Desserts

Homemade Truffles

Watch me make these truffles on live TV on Green Bay’s Fox 11 “Cooking with You.”

Serves 24-28

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 52% cacao)
½ cup (120mL) heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter

1. Coarsely chop chocolate. Place in a bowl.
2. Bring cream and butter to a boil.
3. Pour over the chocolate, stirring to melt.
4. Let chill for 2 hours.
5. With small scoop or spoons, form chocolate into balls. (Roll with gloved hands to make them as even as possible.)
6. Roll in preferred topping.
7. Return to refrigerator until firm.

Nutritional data:
Calories (per truffle):  65
Fat:                              5.5g
Sat fat:                         3.5g
Chol:                        8.5mg
Sodium:                   1.7mg
Carbs:                          4.3g
Fiber:                          0.6g
Protein:                      0.6g

 

Strawberries and Balsamic Vinegar
Serves 1

1/2 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup whipped cream (or whipped topping, which is what I used. I was out of whipping cream)
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Layer half of the strawberries and whipped cream.
2. Repeat with the remaining berries and cream.
3. Drizzle vinegar over the top.
4. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Crepes, Filled with Sweet Ricotta
Serves 8

1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon Splenda (or you can use any other non-calorie sweetener, or table sugar)
8 ounces (250g) low fat ricotta cheese (approximately 1 cup)
2 tablespoons Splenda (or you can use any other non-calorie sweetener, or table sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1 tsp melted butter

1. Combine flour, cacao and sugar in a small bowl.
2. Mix together ricotta, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Combine milk, water, egg and melted butter in a blend. Pulse to mix.
4. Add flour mixture, and process until smooth. The batter will be like thin pancake batter.
5. Preheat a non-stick 6″ skillet over medium high heat.
6. When hot, spray lightly with cooking spray, and pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter in the middle of the skillet.
7. Immediately pick the skillet up and tilt/turn it until the batter coats the surface.
8. Return to heat. When the edges start to curl (approximately 1 minute) carefully flip.
9. Cook another 30 seconds. Remove and lay on wax paper that you previously lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
10. o not skip that step. They WILL stick to wax paper as they cool.
11. Repeat with remaining batter.
12. When all are cooked, spread about 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture over the surface and roll. Set aside and repeat until finished.
13. Cut into 1 inch long pieces and serve.

Nutritional data:
Calories:    96
Fat:             3.6g
Sat fat:        1.8g
Chol:        43mg
Sodium:  45mg
Carbs:        9.6g
Fiber:            1g
Protein:     5.1g

Chocolate-Pumpkin Torte
Serves 8

This makes a dense brownie-like cake, very moist and richly chocolate. I topped this picture with melted Nutella, but I also have topped it with melted peanut butter, caramel sauce, or bittersweet chocolate. A raspberry or strawberry sauce would also be really good on top.

There is very little pumpkin flavor. I think I noticed it only because I knew that it was in the batter.

I used Splenda to greatly reduce the calories. If you prefer to use sugar, then you will just have more calories to calculate, but the recipe will otherwise be the same technique.

1 cup flour
4 eggs (separate three and reserve all)
1.5 cups Splenda, divided (or the same amount of sugar)
1 cup mashed pumpkin (canned is okay, make sure it is 100% pumpkin)
1/2 cup cocoa
8 teaspoons Nutella (optional topping, but I added those calories to the nutritional data below.)

(Special equipment needed: springform pan and cooling rack. See my comment at the end about alternate equipment.)

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Combine flour, cocoa and 1 cup of Splenda in a large bowl.
3. Stir in pumpkin until evenly mixed.
4. With an electric mixer, add one whole egg and all yolks.
5. Clean the beaters completely.
6. In a separate bowl, place egg whites. Mix with electric mixer, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form.
7. Add remaining 1/2 cup Splenda, beating until the egg whites are shiny and begin to hold firm peaks.
8. Spray springform pan with cooking spray.
9. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the pumpkin-cocoa mixture. Gently fold until thoroughly mixed. Add remaining egg whites, folding together gently until well incorporated.
10. Pour batter into springform pan.
11. Bake 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
12. Remove collar and cool completely on a cooling rack.
13. When cool, cut into eight pieces.
14. Melt the Nutella, and drizzle about 1 teaspoon on each piece. Dress with a bit of whipped topping (if desired.)

Nutritional data:
Calories:      140
Fat:                  6g
Sat fat:         2.4g
Chol:        105mg
Sodium:    36mg
Carbs:        19.4g
Fiber:           4.3g
Protein:       6.9g