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Spicy Truffles

In Dessert, Recipes by Harald ZoschkeLeave a Comment

Here is Harald Zoschke’s recipe for truffles. He notes: “If you are a chocoholic (like me), and like it spicy (like me), you’ll love these melt-in-your-mouth chocolate truffles. They have a pleasant zing, which you will notice shortly after you taste the nice chocolate-fruit flavor. Best of all, this is a truffle recipe that’s easy to prepare! Melting the chocolate in a bowl over hot water is necessary because it would burn easily with direct heat, rendering it useless. Also, avoid even smallest amounts of water getting in contact with your melted chocolate; it would get lumpy, and you would have to start over, melting fresh chocolate.”

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The Smoking Bacon & Hog Cookbook: Review

In Book Reviews, Reviews by Mark MaskerLeave a Comment

Y’all know I loves me the bacon. I cure five or six of flavors of my own of the stuff. Now imagine my glee when I opened the mailbox and found a review copy of The Smoking Bacon & Hog Cookbook. Much like the animal that sacrifices itself for my cured pork fix, I squealed. Only with joy instead stark of terror. That’s an important distinction. What’s more important is the book’s treatment of one of the holiest of holies in the meat world: bacon. This book is as much about curing bacon as it is cooking with it.

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Spiced-Up Chicken in Coconut Shells with Mango Cream

In Chile Peppers, Recipes, Spicy Main Dishes by Dave DeWittLeave a Comment

This dish is really worth the effort as it makes a very elegant and highly tropical presentation. To test if a coconut is fresh, pound a nail into one of the “eyes,” drain the coconut water and taste. If it tastes sweet it is fresh. Go ahead, mix a drink with some of the coconut water and rum or Scotch. You’ll be surprised by how good it tastes. Open the coconut by baking at 375 degrees F. for 15 minutes and let cool. Then, using a hacksaw, cut it in half. From the article Mango Madness!

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Tex-Mex Chiltepin Tequila

In Alcoholic, Beverages, Recipes by Mark MaskerLeave a Comment

Chiles and cumin combine here to create the olfactory essence of the Border. Most any type of small chile pepper that you can get in the bottle will work. Be sure to taste it often and remove the chiles when it reaches the desired heat–the longer the chiles are left in, the hotter the liquor will get!

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Keygoes Chili Keychain: Burn Tested

In Gadgets & Tech, Reviews by Mark MaskerLeave a Comment

A billion years ago when I was in high school, mullet and all, my best friend Robert Miller introduced me to the wonderful world of hot sauce. Rob was no joke when it came to spicy. We’d hit the local pizza joint and he insisted on jalapenos on it. And then he’d add his own hot sauce that he carried wherever he went.