For lack of a better food, I decided to make candy. Einstein once said: imagination is better than knowledge— so I will follow his lead. (True, I am, have always been, enamored by cooking, though I can admit a secret about pastry cheffing, making cakes, tarts, celebrations breads and candies in a dreamy sugar factory.) I was also thinking about making something special for a friend’s birthday, something a little decadent and earthy, that-will-melt-in the-mouth gift wrapped in colored foil. An ingredient I’m using here, by the way, is calamansi marmalade to coat the raw hazelnuts with melted butter and salted, a condiment my friend actually had homemade and gave me last week, and I imagine she’ll be delighted her jelly concoction has come this far to surprise. I think, readers, you’ll be pleased to know that the embodying chocolate I used in this recipe is a “fondue” of cacao truffles (from Trader Joe’s) and peanut butter (Justin’s), whisking them in a double boiler until exquisitely smooth and molten. After slightly cooling, I poured it in the ramekin with citrusy jammed hazelnuts on the bottom— and that’s now setting in the freezer for solidification. (Again, following my imagination prior to making this candy, that when it’s ready the morning after, I would turn the ramekin upside-down on a wood chopping board and pop-release the nested hazelnuts on top of the hardened chocolate bar like honeycomb nougat.) There will be a picture you’ll see.
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