Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Requested repeat for Wednesday Treat Day

Occasionally Jeff gets requests for things we have made for Wednesday Treat Days in the past that went over very well. He received one late last week and since I did not already have something planned out, I went ahead today and got them done to bring in tomorrow.

I have made these Oreo Truffle Balls a few times before since they are pretty easy to make. They only consist of 3 ingredients - cream cheese, broken oreos and a coating of good quality chocolate. I like to keep the inside a little chunky, so I only thoroughly mix about one-half of the broken oreos in first. The second half is mixed just until combined, leaving some big pieces in for texture. I did not have as much white chocolate as I thought I did, so I had to melt down some bittersweet chocolate to finish dipping. Since these need to stay refrigerated because of the cream cheese, you don't have to temper the chocolate, which can make it easier if you like - but if you have the extra time feel free to! It was pretty cold in the house today, so the chocolate set a bit faster than I wanted it to. This made them a bit more bumpy, but I kind of like "homely" look to them. It's hard to stop at just one with these!

Tonight's dinner is similar to one we made a few weeks ago. Cauliflower, Pasta, and Cheese Gratin is a bit different though since the recipe included Pasta, a combination of cheeses and a bit of dijon. I used a tricolor radiatore pasta from Trader Joes that is flavored with beets, red bell pepper and spinach. The flavor from the pasta was pretty masked by the creamy cheese sauce, but I felt it added to the overall taste. Sharp white chedder along with the salty parmesan was an excellent combination to the tender cauliflower. Panko breadcrumbs are mixed with melted butter to create a golden crunchy brown crust on top. I added some of the dry pasta so you could get a visual of what they looked like before cooking.

20 comments:

  1. Wow! Both of these look fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Everything looks great Joe! I really love the novelty of the oreo truffles. I have a feeling that I'll be trying those soon!

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  3. Those truffles look fantastic, any chance for the recipe?

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  4. The chocolate looks gorgeous, Joe.

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  5. Your photography is amazing... I'm with Ange, will you share the recipe? Specifically the cream cheese-to-cookie ratio?

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  6. Joe - I always love to see what you've got cookin! I am going to be adding those Oreo truffle balls to my X-mas cookie list.

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  7. Joe combined two of my favorite things, Oreos and truffles!

    The man is a genuis! :)

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  8. Hi Joe,
    Question about the Oreo truffles. In the recipe it just says "dip the oreo balls into the chocolate and set on parchment paper." What exactly do you use to dip them? Yours look so fantastic and professional, I'm wondering what you use. Thanks!
    -Laura

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  9. Those Oreo Truffles look aweome!! Yumm, that must be delicious! I copied the recipe and will make it as soon as I get more people around to enjoy them with us!
    Ana

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  10. Joe, congrats on the mention on slashfood - you're a food pornographer now!

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  11. No way are they homely, those look beautiful!

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  12. Joe! You're killin' me - you're blog is not good for someone trying to lose weight! ;-) If I lived with you, I'd surely weigh 500 pounds! :-D

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  13. Catherine - Thanks!

    Nic - I hope you are able to give them a try! They are so good with being so easy (I mean it is oreos and cream cheese, how could it not be good!) They went very quick at Jeff's office today.

    Ange and Culinarily curious - I posted the recipe when I put up the post. I checked in a couple different browsers and it shows the link to the recipe. If you don't see it, please let me know and I can try to figure out what went wrong!

    Cate - Thanks!

    Ed - These would make great x-mas cookies!

    Barbara - Thanks!

    Laura - I stuck a toothpick into the ball to dip them - you could also use a plastic fork with the middle twines broken off. I tried using my fingers, but it just didn't work for me!

    Ana - Hee hee I know what you mean! Thankfully most went into Jeff's office today!

    Erin - Thanks!

    mebeth - your too kind! Thanks!

    Marilyn - Thanks! I've had problems too with white chocolate if I letit get too hot while melting.

    Alysha - We have plenty of exercise equiptment and a pool to work off the tasty calories though!

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  14. As I've always been a little afraid of candymaking, the tip with the toothipick was invaluable! Thank you!

    Also, I love the way the pasta looks, and will have to be on the lookout for it 'round here.

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  15. oooooo truffelssss mmm must eat them!

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  16. Wow they truly look tantalizing. You seem to be an amazing photographer as well as a cook, Waiting for more sweer treats...

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  17. Joe - I tried making these last night using sugar-free oreos. They were delicious! But I'll have to practice making them because they weren't nearly as gorgeous as yours.

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  18. Oh Lord, I just died and went to heaven. Those truffles look to die for!

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  19. This is my favorite homemade treat to give during the holidays... I'd love to dust them with cocoa instead of dipping in chocolate, but the *fat* (can you believe I actually said it?) in the oreos makes it greasy shortly after... any thoughts on the cocoa without coating them with chocolate first?

    I'm saving your blog in my favorites, love the photos and culinary wonders!

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  20. Melissa - I'm not sure how they would work with cocoa or powdered sugar as I have always dipped them. It might be worth an experiment though!

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