For those of us with older, more discerming palates, the pleasures of simple sugar and cheap fat overload quickly lose their charm. The appreciation of more "adult" flavour combinations and textures (think fruit, nuts, crisps and liqueurs) comes into bloom, and with it a world of possibilities in the home kitchen. For the final round of Easter goody-making I undertook (after the marshmallows and the eggs) I went back to the tried and true "cake ball" style of candymaking, but this time in place of dried out cake crumbs I used crushed biscotti and leftover buttercream filling from the walnut meringues. Given that the biscotti was somewhat drier than cake would be, it took a couple extra glugs of Limoncello to supplement the rehydration into a scoopable dough. Coated in rich, high quality white chocolate (and the debate regarding it's status as "real chocolate" notwithstanding), the bright yellow hearts radiate the glow of great flavours to come. The kids will likely turn their noses up at them (a good thing if you're overly concerned about the whole 3 tbsp of alcohol in the batch) but really, that just means more for you! Who ever said the Easter bunny ignored Mom and Dad?
Limoncello Biscotti Truffle Balls
Makes 25
200 g almond biscotti, crushed finely
165 g lemon frosting (such as Limoncello Buttercream)
3 tablespoons Limoncello
Good quality white chocolate , for dipping
- In a bowl, combine the biscotti crumbs, frosting and Limoncello until the mixture clumps together into a formable "dough".
- Roll into teaspoon-sized balls and place on a plate.
- Freeze 1 hour.
- Dip balls in melted white chocolate and allow to set completely on waxed paper.
Total Fat: 3.2 g
Cholesterol: 6.7 mg
Sodium: 15.6 mg
Total Carbs: 7.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.0 g
Protein: 0.9 g
I traveled to Italy and back about a year ago for my honeymoon and I brought back a new-found appreciation for Limoncello. On my first trip to Italy as a young teen, I couldn't stand the stuff. As an adult, my palate has shifted (what tends to happen to most of us; well-stated in your post) and I find that it is an excellent flavor agent in cooking, although I personally haven't take it in that direction yet. I love this grown-up Easter recipe. Coincidentally, I made biscotti for Easter as well but mine were just a typical loaf of chocolate biscotti. I'm definitely inspired to try some sort of limoncello biscotti next time.
ReplyDeleteWarm regards from a fellow food buzzer,
Ali