Orange Marmalade Truffles and Incompetence

Today my day job was rather frustrating.  The level of incompetence in the world at large is continually astounding to me.  People refuse to believe that things can still be done properly by hand. "If Microsoft Office can't do it... It can't be done!" I believe that if something isn't pleasing to the palate, the eye, your sense of touch, or your sensibilities in general then there's probably something wrong with it.  And you would think that people could look at something and say, "Wow, that's asymmetrical and completely uncoordinated.  Let's take another stab at this."  But they don't and unprofessional presentations and eye-sores abound. Today the dilemma was a presentation that is going to be given by my co-workers on Wednesday.

[caption id="attachment_14" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Thank you, Mom, for the photogenic teacups!"][/caption]



By the time the presentation reaches my desk it looks like a ninth-grade public speaking project with irrelevant clip art and overly bright, unreadable colors galore.  I then had the pleasure of "polishing" all 85 PowerPoint slides myself.  When I asked, 15 slides into my editing, where they had gotten this presentation I was told that they had "supplemented a template" which is professional speak for "copied someone else's presentation and changed the jargon."  Why no one takes pride in doing their own work, in being excited about producing something fantastic, or joy in their passion for their position any more is so confusing.  I love my work, which is why I do it well.  Is it my dream job? No... but that, friends, is why it is just a hobby.

When I got home I whipped up some spinach linguini with white wine sauce and carrots and began deciding what I was going to bake (baking makes me so much less frustrated, I think its the process that's cathartic but it could just be the end result).  My husband was bemoaning the absence of any chocolate desserts in the house so I decided to make truffles.  The only problem was when I looked up the recipe I didn't have whipping cream, white baking pieces, candy coating or walnuts.  So, I improvised.  Once they were complete my husband declared them a profound success and they are now here for your viewing pleasure.  Let me know how your truffles turn out or what you substituted instead.

Orange Marmalade Truffles

[caption id="attachment_15" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Orange Marmalade Truffles in Coconut"][/caption]

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
1 table spoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup finely shredded coconut

1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside. (Or just a plate if, like me, you don't actually have a baking sheet that isn't a stone.)

2. In a small pan combine chocolate pieces,  orange marmalade, milk, and butter.

[caption id="attachment_11" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Step 3"][/caption]

3. Stir constantly over very low heat until smooth and the mixture begins to pull together (this should take about a minute). The dough will be a little tacky but it should pull together instead of sticking to the sides or too much to the spoon.

[caption id="attachment_13" align="alignright" width="195" caption="Step 5."][/caption]

4. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla, and drop by teaspoons onto wax paper. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.  (I cleaned up the mess I made at dinner during this step.  Twelve minus of washing dishes was just right... though I was really hoping for three holes of golf on the Wii.)

5. Spread the finely shredded coconut (Note: I stress the "finely" part because regularly shredded coconut won't stick properly) out on a separate piece of wax paper, remove truffles from the fridge and roll them, first in your hands and then in the coconut until they are your desired shape.  However, don't roll them in your hands for too long or they get mushy (that's the technical term).

6. Pop them back in the fridge while you make a cup of tea and enjoy.

Notes:
These should keep in the refrigerator for the next week or so as long as they're in an air-tight container.
When you serve them be sure to pull them out of the refrigerator about thirty minutes prior so they'll be just right right consistency and not too cold.  Or, if you're serving them immediately, pop them into the freezer for about three minutes so they'll be solid and not at all still pliable from being rolled around in your hands.  I highly recommend a cup of chamomile tea with these!  The mint didn't quite taste right with the orange flavoring in the truffles.