Recipe: Simply Coconut Truffles

Yes, Coconut is Good For You

Coconut had long been considered a decadent delight, consumed only by those purporting a devil-may-care attitude about their cholesterol levels.   How untrue that has turned out to be.  This misinformation (that coconut is bad) was proliferated throughout the marketplace because scientists and docs didn't yet understand the importance of -- and differences in fats.  Coconut is still a delight, but it is now considered an ultimate health food (and one of my favorite dessert ingredients).  Coconut is said to have anti-microbial properties (watch out you little bacterial and viral invaders).  It is also very high in fiber, vitamins and minerals.  Coconut even contains those rare medium-chain fatty acids that absorb easily and directly into our human bodies.  Well, these truffles are, of course, candy, but with coconut coupled with a the heart-healthy flavenoids of bittersweet chocolate - how could we feel guilty about such a tiny & tasty dessert? 

Simply Coconut Truffle Recipe

Makes about 24 or so truffles.

Prep time:  10 minutes

Inactive prep time: 20-30 minutes

Roll time:  watch your favorite TV show and it will go more quickly.

Ingredients

1/2 pound of dairy-free bittersweet chocolate (recommended brand, Barry Callebaut)

2 tsp.  coconut extract

1-1/2 cups of angel flake coconut

1/2 can (13.66 oz can) of organic coconut milk (recommended brand:  Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk)

Chop the chocolate into teeny tiny little pieces and place in a heat safe glass bowl.  Bring the coconut milk to a boil and quickly remove, then pour over the chocolate.  Shake the bowl so it is evenly distributed and cover quickly with a plate to seal in the heat. 

Let the coconut milk melt the chocolate for about 5 minutes.  Then uncover and whisk by hand until the chocolate is smooth and shiny.  You now have chocolate ganache.

Whisk in the coconut exract.  This will help bring out the flavor of the chocolate as well as enhance the coconut flavor.  Stir in a 1/2 cup of coconut.  Then place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or until the chocolate is firm (but not hard). 

With a small melon baller, scoop out the chocolate and roll into truffle balls.  Roll each truffle into a bowl of coconut so that it has a nice little coconut coat.  Place in a container - preferebly with coconut flakes as a bed (this will help keep the truffles from sticking together) and place in the refrigerator. 

Serve cold and with confidence. 

Serve These With . . .

Candied Orange Peels

Almond Cognac Truffles

If you want to mix it up with a few different bite-sized morsels of yumminess, try these recipes, too. 

What is a Coconut?

According to the Library of Congress:

Botanically speaking, a coconut is a fibrous one-seeded drupe, also known as a dry drupe.  However, when using loose definitions, the coconut can be all three:  a fruit, a nut, and a seed . . .

Coconuts are classified as a fibrous one-seeded drupe. A drupe is a fruit with a hard stony covering enclosing the seed (like a peach or olive) and comes from the word drupa meaning overripe olive. A coconut, and all drupes, have three layers:  the exocarp (outer layer), the mesocarp (fleshy middle layer), and the endocarp (hard, woody layer that surrounds the seed).

Allergen Note

Some folks who are allergic to tree nuts are also allergic to coconut.  Coconuts are required by the FDA to be labled "contains tree nuts", but not everyone reacts to coconuts in the same way.  So if you have a nut allergy, ask your doctor if  coconut is something you should consume or be tested for before trying this recipe.

This blog does not offer, assume or intend to be medical advice.  Please consult your doctor and manage your unique health and wellness concerns responsibly.

Power Chicks & Lemon Chicken

Photo taken by Lisa Visbeen Lehmann of Studio Jewel

Brainstorm Party

Sometimes you need a little extra IQ.  A shot of cool, quick inspiration.  A few of the best peops in your corner. 

Since The Tender Palate is a budding business, I can use as many healthy brain cells as I can get.  So I brushed off my rusty entertaining skills, dished up a light supper for a few new power chick friends and “experimented” on them with a totally gluten- and dairy-free menu.  These fun and generous women agreed to help me jump-start a couple of ideas, so I made a variety of dishes that were fairly well-practiced.  I use the word “experiment”, because I’m always curious to see how the palates of people without food allergies react to alternative ingredients.  

We met at one of my favorite event venues, the historic The Leonard at Logan House.  A couple of bottles of Natura Organic Wine added just a teensy-weensy bit of creativity as well.  Both the cabernet sauvignon and the gewürztraminer got rave reviews.  I usually prefer red, but that evening, I tried the white and stuck with it.  I loved the Gewurztraminer’s unusual and pleasant mix of dry and sweet.  I could even taste the promised hint of jasmine.  I think it is my new favorite white (and “gewürztraminer” is really fun to say.)  The cabernet drinkers were especially happy when alternating bites of chocolate truffle with sips of the deep, toasty red.  

The "No Men" Menu

Although no men  were invited to this particular party (next time I'll do an ALL MEN Menu), I threw a bone to equality by serving the same number of dessert items as savory-type dishes.  Because when it comes to chocolate . . . baby, there ain’t no glass ceiling. 

My unsuspecting power chicks were not aware, however, that many of the yummy ingredients in each dish were also power foods.  Here’s the menu plus a little of the moxie behind it. 

Recipe: Cilantro-Lemon Chicken Strips (RECIPE COMING SOON)

*cilantro is purported to be anti-bacterial, there are theories that it can attach to and remove heavy metals from the body (like mercury), and is thought to also balance blood sugar.

Recipe:  Grown-Up Chili

*Lycopene is an anti-oxidant that is thought to reduce the incidence of cancer.  The lycopene in tomatoes is activated best when cooked.

Recipe:  Ina Garten’s Grapefruit/Avocado Salad
               (I also added blanched asparagus to the dish)

               Link to Ina's original recipe

*Adding more lycopene to the dinner is the wonderful and sweet red grapefruit.  A healthy fat, like the avocado in this salad, is the lycopene activator for the grapefruit.  And with the Dijon vinaigrette, the two taste incredible together. 

*Asparagus is high in folate (6 spears contain almost ½ the recommended daily intake), Vitamin C, potassium and antioxidants.  The dijon vinagrette liked the asparagus, too.

Recipe:  Almond Cognac Truffles (RECIPE COMING SOON)

Recipe:  Simply Coconut Chocolate Truffles 

Recipe:  Candied Orange Peels

*Chocolate (particularly dark, minimally processed chocolate) contains flavanols and oleic acid both thought to have healthy effects on your heart.

Natura Organic Gewurztraminer 2010

Natura Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

*Red wine is also full of heart-healthy flavanoids.  Of course, doctor’s orders, moderation and other such laws of your own personal health trump any information given here. 

My Warmest Thanks 

As suspected, it turned out to be a really great evening with great conversation.  If you have an idea that needs some kicking around, try throwing a brainstorm party – and drop me a note to tell me how it went!

Warmest thanks to my power chicks for the evening: 

Kelly Jansens Boos of Green Dog Pet Accessories   & Black Dog Productions, LLC 

Jennifer Phillips Wilson of Grand Development Associates, LLC.

Lisa Visbeen Lehmann of Studio Jewel  

Thanks again to Dave Russo of G.B. Russo & Son for recommending these great wines.