Anyone who has/had a Jewish grandmother (aka Bubby) knows how much they adore Manischewitz. Mine used to love it so much that she actually carried a bottle of it in her purse to various restaurants just because, as you can imagine, this was not a wine that was readily available on most wine lists (eye roll). I can’t begin to tell you how many restaurant managers my family had to cajole (talk off the ledge) when grandma would predictably open her purse at dinner and pull out a bottle of her favorite drink. To her credit, Bubby was always willing to share her cocktail and would always offer all the restaurant employees who stopped by our table a glass.
Holidays were no exception as both of my grandmothers would always show up at my door with a bottle or two of what they considered to be properly chilled Manischewitz and proceeded to drink it out of tiny shot glasses. Needless to say, they were typically the only ones at our table to do so with the exception of a few kids who were allowed a sip of this wine as a special treat. No offense to Manischewitz, which is decidedly delicious, we just preferred other wines or harder (ahem) liquor.
It’s been many years since my grandmothers have passed away, and recently, while cleaning out a wine cabinet, in the very back, I found a half full bottle of Manischewitz. Nostalgically, I started to remember my grandmothers and their love for this wine, which got me thinking. With Passover approaching, I thought what a great way to honor my grandmothers, and add something special to our dessert table, by using Manischewitz to create a truffle flight. No, I did not use the old half empty bottle, although that served as a reminder to clean out my cabinets more often.
I came up with three different truffles, blackberry-balsamic, white chocolate peach-coconut and drunken cherry-espresso. Each is delicious in it’s own way, and so incredibly pretty. Serve them on a large platter so that everyone can choose the ones they’d like to sample, or as part of a truffle flight on top of tiny shot glasses full of colorful ice-cream, as I did.
I paired the blackberry-balsamic truffles with pistachio ice cream.
To add a tropical flavor, I paired the peach-coconut ones with raspberry sorbet.
And, coffee ice cream was the perfect compliment to the drunken cherry-espresso truffles.
But, you can certainly get creative here and pick the ice cream or sorbet of your choice. Just about anything would be delicious.
They’re perfect for Passover, Easter or any other holiday, and are guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. I promise you, although they may remind you of your grandma, this is definitely not your Bubby’s Manischewitz flight.
The Dishy Details
I started with two recipes from Ina Garden for chocolate truffles and white-truffles and turned them into three different truffles, blackberry-balsamic, white chocolate peach-coconut, and drunken cherry-espresso. I’ll provide you with separate recipes for each of them below so you can make all three, or pick and choose the ones you’d like to make. The beauty of truffles is that they literally take minutes to make (most of the time is spent on letting them chill) and will last in your fridge for weeks, which makes this the perfect make ahead treat.
Although the ingredients vary slightly between the different flavors, the technique is pretty much the same. Blend chocolate and a bit of cream together until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny.
Add the flavor of your choice. Here you can use the ones that I did, or get really creative with your own wine and/or filling.
Let the mixture cool for a bit then scoop it into rounded dollops.
Roll into small spheres and coat with the topping of your choice.
That’s it. So incredibly easy and so impressive as a dessert option.
I hope that you decide to give this Manischewitz Truffle Flight recipe a whirl. If you do, please let me know what you think, or tag me on Instagram. I always love to hear from everyone and to see photos of any recipes that you make. And, above all, thanks so much for stopping by.
White Chocolate Peach and Coconut Truffles
Ingredients
- 4 tbs heavy cream
- 16 oz good white chocolate, chopped
- 3 tbs Manischewitz peach wine
- 1 tsp pure vanilla ice cream
- sweetened shredded coconut for coating
Instructions
- Heat the cream in a medium bowl set over a pot of simmering water until just heated through (about 3-5 minutes). Stir in the white chocolate and whisk until melted (about 3 minutes). Add the wine and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using two teaspoons or a 1¼ inch ice cream scoop to make rounded dollops of the chocolate mixture and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Place the coconut into a shallow dish. Roll each truffle in your hands to form a small ball and then roll in the coconut. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Manischewitz Blackberry-Balsamic Truffles
Ingredients
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 8 oz semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbs Manischewitz blackberry wine
- 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
- salted pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped for coating
Instructions
- Place the chopped chocolate into a medium sized bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Turn off the heat and allow the cream to cool for 20-30 seconds. Pour the cream through a fine mesh sieve into the bowl of chopped chocolate.
- Whisk the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is well blended. Add in the wine and balsamic vinegar and whisk to combine. Set aside at room temperature for one hour.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Using two teaspoons or a 1¼ inch ice cream scoop, make rounded dollops of the chocolate mixture and place them on the prepared sheet pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll each dollop with your hands to form a small ball then coat in chopped pistachios. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve. Enjoy at room temperature.
Manischewitz Drunken Cherry-Espresso Truffles
Ingredients
- 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 8 oz semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
- 4 tbs Manischewitz cherry wine
- 1 tbs prepared espresso, cooled
- chocolate shavings, for coating
Instructions
- Place the chopped cherries into a small bowl and cover with the wine. Allow to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour. The longer they sit, the more flavorful the cherries will become. Drain the cherries but reserve the liquid.
- Place the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Turn off the heat and allow the cream to cool for 20-30 seconds. Pour the cream through a fine mesh sieve into the bowl of chopped chocolate.
- Whisk until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is well incorporated. Add three tablespoons of the reserved cherry soaking liquid and the prepared espresso. Whisk to combine. Set the mixture aside at room temperature for one hour.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using two teaspoons or a 1¼ inch ice cream scoop to make rounded dollops of the chocolate mixture. Press a few cherry pieces inside each dollop and place on the prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Using your hands, roll each dollop of chocolate into a small ball and coat in chocolate shavings. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve. Enjoy at room temperature.