A Box of Word Chocolates

"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get," goes the famous Forrest Gump line. And this week on NXNW, resident Word Guy Jonathan Berkowitz is re-inventing that idea with his box of "word chocolates," providing us with all sorts of vocabulary knowledge and word wizardry!

NXNW's Margaret Gallagher and Jonathan Berkowitz in studio 

Holiday Baking: Haley Landa 

In the latest entry of our December Holiday Baking series, NXNW baking columnist Haley Landa shares a lovely recipe for using up that extra cranberry sauce. Here's how to make her Bailey's, cranberry and hazelnut trifles:
 

Bailey’s, Cranberry & Hazelnut Trifles

Hazelnut Dacquoise

• 115g hazelnut flour
• 147g egg whites
• 50g granulated sugar
• 98g icing sugar, sifted

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Spray a baking tray with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper.
2. In a clean mixing bowl, begin to whip whites with a pinch of salt.
3. Gradually pour in granulated sugar while continuing to whip.
4. Once mix reaches soft peaks, remove from bowl and gently fold in icing sugar.
5. Pour batter onto tray and spread into a thin even layer using an offset spatula.
6. Bake in oven for 7-8 minutes. Note that you should not achieve very much colour.
7. Once done, remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Flip the tray onto a cutting board and gently peel back the parchment. This sponge is very sticky; partially freezing the sponge often makes it a touch easier to work with!
8. Using a round cutter, about the circumference of your serving cups/vessels, cut out rounds of the sponge.

Bailey’s Whipped Cream

• 236g 36 per cent whipping cream
• 28g Bailey's
• 20g icing sugar

Directions: 

1. Whip cream and Bailey’s to medium peaks.
2. Fold in icing sugar and taste. Add additional sugar if desired.

Cranberry Compote

• 6oz cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1.5 tsp. orange zest
• 120ml orange juice
• 1 tbsp. Grand Marnier (optional)
• 50g granulated sugar (or more if you like it sweeter!)

Directions: 

1. Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and allow to simmer until cranberries pop and the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
2. Once thickened, remove from heat and allow to cool until ready to build the trifles.

To build the trifles:

1. Choose your vessels — I often go for coupe glasses, but a ramekin or any small jars or vessels will work.
2. In alternating layers, fill each glass with a couple scoops of the Bailey's cream, hazelnut dacquoise and cranberry compote. The final and top layer should be the Bailey's cream, onto which I usually grate a bit of fresh nutmeg for garnish.
3. Allow the trifles to sit in the fridge for an hour (or more) to let them set.
4. Enjoy!

In case you missed it...

Thanks for listening, and happy holidays!

Have comments or suggestions you'd like to share? Email us!

Jeremy Ratt, editor