Sweet Ideas and a Truffle Recipe from a Chocolatier's Test Kitchen

Jane Morris' home kitchen started seeing a lot more action when she closed her popular Washington, D.C., chocolate boutique in March 2013 and began testing recipes for her new online store, J. Chocolatier.

Producing fine chocolates is a sensitive process, and the hot D.C. summers and her old shop's historic building had not been a good mix. Since the move meant she'd be spending a lot of her time testing new recipes at home, it was time to renovate her 150-square-foot kitchen. "For nine years I lived with the ugliest granite countertop known to mankind," Morris says. "It was olive and black, and reminded me of camouflage."

Morris had budgeted $2,100 for improvements. "Over half of that was the labor to install the tile and countertop," she says. She painted the kitchen ceilings, trim, walls and cabinets herself, and she applied tung oil to the new countertops.

Take a tour of her new place — and learn how to make her "Ugly" Butter, Orange and Ginger Truffles.

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: Jane Morris and her cat, Kitty
Location: Washington, D.C.
Size: 150 square feet
Cost: $2,100, including labor and materials; design by Morris

Morris says her new kitchen is perfect; it's open to the dining area, and a door leads to the back patio. "It's efficient, easy to clean and open to the rest of the house," she says. "Through careful editing of my kitchen tools, I have everything I need and nothing else."

All of the changes were cosmetic, and Morris did a lot of her own labor, which helped keep the cost down. The walnut countertop cost $400; tile and grout, $125; the sink, $189; labor, $1,300; and paint, $86.


BEFORE: Morris tested a few shades of gray on the walls before settling on Tranquility by Benjamin Moore.


AFTER: Morris worked with a contractor from Kevin Gallager Construction to install new countertops and tiles, which took about two days. Now she's in love with the butcher block countertops and also with the larger, more functional sink installed.

Countertops: Walnut, Williamsburg Butcher Block, Lumber Liquidators; sink: Domsjö, Ikea; tile: Lowe's; wall paint: Tranquility, Benjamin Moore


BEFORE: "The previous countertop is what inspired the entire cosmetic upgrade," Morris says.


AFTER: Morris added subway tile as a backsplash to what had been a simple painted wall. After sanding the cabinets, she painted the bottom ones a dark gray.

A cushioned mat made of wood in front of the sink helps with the long hours Morris stands as she creates her special confections. While she does test chocolate recipes in her home kitchen, all the production for her online store and special events is done in a nearby commercial kitchen where she rents space.

Bottom cabinet paint: Narragansett Green, Benjamin Moore; top cabinet and ceiling paint: Snowfall White, Benjamin Moore; mat: Branch Mat, CB2 (no longer available)

See how to install a subway tile backsplash


Morris created this small drying rack by filling a tray with collected wine corks. The piece sits on the windowsill.


A coffee lover, Morris keeps an Astra milk steamer, a drip pour-over coffee maker by Beehouse and a Nespresso espresso maker in this devoted coffee station, set on a stainless work surface against an exposed brick wall.

Seen in one of the bowls is Morris' growing collection of corks, with which she plans to create another larger drying rack.

Wake Up Your Kitchen With a Deluxe Coffee Center

Workbench: stainless steel, Ikea; metal shelving: Grundtal, Ikea


Replacing large appliances wasn't in Morris' budget. Tacked onto the left side of the refrigerator is a sign that once hung in the window of her chocolate shop for four years. It reads: "This is a chocolate shop. It's a happy place. Please come in!"


For a working professional with a small row house kitchen, it's all about creative storage solutions for the many tools of the trade. For the dining area adjacent to the kitchen, Morris purchased a stainless bench and butcher block top to serve as both a table and a storage area for large pots and pans.

Bench: stainless steel, Ikea; butcher block: oak, Numerär, Ikea; wall paint: Tranquility, Benjamin Moore


In addition to being used for storage and eating, the dining table acts as a buffet for parties and extra counter space when Morris is preparing a meal or testing a chocolate recipe.

Propped on the table is a large canvas print of a Gustav Klimt drawing.


