Barleywine Bonbons

1 can (14 ounces) condensed milk
2/3 cup barleywine (room temperature)
1/4 cup 22 percent plain cocoa
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Covering: Melted white couverture or dark chocolate couverture (about 2 pounds) Chopped macadamia nuts (or other nut)

Mix condensed milk, cocoa and barleywine until smooth. You should have 2 cups of liquid. Pour through a strainer into a heavy saucepan and heat to just a simmer. Chop 8 ounces of the chocolate very fine and place in heavy nonreactive bowl. Set aside remaining 4 ounces chopped chocolate for later use. When the barleywine mixture just bubbles and is hot, pour steaming blend into the 8 ounces chopped chocolate and stir slowly with a spatula, until the chocolate melts. Melt the unsalted butter in the same saucepan, and then when it is almost bubbling, remove from heat and stir in the remaining 4 ounces chopped chocolate. Stir until chocolate melts and then slowly stir the melted butter mixture into the barleywine base. Stir slowly, so air pockets and bubbles do not form. When smooth and glossy, pour the ganache into a 9x9x2 glass pan, and let cool. When cooled, cover and chill 1 to 2 days.

Form centers by cutting ganache into squares and place on parchment-lined pan. To make bonbons, choose an assortment of coverings. Roll or dip each piece of ganache in the desired covering, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill uncovered 6 hours, then pack into candy cups and place in a sealed container. Keeps refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. Yields about 3 dozen bonbons.


RESULTS: At first, the condensed milk was literally at war with the barley wine. The two flavors were completely incompatible. That mellowed after all that time in the fridge, which is why, I think, you have to do that, because it certainly didn't harden the chocolate. I expected to get something akin to the rolled truffles, but after two days in the fridge and another in the freezer and I was still looking at GOOP, I figured that wasn't going to work. I ended up tempering some bittersweet chocolate (gently microwave 3/4 of the chocolate until melted, then mixing in the last 1/4 until that's melted too), using that as a shell in chocolate molds and then using the barleywine chocolate as the filling. I also added some teeny tiny hazelnuts. Got good reviews! Barleywine is generally always higher in alcohol than most beers, but it could be that if I had found one abnormally low, it might have hardened enough to cut. I do not know.