Zelda Month is still going strong, and even though I’ve contributed something to Fandom Foodies for this theme already, I wanted to do another before November ended. For those who don’t know, Fandom Foodies is a group of bloggers that cook inspired by all things geeky. This month our theme is Zelda Month, a “holiday” of sorts created by PeanutButterGamer! Check out Zelda Month’s host blog Level 1 Chef for other Ze;da recipes and instructions on participating!
Now, for the item of the hour: magic beans. These little wonders were found in both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask. Their function was the same in both games: you plant those suckers in some special soil and you wait. They’ll grow into extremely useful hover platforms in time, though how much time depends on which game you’re playing. In Majora’s Mask you’ll wait just until the next rain (which is never more than a day away), but in Ocarina of Time you reap your rewards 7 friggin’ years later.
The slow growth of these plants might explain the Bean Seller’s apparent lack of business, though it probably doesn’t help that he sets up shop in actual holes in the ground. There’s no foot traffic in secret caves, man. Take a business class!
Lack of business acumen aside, I love that guy. To honor him, I presented these to my husband while making Bean Seller noises. “Nnnnn, ahhhh?”
These are super simple truffles, but I love them anyway. It’s all in the presentation, and the paper bean pod is what really makes it work.
Magic Bean Truffles
Yield: 10-12 truffles
200g (7 oz) dark chocolate
100g (3.5oz by weight, not volume) heavy cream
1 tsp flavoring of choice (I chose creme de menthe extract, but you can do anything you’d like!)
2 tbsp butter
Pearl luster dust
50g (2 oz) red candy melts
50g (2 oz) blue candy melts
50g (2 oz) green candy melts
50g (2 oz)yellow candy melts
OR
200g (7 oz) white candy melts or tempered white chocolate
Red, Blue, Yellow and Green powdered food coloring
1. In a bowl, combine the dark chocolate, cream, flavoring and butter and microwave for 1 minute. Stir to combine. If the chocolate has not melted all the way microwave for 10 second increments and stir inbetween until the ganache is smooth. Fill ganache into a piping bag and twist the end of the piping bag so the ganache don’t leak out. Let it firm up for an hour or two at room temperature.
2. Melt all the colored candy melts in individual bowls. Using clean fingers or a small spoon, spread the chocolate into the cake pop molds. Fill 1/4 of the cavities with each color. Pop the mold in the fridge to set.
3. Once the chocolate shells have set, spread a second thin layer of chocolate into each mold to fortify the shells. Be sure to get any translucent spots, as these will be prone to breakage. Chill again.
5. Pipe ganache into each cavity to just below the top. Place in the fridge for 2-3 hours to make sure the ganache has set completely.
6. Turn the cake pop mold upside down and carefully pop out each truffle half. Warm a sheet pan either over the stove or in the oven. Now, join the halves as follows: take 2 halves and press them seam-side down onto the warmed cookie sheet for a second or two, just enough to melt the edges. Now join the halves together, holding them in place until the melted chocolate solidifies to hold the halves together. Do this one truffle at a time, wiping down and re-warming the cookie sheet if necessary.
7. If necessary, use a knife to clean up the edges of the truffles. Now, using a brush and some pearl luster dust, lightly dust the outsides of each truffle to add a sheen. Serve in the paper bean pod.
THE POD
I made the bean pod using simple green cardstock. Each pod required a single A4 sized sheet and a small amount of non-toxic glue. You can get the template here, sized for an A4 sheet. Fair warning: I’m much better at pastry than I am at making papercraft templates.
1. Print out the template as large as you can on an A4 sheet of paper and cut it out.
2. Use green cardstock or firm construction paper to cut out the final pod shapes. Fold along all the marked lines. Glue together where marked on the template sheet.
3. Smush the bottom of the bean stem flat and glue it to the broad end of the pod. You’re done! Now put the finished product on your head, find a person you love and tell them you’ve secretly been a pod person all along. (I’m not responsible for any friendships that may end if you take this advice.)
These can sit at room temperature if you’re eating them within a day or so, but definitely keep them in the fridge if you intend to keep them for longer. Chilled they can last up to a week, which means they’d be an awesome make-ahead for a party! I hope you guys get to try these out at home!
