The day after Christmas is Saint Stephen's Day. To commorate the day, young boys in Ireland, Wales, and Scotland will hunt a wren, kill it, and then dress themselves up in outlandish costumes and wander the neighborhood singing and collecting small change. . .
for the funeral.
It is brutal, harsh, and charming all at the same time.
I am recovering from my long bout of steady work.
I'm not complaining, but it's far more work than I'm used to or prefer to do. Work, in and of itself is not a bad thing, but it sure cuts into a fella's day.
Another day of rest and it will be time to get around to the truffles I promised everybody for Christmas. With a little luck I'll have them made and shipped before the new year. If I don't, well, there have been far worse tragedies in the world to ponder.
There's a flavor of truffle that I haven't made for a while which is making its appearance this year. It's to honor my friend Jerry, who just died. He had the sudden rearing of several conditions that seem to be part and parcel of a musician's life. He had been sober close to 20 years when he realized that by the time he sobered up much damage, unfixable damage had been done. Hep-C, cirrosis, HIV, and a few other maladies all attacked with a vengance. Jerry opted to enter a hospice rather than try things to extend his life. When he died last week one of the hospice staffers gave me a half empty bottle of Chivas Regal. That was the bottle from which Jerry took his last drink all those years ago. He kept it with him the rest of his life. I took it home with me and dumped it into a jar with some raisins. This year, in memory of Jerry, we will have Whiskey Raisin truffles.
Here's the flavor line up, which is subject to sudden whim and change. This is only my plan.
Classic Bittersweet (my personal favorite)
Raspberry (hands down the most popular flavor)
Whiskey Raisin (damn, I miss my friend)
Sofia's Mexicali Spice (it's said that one bite of these will send you looking for sacrificial victims)
White Chocolate Raspberry
White Chocolate Peppermint
I'll be posting the recipe and the process as it happens.
Live truffle blogging will ensue this afternoon, unless I decide to allow myself one more day of indolence. . .
