Nov 15, 2004 4 min read

Each holiday, I get the cursory warning when I offer to bring something for the festivities: don’t make one of your goofy/weird/complicated/different dishes, because most of the people coming probably won’t eat it. My favorite adjective in that oft-said phrase is “different,” only because I’ve come to believe that it’s a synonym for bad tasting. For a few years, I fought the label, and, as predicted, my sides weren’t as quickly gobbled up as the others. Then I started towing the line, and my dishes too were eaten up.

Not to mention, I got fewer questions about what went into my dishes. There’s something about repeatedly hearing, “And what’s the funny taste in there?” that only solidified that my cooking certainly isn’t for everyone.

This Thanksgiving, I’m sticking with the simplicity, both in a side dish and a dessert.

The green beans I plan on making are deliciously simple, and can be modified easily. A bit of rosemary and garlic or oregano and shallots, for example, would change the whole taste of the dish.

As for the truffles, who, I ask, doesn’t like chocolate?

The ingredient list doesn’t get much shorter, and the potential for the help of small hands is great. I made them recently with the help of my step-daughter, Bree.

After boiling the cream, and stirring it into the chocolate, I had to literally set the timer on the oven because the anticipation of sticking her hands into the chocolate mix was too great for her to wait longer than the prescribed two hours.

As we rolled them (in sprinkles for the kids and in ground walnuts for the adults), Bree could only question why they weren’t perfectly round. I assured her that part of the charm of homemade truffles was their uneven shape.

She asked to take some to her teacher, and we agreed. On the way to school to deliver the treats, she asked me for the recipe. I told her two ingredients, and omitted the rum flavoring I used, not wanting her teacher to think she came from an unsavory household.

Not to be outfoxed, Bree realized the extra ingredient, and wrote her teacher the following recipe: “Only three ingredients, good quality chocolate, heavy cream and love.”

What more could a teacher ask for? So, when Thanksgiving time rolls around, if you’re not the head chef for the feast, try something simple to bring along. If it’s the truffles, make sure to take an example from Bree, and make them with lots of love.

TARRAGON GREEN BEANS

2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon red onion, minced

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon

Boil beans for about 5 minutes in water, then drain. Run under cold water to cool and stop the cooking process. Saut? the onion in butter until tender and add the beats, saut?ing for an additional 5 minutes, or until tender crisp. Stir in the tarragon and season with salt and pepper.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

10 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoon flavoring extract or liquor (brandy, coffee, vanilla, etc.)

Toppings (sprinkles, ground nuts, cocoa powder)

Using a serrated knife, cut the chocolate into small pieces. The smaller the pieces the better, as the chocolate will melt better. Heat the cream to a bubble over medium high heat, stirring to make sure it doesn’t scorch. Add the heated cream to the chocolate and stir until melted and completely smooth. Add the flavoring and stir to combine.

Cover and refrigerate the chocolate mixture for at least 2 hours, or until it firms up enough to roll into balls. In a shallow bowl, add toping for the truffles. Once the chocolate is rolled into a ball, roll it in the topping and place on a plate. Refrigerate until firmed up again. Bring to room temperature before eating and enjoy!

(Jennifer Harr is the Herald-Standard court reporter. E-mail her at jharr@heraldstandard.com)