bonbon failure

In my new, grown-up apartment, we have had the same Bon Appétit and Food and Wine magazines floating around for over a month now. I have flipped through them a countless number of times, and each time I close the magazine, I am filled with a new found inspiration to experiment more in the kitchen.

Passion for food, or rather good food, is in my genes. I am my father's daughter. Anyone who has journeyed to Peachtree Lane has learned that I am a bit spoiled when it comes to my meals at home. My dad creates elegant, simple, comforting, beautiful, DELICIOUS meals pretty much everyday. Call me biased, but he is Top Chef in my book. Naturally, he has set the food bar high. 

Now, I don't claim to be a foodie (yet), but as a Miyashiro, I am constantly thinking of what my sister Reneé calls "the perfect bite." Her philosophy is to just try it. She has proved me wrong on numerous occasions with her perfect bite compositions and has opened my eyes to new flavors and cuisines. As a newbie to the ever-daunting real world, I begin my search to discover, create, and eat the next perfect bite. Hopefully, it will help keep my sanity. Its the simple things in life, and sometimes the simplicity of a barbeque with friends or a midday cupcake is all it takes to make the world feel right again. 

Both Ren and my dad have an effortless ease in the kitchen that I aspire to. I should also mention that my mother has more than cultivated my sweet tooth with her passion for cookies, and that my sister Maria has been a devout partner in crime when it comes to eating. Combined, they have all fostered my love for food, and this blog is for them to be proud of, be embarrassed by, and maybe one day learn from.. 

ANYWHO. Enough of that blah blah blah..

For my first ever blog post, I decided to make these Icecream Bonbons from Food and Wine magazine.


 http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/ice-cream-bonbons


I usually consider myself a good baker, and while these are not baked goods, I had considered myself pretty pro in the sweets department. Well, my ego was definitely shaken after last Thursday. 

Caramel ice cream covered in dark chocolate, dipped in crushed chocolate cookies, sprinkled with sea salt. All ingredients adding up to what I thought would be divine perfect bite. Of course, right from the get-go, things went terribly wrong. I walked to my beloved Fairway and spent twenty minutes in the chocolate aisle before finally deciding to splurge for the nice chocolate. On the walk back, I realized I forgot to buy the chocolate wafers. I didn't panic though. It was too hot for that. Instead I thought,"the chocolate salt combination will be good enough in itself." (I am a HUGE fan of the salty/sweet) I was even a little bit proud of myself for not over-worrying the omitted ingredient. 

 Later that night, I chopped my pricey white and dark chocolate, melted it, let it cool and confidently snapped pictures along the way. Following the directions, I took my tablespoon, scooped a perfect, but obviously too loose scoop and dipped it into the chocolate.

 Immediately, the ice cream began to melt and the chocolate around it hardened too quickly. I tried desperately to spoon chocolate over it to make a complete shell. I lifted it out, sprinkled it with sea salt, and placed it on my baking sheet in the freezer. Pathetic. 

A bit discouraged, but not ready to give up, I made three more these not-so-pretty "bonbons." Two caramel, and two coffee, with the hopes that the slightly harder coffee ice cream would significantly alter my luck. Unfortunately, the chocolate finally hardened too much, and in my hot kitchen, the ice cream was melting at a record speed. I finally gave up on the bonbons.


I ate two of them and my friend Thomas ate the other too. They were very tasty. The combination of the rich chocolate shell surrounding the soft caramel ice cream, with the finishing crunch and taste of sea salt was pretty dang good. But with only four to show for at the end of the night, it summed up to a complete and utter failure. Or so I thought..

I didn't want to waste my expensive, but in all honesty, tasty chocolate. Therefore, I spread the rest of the chocolate out on parchment paper to about an inch think, sprinkled sea salt on top, and put it back in the freezer. About an hour later, I cut it into bite size pieces. The chocolate had hardened more than I had anticipated, so the chopped pieces were jagged and uneven. I like to refer to them as "organic" or "artisanal." Anyways, they turned about to be nice little chocolate treats. And when paired with a spoonful of caramel ice cream, I'd like to think they are pretty close to just as good. Maybe not as pretty of a bite, but perhaps a perfect one all the same :)


This coming Wednesday, I will be cooking my boyfriend Rob dinner. To play it safe, bonbons will not be on the menu.