So you take a sip and you have the flavor of the chocolate with the crunch and saltiness of the salt crystals.  It is very much like drinking a chocolate covered pretzel.

Do I recommend it? Oh yeah.  If you are not a major sugar-a-holic like I am I would suggest a regular cup and not a venti.  Work up to the venti..you know, for those times you need sugar tremors and a 2,200 calorie kick in your diet. (honestly I do not know how many calories it is…alot I am sure)

Now…trust me on this. Order it in a “for here cup”.  Ceramic.  Stuff tastes nasty out of to go cups.  Take a magazine or a book. Sit in a comfortable chair. Relax and sip this amazing drink for one hour.  Do not think about anything not fun.

There…don’t you feel better?

Well worth the money….well worth the calories.

I have created a Copycat Recipe for Starbucks Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate..check it out!

I am editing to add….I will no longer be dealing with either Foodgawker OR Tastespotting.  If they would turn images down and say things like..I don’t like this…I could handle that. However…when they say…Image was blurry and out of foucs..I have to laugh..bitterly perhaps..but laugh.  DO you see anything out of focus or blurry about the second image? me neither.    There for I am taking my cool images and going home.  When I am a cool, important PBS cooking show celebrity I shall ignore them completely.

images:marye audet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

First, I would be reviewing Starbucks Signature Hot Chocolate… except I haven’t bought one yet. This may well change tomorrow because one of the flavors is calling me like the Sirens calling to Jason from whatever island that was….

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate.

I love the sweet/salty combination…it just goes so  well with my personality.  They swirl caramel on the top of the whipped cream and then add turbinado sugar crystals and sea salt crystals.   They have two other signature flavors, Signature Hot Chocolate (made low fat milk? What the heck?) and Hazelnut Signature Hot Chocolate

So, has anyone tried them yet? Are they addictive..or just fattening?

One of the baristas said they were coming out with some new lattes on November 4..and one of them was espresso chocolate truffle…

Oh YEAH bring it on.

Image:morguefile

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I will say right off that of the coffees I got from Terra Nova, the Columbian is my favorite.  It is smooth, rich and has a velvety mouth feel.

The flavor is distinctly winey and fruity, very full bodied and perfect as an all purpose coffee.  The aftertaste is slightly arid…but in a pleasant way, it does not leave you with camel (or coffee) breath.

This is the last coffee that I bought but John Brewster, the roaster, sent me two blends to try…I will be reviewing them BOTH tomorrow so check back.  And, toward the end of October I will be interviewing John, so if you have anything you would like to know about the company leave your questions with me so I can be sure to ask him!

Surprise!

This is a sponsored post for BLOGTOBERFEST.  The prize is a secret and it doesn’t have anything to do with the post.

Now, to win you need to just leave a comment.  I will be drawing the winner within the week!  Keep checking back..I could announce the winner tomorrow…or next Thursday, or ANYTIME in between!

For more blogtoberfest posts check the following blogs:

A Child Chosen, All Holiday Cafe, Babylune, Blog Fabulous, Career and Kids, Cooking Gadgets, Declutter it, Foodie Obsessed, Jewelry and Beading,  One Book Two Book, Quilting and Patchword, SuperNanny Rules, Weary Parent.

Image:MaryeAudet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I am so not kidding. This was awesome.  Except for the messed up meringue which I will explain in due time….
I love chocolate …and I love chocolate pie but I wanted something a bit different.  You know how you stand at the closet door and stare at your clothes on Sunday morning waiting for either your body to suddenly drop 20 lbs OR an angel to appear and pull something out and hand it to you, saying “Thus sayeth the Lord..wear this and thy thighs will be as tiny reeds“???

Yeah…me too.

Well I stood at the door of the pantry like that waiting for some amazing ingredient jumped out at me.  I looked on the tea shelf and amongst the various teas was a nice darjeeling.

I am not a huge fan of darjeeling.  It is good, but my tastes run more toward the blended, flavored and pimped up teas of modern times.   But I thought that that delicate floral-fruit taste would go well with chocolate…and I was not disappointed.

By the way, I can make incredible, awesome, TOWERING meringues..however, apparently some days….are…just…not the day for it.  The meringue would not whip up…I think the humidity was about 140 so that may have something to do with it.

You can get a great tutorial on how to make perfect pie crust at Baking Delights..I did a step by step with images.

We raise dairy goats and use raw milk.  This milk is much richer than  the pasteurized homogenized,sanitized stuff you get at the store.  If you do not have access to this then use half & half for the best texture and flavor. Just tell yourself you will only have a thin slice.

1 baked pie crust

3 cups half and half

2 bags of darjeeling or 2 tablespoons of the loose leaf

pinch of salt

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup organic cornstarch (no GMOs)

1/3 cup dark cocoa

3/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter

 For the Meringue

3 egg whites

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Beat whites an cream of tartar until peaks start to form.  Slowly beat in sugar until  stiff peaks are glossy and hold their shape.

