Ostensibly this post is about food, Crispy Chocolate Globs to be exact. But first I need to share something more exciting–Skamp has arrived!
As many of you know, Skamp was a surprise from Santa–but he wasn’t old enough to come home yet, so on Christmas morning the kids opened up a box with a food bowl, a water bowl, and a bag of puppy food. And a letter from Santa emphasizing the importance of sharing and responsibility. Hilariously they had no idea what to make of it, and hints needed to be dropped. At which point, serious excitement commenced. We finally got him this past weekend, and Alex proclaimed it “The best day of my life!!!!!”
Both kids have been over the moon. He is (for right now) the perfect size and temperament for small kids, which is to say tiny and relatively calm (ask me again in a few days though because tonight when he went on his bedtime walk he attacked my pajama bottoms repeatedly). Alex handles him with absolutely no problem at all. Sammy does well, but cannot pick him up quite as smoothly. He is responsive (usually, pajama bottom war aside), affectionate, and, incredibly, even cuter in person than on camera. Expect puppy pictures for a while, because we just cannot get enough of him!
So about these tasty globs… I hope Merrill over at Food52 forgives me for tweaking and then renaming them globs. The thing is, hers were all white chocolate and so she called them snowflakes. What I made bears no resemblance to snowflakes, which left me with a naming dilemma. If anyone has any suggestions, leave me a comment and I will cheerfully rename them!
I made them in 2 different flavors, one with a high cacao milk chocolate and plain rice krispies and the other with a good quality white chocolate and Valrhona’s Crunchy Dark Chocolate Pearls (which are essentially dark chocolate coated puffed rice and which I adore). Both were delicious, but the milk chocolate were the hands down favorite with everyone.
- 1 lb high quality chocolate of choice (I used Guittard 38% milk and Guittard white, chopped)
- 2 1/2 cups Rice Krispies (or the Valrhona Pearls, see above)
- 1 cup roasted and salted chopped (or whole, if using a small nut like a peanut nuts (I used macadamias, and thought the texture was fantastic with the rice krispies))
- grey sea salt, to taste
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I confess when I first read this recipe I was skeptical because it did not call for the chocolate to be tempered. After discussing it extensively on the Food52 Hotline (which is awesome, you should check it out), we decided that the key was to barely melt the chocolate over a double boiler, the goal being to keep it in temper. Everyone swore it worked, I decided I could not argue it without trying it first and lo and behold it definitely works. These babies were beautifully tempered for the 2-3 weeks they lasted.
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So... slowly melt the chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring frequently. As soon as it is mostly melted, remove it from the heat and keep stirring until it finishes melting. Add the Rice Krispies* and the chopped nuts. Mix in to incorporate completely. Drop by the tablespoon onto a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper (keep in mind they will not spread and therefore can be dropped close together). Sprinkle with salt to taste. Place in a refrigerator (or cold garage!) to chill until firm. If you keep your house warm, store in the fridge (I did not need to).
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*If you are using the pearls, allow the chocolate to cool a bit and add the nuts first to cool it further. You do not want all of the chocolate coating on the pearls to melt off.
I love that they are called ‘globs’ great name – and delicious looking.
Your photos are good. I was wishing you had a thumbnail photo with the teaser posts below. Then I could have a quick peek at the dish before even reading a word of the titles. I know, very lazy, but it is what I thought.
I used to and then I forget how/why we (my husband helps with the tech end) lost them. Thanks for telling me, it helps to know. Thanks for checking me out!