‘Peppermint-perfect’ desserts for the holiday season
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, December 20, 2022
By Nikol Nakamura / Pastry chef, Tulalip Resort Casino
Happy holidays!
It’s a busy time of the year for everyone, especially here at Tulalip Resort Casino. If you’re looking for something sweet, simple and that will “wow” last-minute guests for those cozy nights of holiday entertaining, I have two recipes spotlighting candy cane season that fit the bill perfectly. Both are rich and decadent but easy enough to do on short notice.
While the peppermint flavoring will certainly get your palate’s attention, an equal partner in each recipe is a chocolate ganache (pronounced guh-NAASH; rhymes with wash), a deeply rich combination of cream and couverture chocolate. Unlike regular chocolate, it is ground to a finer texture during the production process and contains a greater percentage of cocoa butter. These differences produce a superior flavor for candy making and other uses.
Notably, National Candy Cane Day is Dec. 26 — most likely an observance created to accelerate the consumption of leftover candy canes from Christmas! With these two recipes you don’t have to wait til after Christmas to put these striped confections to work with the flavorful combination of mint and chocolate.
Enjoy!
Peppermint Bon Bons
I use 70% couverture chocolate for this recipe. Bars of quality chocolate can be found at most grocery stores in the baking products section; I usually purchase them for home use at Trader Joe’s. The chocolate should be in coin form or hand-chopped for ease of melting.
4½ ounces dark chocolate
4 ounces heavy cream
½ ounce light corn syrup
½ ounce soft butter
Pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup melted chocolate chips of your choice (I prefer dark chocolate chips)
Crushed candy canes
Heat the heavy cream and light corn syrup until it just reaches a boil.
Pour cream mixture over chocolate and allow it to begin the melting process. Slowly begin to fold the mixture with a spatula (be careful to avoid creating air pockets).
Once the chocolate is melted, add the pinch of salt and softened butter. Make sure the butter is incorporated before allowing the mixture to cool completely at room temperature with plastic wrap covering the surface.
While the ganache is soft but holds a shape, portion it out using a mini scoop equaling about a tablespoon, or portion it out using a tablespoon as the measure.
Form into balls and allow to fully set. At this point they can be finished or put into the freezer. They can be frozen on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Once they are completely frozen, they can be put in a Ziploc-type bag for easier storage. Allow to defrost completely in the refrigerator before finishing to avoid condensation.
To finish, melt the chocolate chips and using your hands, coat the ganache balls with a thin coating — just enough to roll into the crushed candy canes and have them stick to the ganache.
Makes about 12 portions
Peppermint Hot Chocolate
There are two parts to this recipe: the base and the ganache.
For the base:
2 cups whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoon cocoa powder
10 mini candy canes, or about 3 large candy canes, crushed
Heat whole milk, heavy cream and crushed candy canes to a simmer. Make sure candy canes are fully dissolved. Whisk in the cocoa powder. Set aside and keep warm.
For the ganache:
8 ounces dark chocolate (I used 58% couverture), coins or hand chopped
1 cup heavy cream
To create the ganache, heat the heavy cream then pour over the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to begin melting before folding with a spatula to emulsify.
Add this into the base cream mixture, mix and serve warm.
Garnish with whipped cream and, yes, more crushed candy canes!
Makes 6-8 rich portions.
Pastry chef Nikol Nakamura orchestrates the dessert program at Tulalip Resort Casino’s award-winning restaurants, including fine and casual dining operations, espresso outlets, room service and on-site catering. With a true love of pastry, Nikol’s 25-year culinary career includes working at some of the nation’s top restaurants and hotels.
