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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 2020)
B Monday, January 6, 2020 The Observer & Baker City Herald Indulge Your Chocolate Obsession AND SO IT GROWS CHRIS COLLINS Praise for pies makes fine present at Christmas My family members presented me with a gift this Christmas that I will always treasurer. It was their delight in the two huck- leberry pies I baked on the Saturday morning after Christmas at my mom’s house. Not one person had one bad thing to say about those pies. (Oh, my mom added a little bit more sugar to her small piece, but I didn’t mind. I wanted her to enjoy it to her heart’s delight, and she did — with just a little more sugar.) But from the rest of the gang, not one complaint was issued. My brother, who is a good cook, even gave the pies his nod of approval. That made me especially happy. He’s usually more critical that the rest of the huckleberry connoisseurs I was serving. But not this Christmas. He had noth- ing but praise for my efforts. I was so happy and proud and felt the true joy of sharing something very special to me with those I treasure much more. And, of course, the story and the pie planning began way before Christmas. The fi rst pint of berries came to us this summer from our generous neighbors who’ve also shared other bounties of nature with us, along with laughs and friendship, over the years. See Pies/Page 2B BOB’S THOUGHTS BOB BAUM The 2 best football games I saw The NFL playoffs are underway, so it’s a good time to pry open my rusty memory banks and talk about the two best pro football games I wit- nessed in nearly two decades covering the sport. Both involved the Arizona Cardi- nals and Green Bay Packers. Both were playoff games. Both went to overtime. Both were won by Arizona. The Cardinals and Packers are two of the original NFL franchises. The Packers stayed in Green Bay and fl ourished, the Cardinals drifted from Chicago to St. Louis to Arizona. While the Packers have achieved legendary success, the Cardinals have been mostly bottom feeders. From 1984 through 2007 they had one win- ning season. Before their unlikely run to the 2009 Super Bowl, they had won a single playoff game (in 1998) since capturing the NFL title in 1947. I covered the Cardinals every season for 19 years, through 2018, so I saw a lot of very bad football. See Football/Page 3B E, Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune-TNS Use a serrated knife to shave the chocolate bar into thin pieces. This will make the chocolate melt more quickly when you pour the hot cream over it. T ALKING T RUFFLES By James P. DeWan Chicago Tribune Don’t get me wrong: I am not — repeat: NOT — saying that if you don’t like chocolate, there’s some- thing wrong with you, that maybe you are not from this planet (Earth). Perish the thought. On another topic, quick question: Is it possible there are actual aliens from another world living among us disguised as humans? I think that’s a reasonable proposition. Re- member the scene in that Abbott and Costello movie where the gorilla is trying to wake up Lou Costello and you’re thinking, “Wait, is that a real gorilla, or just a guy in a gorilla suit?” Hard to say. Maybe if you E, Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune-TNS offered him a banana you Roll the truffl es in the coating of your choice, maybe cocoa powder, granulated sugar, sprinkles or nuts. could tell: guy or gorilla? Like offering someone a chocolate truffl e: human or in an abattoir. alien? it’s dry as a lunar plain, because water can Because of the truffl e’s paucity of ingredi- Speaking of truffl es ... make melting chocolate seize up like an oil- ents, my advice is to start with a bar of high Why you need to learn this starved V6. Put your chocolate into the bowl quality dark chocolate, something in the 60% and dump in the hot cream, letting it sit for O, the weather outside is frightful. Cruel to 70% cacao range. death lurks ’round every corner. And you’re several seconds to start the chocolate melting. As for the cream, the thing you want to pay not getting any younger. Have a truffl e, for To combine the cream and chocolate, don’t attention to is ratios. Ganache comes in differ- use a whisk; use a rubber spatula. Stir in God’s sake. You’ll feel better. ent thicknesses, like lenses at the optometrist. small circles from the inside out, working the If you’re not an alien, that is. For truffl es, you want a fairly stiff ganache, chocolate into the cream to form a smooth and The steps you take roughly a 2 to 1 ratio of chocolate to cream. If silky pond of delight. This is ganache. Truffl es are made from that wonderful you’re fl avoring your truffl es, fi gure about an Here’s a thing: It’s possible the diminish- brown goo the kids like to call “ganache.” ounce of booze or a teaspoon of extract per cup ing heat from your cooling cream will not be Rhymes with “panache.” Ganache is chocolate of cream. enough to complete the meltifi cation process. melted with heavy cream. If that sounds rich To make ganache, bring your cream to a If that happens, make a bain marie: Bring and delicious, no need to show me your Earth simmer in a small saucepan. While it heats, about 2 inches of water to a boil in a saucepan, I.D. card. You’ve probably eaten ganache in a turn your chocolate bar into little shards: then reduce the heat to low. Place your bowl thousand cakes. Using a serrated knife, such as a bread knife, of creamy choco-lumps on top, taking care not Or a billion truffl es, because truffl es are shave off thin slices and the chocolate will to get any water into the bowl. (Should this simply small balls of ganache. Sometimes crumble into bits like a desiccated mummy — happen and your chocolate seizes, mix in a they’re enhanced with bold fl avors like just what you want. When you’ve got enough, little boiling water and it should turn liquid espresso or booze, and usually they’re coated give the chocolatey pile a few more chops to again.) Continue stirring over the steam until with something like crushed nuts or those reduce the size of the pieces even further. Do the aforementioned pond is achieved. little sprinkly things your mom would put on this part with a chef’s knife, as you can rock At this point, you have a decision to make: cookies. Because truffl es can be messy, that its curved blade over the chocolate like you’re Melon baller or piping bag? coating prevents your hands from getting all mincing garlic. See Truffl es/Page 3B chocolatey as you gorge yourself like a dingo Next, grab a metal mixing bowl. Make sure Beautiful bouquets don’t require the freshest flowers Any time you take a drive into the countryside, you can’t help noticing dried weeds and grasses in fi elds and alongside the road. Since they have had plenty of time to dry, they’re all collectible. No one minds if you collect weeds and dry grass, although if there is a beautiful weed on private property it is proper to ask the landowner before BETWEEN THE ROWS WENDY SCHMIDT cutting. Dried bouquets of teasel, Queen Anne’s lace, sea oats, wheat, oats, bluestem or gamma grass, dock or mullein seed stalks all look great on your mantel or as a centerpiece on the dining table. Don’t forget grapevine wreaths. The wreaths can be embellished with teasel weeds or cones of pine, fi r or spruce, or other weeds, leaves, moss or interesting pieces of wood. Drift- wood, for instance. Make your dried arrangement in a vase. For smaller containers, start by putting a piece of styrofoam or fl orist foam in the bottom fi rst — then stick the stems into the foam to hold them in place. Metallic or colored paint or clearcoat lacquer can enhance all or parts of the bouquet. Some weeds have stickers, so gloves are advised. Most of them don’t break where you want them to, so take pruners or scissors just in case. If you’re like me, you enjoy interest- ing things and making beauty with very little expense. If you have garden questions or comments, please write to green gardencolumn@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading!
