Did you know that I have the best little brother in the whole world? He's creative and funny... and he's going to guest post on this little blog o' mine every now and then. So here you go- the first installment of Scottie's Hobbies!
I read Steinway Street everyday, so it is an honor and privilege that my sister is letting me guest post for her today!
I read Steinway Street everyday, so it is an honor and privilege that my sister is letting me guest post for her today!
All my life, I have enjoyed a wide assortment of hobbies. Ranging from numismatics to Lawn Jarts and Monopoly to cooking, I'd like to share a few with all of you. Coincidentally, I'm going to share a summation of two different hobbies for you today.
I attend the University of Michigan, so I am, naturally, a big fan of Michigan Athletics. (Anyone who looks at my closet can attest to that.) Since it's hockey season, I snagged tickets from a friend this week to the Michigan-Alaska game. I was very excited as it was my first game of the year. Several of my Glee Club friends get together before the Friday night games to have dinner and get-pumped. These get-togethers are special, because the dinner is themed to the away team. This meant that last night, the entree was salmon with a side of rolls. The rolls were a bit of a stretch, but someone said that they love rolls in Alaska. I let it slide. I offered to bring something and decided on the following idea:
Caribou Poop
I apologize for the graphic picture. Now I knew the caribou poop needed to be edible, so I decided on a truffle recipe that I could make to imitate it. [No caribou were harmed in the making of this post.]
The truffle recipe comes from Alton Brown, but I digress. I present to you, Caribou Poop.
Here are the ingredients.
First melt the butter and chocolate in micro; 30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds, stir.
Next, simmer the cream and corn syrup. I did it until it just shivered, à la Julia Childs. Add the cream and syrup to the chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes. Stir to incorporate from the center to the edge of the bowl with a small spatula. Once the ingredients start to incorporate, you'll need to speed up your mixing again. Then add the brandy and stir it in with the same method. Finally, poor the whole mixture into an 8x8 pan or something similar.
Then throw the pan in the fridge for about an hour. While you're waiting, chop some walnuts and get your cocoa in a bowl ready to go.
The chocolate should be firm to the touch and you should be able to spoon out balls from the pan. If it is too soft, you can put it in the freezer for a few minutes to firm things up. After spooning balls onto parchment, put the balls back in the fridge to re-firm them. I didn't worry about spherical consistency. It's poop, after all.
After re-firming, you can use your hands to roll them into poop like shapes.
As you can tell, I had fun getting a little dirty and it was a tasty cleanup! This next piece was my favorite shaped poo. My hands were getting pretty good at mimicking a sphincter. It's a skill my mom will be proud to say her son has mastered.
After a quick freezer visit, I took the poop pieces and rolled them in the nuts and cocoa. One hand dry and one hand wet really helps in this step.
I think the finished pile is pretty good. Don't you? It looks like a pile of ____ to me.
I knew the guys would appreciate a good presentation, so I put it in a Ziploc container, for easy transport, with a bedding of graham cracker crumbs. Mint, for grass, would have been a good touch.
Needless to say, the poop was a smashing hit. I hope you enjoyed it too.
On another note, we ended up winning the game! I was pretty happy.
I hope you have a great weekend!
-Scottie
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder, finely chopped nuts, and/or toasted coconut, for coating truffles
