Here's a recipe from the December 2002 Gourmet Magazine. I found a jar of freshly grated ginger root in the same part of the store that had the chopped garlic in jars. It's very liberating to have such a jar.

Ginger Glazed Almonds
Makes 2 cups

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 cups whole almonds with skins on

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Melt the butter in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat. Add remaining ingredients except almonds and cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the almonds, stirring until coated. Spread in a lightly oiled shallow baking pan and bake, stirring occasionally, until the insides of the nuts are golden (cut one in half to test), about 25 minutes. Cool completely. Store airtight.

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Use loose tea leaves for this, because they tend to be of higher quality than what is in tea bags.



Chocolate Earl Grey Truffles
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
2 teaspoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves
6 oz fine quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder

Bring cream and butter to a boil in a small heavy saucepan and stir in the tea leaves. Remove from the heat and let steep 5 minutes. Meanwhile, finely grate the chocolate in a food processor and transfer to a bowl. Pour the cream through a fine sieve onto the chocolate, pressing on and discarding the tea leaves, then whisk until smooth. Chill this ganache (now it's a ganache!), covered, until firm, about 2 hours.

Spoon level teaspoons of ganache onto a baking sheet. Put the cocoa in a bowl, then dust your palms lightly with it. Roll each piece of ganache into a ball (wash your hands and redust as they become sticky). Drop several balls at a time into the bowl of cocoa and turn to coat. Transfer as coated to an airtight container, separating the layers with waxed paper.

Store for up to a week in the refrigerator, or up to a month in the freezer.

Makes about 34 truffles.

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Dark Chocolate Shortbread

Makes 16 cookies.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup superfine granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Blend butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl with a fork until well combined. Sift flour and cocoa into it and blend with the fork until the mixture just forms a soft dough.

Divide the dough into half and pat out into 2 rounds with floured fingertips - 6 to 6 1/2 inches - on an ungreased baking sheet. Chill dough, uncovered, until firm, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees while the dough chills. Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake the shortbreads in the middle of the oven until the centers are dry to the touch and the edges are slightly darker, about 15 minutes. Put the baking sheet on a rack and cool 10 minutes, then cut each round into 8 wedges using a large, heavy knife. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Can be stored airtight between layers of waxed paper for up to a week.