Whisk the cornstarch, salt, sugar, and cocoa together and set aside.  Heat the half and half cream in a microwave safe bowl until it is very hot and bubbles form on the edge.

Place the tea in the hot milk and allow to steep for 5 minutes or so.  Longer will give a stronger flavor but the bitterness from over steeping is covered by the chocolate…strain the tea or discard the tea bags.

Whisking constantly add the hot cream to the dry mixture.  Whisk it until completely smooth.

Beat the egg yolks and add,  whisking the whole time. Microwave on high for about 6 to 9 minutes, whisking smooth every minute.  You can do this on top of the stove too but I like the microwave.

When pudding is thick add the vanilla and butter.  stir until the butter melts.  Pour in the baked pie shell and top with meringue while still hot.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until golden.  Chill until ready  to serve.

Post from: Kettle and Cup

However, when I was at the store the other day and my son, the basket ball star, showed me a Snickers Charged I was skeptically intrigued.

“Go ahead, buy it. We will split it. ”

Insipid with a delicate bitter aftertaste. Perfect for those days that you are trying to convince yourself not to eat sweets. Great if you are addicted to taurine.

O.k..and to finish off….a funny story about taurine. You have to understand that my family is all very good with words and vocabulary. Sarcasm is a fine art, although we try not to use it. My children are born with a quick wit and they come by it naturally. Both Marc and I are terrible about one liners and snappy comebacks.

So, Marc had a very difficult boss, who was addicted not only to body building but to cocaine. It was an unpleasant time for us. One day his boss comes in reading the ingredients on an energy drink….

“caffeine…taurine…hey what’s taurine?

Marc never even looked up. “Bull pee. Taurus urine. Taurine.”, he said authoritatively.

The look on the boss’s face?

Yep.

Priceless.

Image:Marye Audet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I don’t often drink cokes anymore.

Now, when I say that you have to understand that cokes is a generic word for sweet, fizzy drinks.  Here in Texas you go to the Whataburger, and they will ask what kind of coke you want.  Dr Pepper? Root Beer? Cola? Sprite?

So, I have the occasional Italian Soda but nothing more than that..usually.  I am addicted to ice water. I drink gallons of it a day.  I seriously carry around a quart mason jar and keep it filled with ice water at all times.  I have a 5-6 lb a day ice habit.

Yes..I am anemic. Yes I know that chewing ice is a sign of anemia. Yes, I know it is bad for my teeth.

All righty then.

Cokes seem very sweet to me.  However, I saw the Java Pop and I was curious.  It is organic, Fair Trace and the coffee used is Green Mountain. I thought..Hmm..why not? I grabbed the mocha flavor (there are several flavors) and chilled it to perfection.

Ewww. I would not drink it on a train, I would not drink it in the rain.  I would not drink it on a boat, I would not, could not with a goat.

I did not like it.  The chocolate part of the mocha had a weird chemically taste, like it wasn’t real chocolate.  It was sweet. not overly sweet but the aftertaste was not great either.

SO, if you want something cold and fizzy…have a coke.  Whatever kind you prefer.

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Have you had chocolate covered espresso beans?

Yeah, me too. Yummy.

I like to think of them as big people’s Raisinettes. They are not too hard to make, and as long as you start with a fantastic espresso bean, and add great chocolate, you are going to have an awesome end product.

Better than anything you have ever tasted. Really.

So, are you ready?

I really suggest a good dark espresso roast in this. A lighter roast will be acidic and somewhat nasty. O.k..really nasty. Don’t do it.

Once you have the perfect espresso bean you need to choose the perfect chocolate to go with it. A 75% /25% mix of good quality bittersweet and milk chocolate is my favorite. Use about one lb of chocolate for one lb of coffee. Chop the chocolate up and microwave on low power, stirring often (every 20 seconds) until melted. Be careful not to overcook.

Now mix in 1/2 of the coffee beans. Stir really well. Here is the tedious part. Take the chocolate covered coffee beans out, one by one with a fork, and lay on a piece of wax paper or silpat. You want them to be individual, chocolate- covered beans, not a huge mass of chocolate and coffee beans. Let them cool, or refrigerate.  Continue to add coffee beans until you have used up all the chocolate.  If you want a thicker chocolate let it set, and then dip them again.  Youc an also use this method to put on two different chocolates, once in dark, once in white..etc.

Once the chocolate has set you can melt white chocolate and drizzle it across the beans.

I bet you are wondering why I posted a picture of chocolate rather than the finished product, aren’t you?

I ate them. All.

Image: (c)Marye Audet 2008. Used by permission. Apron Strings & Simmering Things

Post from: Kettle and Cup