Fresh herbs from large pots on the kitchen terrace are frequently used as ingredients in Morris' chocolates and baked goods. This year her pots are filled with rosemary, thyme, dill, green onions and basil. Other years she has grown lavender and edible organic flowers for garnishes on cakes.


"Ugly" Butter, Orange and Ginger Truffles (from Jane Morris, J. Chocolatier)

Yield: About 30 pieces
Active time: About 30 minutes
Total time: About 1½ hours (not including letting the butter come to room temperature and the ganache set)

Ingredients:
8 ounces or 1 cup premium semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut or Valrhona)4 ounces or ½ cup unsalted European-style butter, room temperature (recommended: Plugrá)1 ounce or ¼ cup corn syrup½ teaspoon ground ginger (or more to taste)Zest of half an orangeFew drops of orange essential oil (recommended: Boyajian)Bowl of cocoa powder (a few cups; can be reused afterward)16 ounces or 2 cups premium-quality dark chocolate (not commercial chocolate chips or baker's chocolate; recommended: Valrhona, Callebaut, El Rey or Scharffenberger)


Instructions:

1. Cut the butter into about 1-inch cubes and allow it to come to room temperature (about an hour).

2. Melt the semisweet or bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler, or place it in a shallow stainless steel or glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. Melt slowly and stir. Be careful not to the overheat chocolate or allow any drops of water to get into the bowl of chocolate. The chocolate should be warm to the touch but not hot.

3. Whip the room-temperature butter and corn syrup together until fluffy. If you're using a stand mixer, set it to medium speed and whip for about two or three minutes. If you're using an electric hand mixer, it may take a minute or two longer.


4. Once the butter mixture is nice and fluffy, fold in the warm chocolate from step 2. Mix by hand with a flat rubber spatula. The mixture will look like silky, like thick cake icing. Add the orange zest and ginger to taste and stir a little more.


Morris adds a bit more ginger powder to the ganache before mixing again. On the wall is another handy storage solution, a magnetic strip from Ikea for holding knives.


5. You have now made chocolate ganache. Cover your ganache mixture with plastic wrap. Press it directly onto the ganache to keep out air, moisture and other smells. Let the ganache sit for one to two hours, or until it is thick enough to roll into balls. You can refrigerate the mixture at this point, but you'll have to check it every 10 minutes or so to make sure it is still pliable enough to roll.


6. Melt the dark chocolate gently in a double boiler or in a glass or metal bowl over a pot of gently simmering water. Be careful not to get any drops of water in the chocolate, which would cause the chocolate to seize and turn pasty. When the chocolate is about three-quarters melted, remove it from the heat and stir it with a rubber spatula until completely smooth.

7. Get the container of ganache, a bowl of cocoa powder and a fork. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Use a melon baller or teaspoon to scoop up little balls of ganache. Don't make them too big; they should be no larger than about 1 inch in diameter. Quickly roll them into little spheres in your hand and set them aside.

8. Once all the balls are rolled, dab a little of the melted chocolate into the palm of your hand. Quickly roll the truffles in the chocolate, then toss them in the cocoa powder. Work quickly so the chocolate doesn't melt in your hands. Don't worry about them being perfectly shaped. They should look like truffles plucked from the earth, and therefore should be a bit "ugly."


9. Gently coat the balls of ganache with cocoa and remove them with a fork by gently scooping underneath the truffles. Shake the excess cocoa off by gently tapping the fork against the side of the bowl. Be careful not to stab the fork tongs into the balls of ganache.

10. Place the finished truffles in little paper cups. The batch Morris made here will go to lucky friends and family. Store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Allow them to come to room temperature before serving. You may have to coat them in cocoa again if it has soaked in.

"The best part is the smell ... and seeing the finished product," Morris says. Serve the truffles with coffee, black tea or champagne.


Morris takes a break on her front porch.

See more photos of this kitchen

URL: Sweet Ideas and a Truffle Recipe from a Chocolatier's Test Kitchen http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-21025.html