Here at The Nosh we are always excited to feature community members who are doing interesting things in the food world. Here we are featuring the chocolate work of Mario Atias who, along his wife Talia, have been long-time residents of Grand Rapids. Mario’s full recipe for Chocolate Truffles, made from tempered chocolate shells filled with ganache, can be found here!

Mario Atias was born in 1951 in Bucharest, Romania. At age 11 he emigrated to Israel with his parents. He graduated as an Aerospace Engineer from the Technion in Haifa and served for six years in the Israeli Air Force as an engineer. In 1985 he moved to Grand Rapids and worked until his retirement at General Electric Aviation and its predecessors, Lear Siegler and Smiths Aerospace.

While in college he worked as an intern in a small Belgian town and was exposed to the artistry of Belgian chocolatiers. After retiring, having always had a “sweet tooth” for chocolates, he researched and adapted various recipes to something that he can do at home with relatively inexpensive equipment.

Chocolate truffles are rich, bite-sized confections made primarily from chocolate and cream, often rolled into a ball and coated with various toppings. They consist of a ganache center, a smooth mixture of chocolate and heavy cream (sometimes with butter or flavorings). Common coatings include cocoa powder, chopped nuts, powdered sugar, or a shell of tempered chocolate.Some truffles are infused with flavors like liqueurs (e.g., Grand Marnier), coffee,
spices, or extracts (e.g., vanilla, mint). Others might have a soft center with a crunchy outer shell, or even fillings like caramel or fruit purées. Truffles are named after the fungal truffle (a gourmet mushroom) because of their similar round, irregular shape—not because they contain any.

This recipe is based on an old pound cake recipe from a friend. Her mother, Esther Shinbaum, made a version of this cake for every family function. I modernized the recipe a bit by cutting the recipe in half (it originally made two cakes) and substituting parchment paper for waxed paper. I also added a chocolate element to make it a marble cake. The recipe does not use a leavening agent (baking powder), so make sure you cream the sugar and butter very well, and beat the eggs in one at a time until very well incorporated.

Ingredients

• 5 large eggs

• ½ lb of salted butter (if butter is unsalted, add ½ t salt)

• 1 ¾ c sugar

• 2 c all purpose flour

• 1 t vanilla extract

   

• 1 c lukewarm water

• ¼ c brown sugar

• ¼ c honey

• 4 t yeast

• ¼ c canola or neutral oil

• 4 eggs + one egg for egg wash

• ¼ t turmeric

• 1 t kosher salt

• 4 ½ – 6 c bread flour

• 2 lg eggs

• ⅔ c (132g) sugar

• ½ t baking powder

• ½ t salt

• 1 t vanilla extract

• 1 t almond extract

• 2 c (240g) AP flour

• Optional nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate chips 

1 c sugar
½ c dark brown sugar
1 c canned pumpkin
½ c salad oil
2 eggs
2 c flour
1 t baking soda
½ t salt
¾ t ground nutmeg
½ t cinnamon
¼ t ground ginger
¼ c water

Dough

• 1 ½ c lukewarm water, divided
• 2 ¼ t active dry yeast
• 1 t sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/3 c honey or Lyle’s Golden Syrup
• 2 T canola oil
• 2 t salt
• 4 ½ – 6 c bread flour

Egg Wash

• 1 egg
• 1 T cold water
• ½ t salt
• 1 t honey or Lyle’s Golden Syrup (optional for slightly darker crust)

• 8 oz/236ml lukewarm water
• 1 T sugar
• 2 ¼ t yeast
• 3 c/360g AP flour
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ¾ t kosher salt (about 10g)

• 1 tube crescent rolls
• Dijon mustard
• 7 oz shredded Gouda
• Margarine

– ¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
– 8 cups plain bagels cut into bite-size pieces (4 to 6 bagels)
– 1 3 ounce package thinly sliced smoked salmon (lox-style), cut into small pieces
– 8 ounces Swiss cheese or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)
– ¼ cup snipped fresh chives
– 8 eggs, beaten
– 2 cups milk
– 1 cup cottage cheese
– ¼ teaspoon pepper