I’m making an open offer this year, in hopes of scaring up some more AIDS Lifecycle donors: if you sponsor me for $50 or more, I’ll send you a 13-14 oz box of my yearly chocolate extravaganza! The link to donate is here: https://www.aidslifecycle.org/donate/form.cfm?n=1017
Truffles will be going out early this year, because I’m going home for Thanksgiving instead of making chocolates all weekend – also because I’m currently unemployed and have time to make them 🙂 – but figure you have at least three weeks to donate before chocolates appear.
Speaking of chocolates, I bought some herbs at the farmer’s market this week to experiment with in chocolates and fudge:
- lemon verbena
- bronze fennel seed heads
- lemon basil
- lime basil!
I’m starting to come up with my list of things to make for this year. I know already that it will include the following:
- jasmine tea truffles
- jasmine-vanilla-bean-orange-blossom-honey caramels
- goat cheese and honey truffles (because they were so good last year)
- peanut butter truffles (b/c I want to see if I can make some as nice as The French Laundry’s peanut butter truffles)
- deep dark Valrhona chocolate fudge with one of: macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecans
- white chocolate Meyer lemon lavender fudge, because it’s one of my favorites
- chocolate covered apricots
- chocolate covered candied ginger
- chocolate covered pears
- English toffee (of course!)
Things I will probably reprise from last year include:
- chocolate covered coconut almond fudge (think high-class Almond Joy)
- maple fudge (probably with walnuts)
- green tea truffles
- rose geranium truffles, or rosewater truffles
New things I want to try include:
- coffee truffles (maybe with white chocolate ganache and milk or dark chocolate coating) – I still have that fantastic Panama Esmeralda coffee to try
- coffee or mocha fudge
- chai truffles
- lemon/lime/Thai basil (?) truffles – experimental, may not make it in
- other stuff as I think it up
Whew! Lots of stuff. I think I’ll start on it once I finish this round of AIDS Lifecycle costumes. 🙂
(So, what are you waiting for? Sponsor me already!)
What a great idea. I sponsored a rider and a road crew on the last ride. With thanks to you and all you do.
Barbara
(missing Berkeley and all the Bay Area)