One such victory comes from my teenage years. There was a man in my neighborhood with whom I went to church. He was a runner and when I was about 16 or so he invited me to train with him and then run a 5K. We went running together several times. I could tell that he was faster than me but I was grateful that he was willing to slow to accommodate my pace. The day of the race came and he slowed up to run with me for the majority of the race. When the end was in sight he took off and I was unable to match his kick.
A short time after that race there was another that we decided to do. We trained again. I can't say that I really felt myself getting faster or anything. But when race day came and it was time for that final kick I left him in the dust. It was a great feeling and he was very gracious in defeat.
For some reason we didn't run much together after that but I hope it wasn't because he thought that if he couldn't even beat the slow kid from around then the corner then it wasn't even worth trying.
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I've posted three of the recipes for the candies that we have given out this Christmas. Here is the fourth. It is probably the one that I have had the hardest time with. It has just never tasted the way I wanted it to. I think I've got it figured it out now and unfortunately, the recipe posted here is better than the one I used to make the truffles we gave out this year. My apologies to all you Michiganders that got second rate truffles.
Chocolate Mint Truffles
Ingredients• 10 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 5-8 drops peppermint extract
• 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder for coating truffles (If you don’t have Dutch process cocoa you can substitute it by adding ½ tsp baking powder to regular cocoa)
Directions
Place the 10 ounces of chocolate and butter in a medium size glass mixing bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove and stir, and repeat this process 1 more time. Set aside.
Heat the heavy cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the melted chocolate mixture; let stand for 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, stir gently, starting in the middle of bowl and working in concentric circles until all chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and creamy. Mix in 5-8 drops of peppermint extract according to taste. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Using a melon baller or small cookie scoop, scoop chocolate onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Place the cocoa powder a pie pan and set aside.
In the meantime, melt the 8 ounces of chocolate using your preferred method. This could be using a double boiler, the microwave or a heating pad. Any way you do it the chocolate should melted but not uncomfortably hot to the touch. The temperature should be about 90 to 92 degrees F. If the temperature goes above 94 degrees the coating will not have a nice snap to it.
Remove the truffles from the refrigerator and shape into balls by rolling between the palms of your hands. Use powder-free vinyl or latex gloves, if desired.
This next step can get a little messy. Dip a couple of your fingers into the chocolate. Place a truffle from the clean hand into the chocolate one. Roll the truffles between your fingers until it has a thin coating all around. Drop onto the cocoa powder. Move the truffle around to coat and leave truffle in the coating for 10 to 15 seconds before removing. In the meantime, continue placing the chocolate-coated truffles in the cocoa. Remove the truffle to a parchment lined sheet pan. Repeat until all truffles are coated. Allow to set in a cool dry place for at least 1 hour; or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. We found it necessary to knock off the excess cocoa powder by shaking them in a sealed container. Otherwise the powder can be a little overpowering. Truffles are best when served at room temperature.
Adapted from Alton Brown
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