White Chocolate Coconut Truffle

4 ounces heavy cream

1 vanilla bean

1 lb white chocolate

1/2 ounce cognac

Toasted coconut

Powdered sugar

Dipping white chocolate

Ganache: Bring cream and vanilla bean to a slow boil. Remove pot from heat, add chocolate directly into pot. Stir! You may need to return to heat, but try not to let it get too hot. Add cognac (if you are using vanilla extract instead of beans, add now). Let mixture cool 24 hours in a sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap.

Next either pipe or scoop out ganache into balls (not bigger then 1/2 ounce each). Coat ganache in powdered sugar. Dip in white chocolate, let dry. Dip a second time, then roll in coconut.

Yummy.

Sorry I don't have a better picture.

Play Dough

Thought it might be fun to add some untraditional to the blog. Have fun. Instead of food coloring try kool-aid in the water or a vegetable puree for the water. It is edible (non toxic), but it taste like salt.

Traditional Play Dough
1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon oil
1/4 cup salt
food coloring
Mix all ingredients, adding food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until smooth. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth. Place in plastic bag or airtight container when cooled. Will last for a long time.

Marlow's Pie Crust

Making pie crust is just as easy as purchasing it from the store, defrosting it, shaping/cutting. And it tastes so much better when you make it yourself!

3 lb flour (best if using all-purpose or pastry flour)
2 lb fat (butter or shortening or a combination. the more shortening the flakier the crust)
1 lb water
1 ounce salt
(makes 12 8-inch pie shells)

Hand mix flour and fat into hazelnut size pieces. Mix water and salt. Add water to the flour mixture - just incorporate the two - don't over mix. Measure out the amount of dough needed. (1 ounce of dough per inch of crust) Shape into a disk. You can freeze the extra and use some other time - it will keep in the freezer for over a year.

Rolling out dough: shape into an egg shape. Roll out. If you really think you need to use some flour to prevent sticking, use very little. The more flour you add the less flaky the crust will turn out. Roll out dough until it is 1 finger longer then the pie shell. To place the dough into the pan; turn the pan over and cover the bottom, then set another shell on top and flip over. If you have plenty of extra pie pans, then keep the 2 pans together and place in the oven upside down on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees until edge is brown. Turn shell right side up, remove extra pie pan and continue baking until dough is golden brown. You now have a parbaked shell ready to fill - this method even works great with fruit pies.