Food TV Challenge Part 2

In the second episode of the Next Food Network Star that I watched, the challenge was titled, “NBA Chocolate Challenge”. The goal was to design a stadium oriented snack that would signify the contestant’s individual style, impress sports fans, and be appropriate for a mid game treat. The winning recipe was a delicious sounding bacon-wrapped mushroom dish. As good as that sounded, I know that I’m more often than not going to choose something that combines the best of both worlds- sweet and salty. But for this challenge, I had chocolate on the brain (perhaps the title was to blame?). The Bittersweet Truffled Almonds fit the stadium bill- they are easy to make, easy to eat (unlike say, a chili cheese dog, which just screams “Tide Bleach Pen” to someone like me) and are unavoidably good.
-Josie

Bittersweet Truffled Almonds

12 oz semisweet chocolate
6 tablespoons butter
2 cups large almonds; blanched, and whole
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

In a small but heavy saucepan melt the chocolate and the butter, stirring constantly until blended and smooth. Remove from heat. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Dip the wide end of the almond into the chocolate mixture and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the chocolate. When cold and hardened, dust with cocoa powder.

Following the Food TV Star Search

I have a confession- I watch reality food TV. It's ironic, because I rarely watch TV anyway, and I never watch reality TV. But with the first season of Top Chef, I was hooked. Suddenly, I found myself planning my week around the Wednesday night episode. When the season ended, I was a bit saddened. What would I do with all that extra time? (Easy- cook!) My chef friends got into the show too, and we would have weekly Top Chef Challenges. Whatever the challenge of the week was, we would repeat it, have a cook off, and then eat.
It's not convenient to watch Top Chef this season, but I've started watching the Next Food Network Star instead. For personal entertainment, I'm going to cook along with the show. The first night challenge was a super easy grilling recipe, that explained the contestant's culinary point of view. I created the Grilled Halibut with Watermelon Salsa and Cyprus Black Sea Salt. I think that it shows my culinary point of view because I like to use local, organic and sustainable products whenever possible, highlight the unique qualities of each ingredient, and add a little bit of an unusual twist. Stay tuned for my response to next week's challenge!
-Josie