A Faux Finish


Are you thinking ragged or sponged walls? Grain-painted doors?

I'm not. I'm talking about fake desserts.

What is a faked dessert? One example is my first attempt at making Mozartkugeln - or Mozart Candies - at home for Mark's birthday last December.

I made these confections seven months ago in anticipation of the trip we just took a few weeks ago, that included four days in Salzburg, Austria.

I have been nibbling Mozartkugeln since I was 14 years old; I bought them at a café in Salzburg while visiting Europe for a month with my two best friends. (Seriously, what were our parents thinking letting three teenagers go abroad on their own?)

I didn't have them again until 1980 - the summer I played in the Heidelberg Castle Festival orchestra. Once I returned from that trip, I sought them everywhere I could find them in the States - precious few places back then.

Markipedia had his first Mozartkugeln with his cousin Cathy about four years later. She had just returned from a trip to Salzburg, and brought him a box of the candies. She told him they were traditionally eaten after the opera, served with champagne. So the gift box was opened, and they nibbled and sipped champagne that late summer afternoon, while sitting on the lawn, soaking in the receding warmth of the season.

His birthday, no longer celebrated in frigid climes, seemed the perfect opportunity to make these and bring back that lovely memory. I, too, served them with champagne after dinner.

He was tickled that I had made them at home, and said they were even better than the real ones. (He is so nice!) 

By coincidence, neighbors Jeff and Lauran had just returned from Salzburg where they had visited the factory. They brought us the real thing. An echt Mozartkugeln.

Truth be told, the ones I made are only vaguely like the real thing - I am definitely missing a layer or two of complexity. But, like many of the available knock-offs, they were still really good.

As it turns out, even the ones I have seen here in the States may be knock-offs, according to lawsuits in Austria that have have dragged on with Dickensian complexity.


Café Konditerei Fürst, at Brodgaße 13 in Salzburg, claims that they were the originators (in the silver and blue wrappers). While no one has ever decided for sure, we went with the story and visited the mother ship. We had a candy, natürlich, but also sat outdoors in their café and enjoyed a cup of their wonderful hot chocolate and a slice of apfelstrudel.

Whether "Fauxart or Mozart," my version of these candies is fun to make (once you get used to tempering chocolate, it is easy!), and they are very special to serve, with or without champagne.

Haben Sie einen süßen Tag!

~ David

Mozartkugeln - or - Fauxartkugeln

2 ounces pistachio paste
6 ounces almond paste
7 ounces best quality dark chocolate, about 70% cacao

Notes: pistachio paste can be ordered online. Almond paste is readily available in most grocery stores. I tend to use artisanal chocolate from my friends at Byrne & Carlson but, if using commercial chocolate, Valhrona is my favorite. Your results will be much better, by far, if you make your own nut pastes!

Divide the pistachio paste into 12 equal pieces, rolling each into a ball. (I made my own pistachio paste by processing unsalted pistachios and a teaspoon of egg white.) Set aside.

Slice or mold the almond paste into 12 even discs, each about 1/2 ounce. 

Place a pistachio ball in the center of each almond paste slice, then stretch to wrap the almond paste evenly around the pistachio balls, then roll into balls. When all are done, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Temper your chocolate - this is a very important step for success! (Instructions are below.) Place a piece of waxed paper on a baking sheet.

Using a couple of forks and working quickly, dip each chilled ball into the tempered chocolate until it is completely covered. Remove from the chocolate, allowing any excess to drip off, and place carefully on the waxed paper. Let harden. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Wearing unscented rubber gloves, pick up each chocolate and trim the bottoms to make them more round. Wrap in aluminum foil - NOT heavy duty! - and return to the refrigerator. I made little round labels with Mozart's portrait to make them look more authentic, but this was definitely gilding the lily!

Enjoy with (or without) a glass of champagne.

Makes 12.

Tempering Chocolate

When tempering chocolate, make sure it isn't a humid day!

Fill the lower half of a double boiler with water and bring it up to a simmer. Turn off the heat. (if you don't have a double boiler, use a bowl - one that has a wide, flat bottom – over a pan of water. When the bowl is inserted, it should be touching the water.

Add the chocolate to the top of the double boiler, making sure the inside of the bowl is very dry, as any drops of water will seize up the chocolate. Place 2/3 of your chocolate in the top and place it over the water, being careful not to splash any water into the chocolate. Let the chocolate sit in bowl over the hot water, uncovered and unstirred, until it is about 2/3 melted. Once it has reached this point, stir until completely melted using a silicone spatula.

Test the temperature of the chocolate by touching a drop of the chocolate from the spatula onto the skin just below your lower lip. It should sting slightly. (if you sport a jaunty soul patch, you should be making begnets instead).

Remove the bowl from the water and set it on a folded kitchen towel to absorb any water from the bottom of the bowl. Stir in the remaining chocolate slowly and gently until completely melted. The chocolate will begin to thicken and become less shiny and more matte as it cools. This can take up to 30 minutes.

Once all the additional chocolate has melted, touch the spatula to your lower lip area again. The chocolate should feel cooler than your body temperature. If you don’t feel anything, this means the chocolate is just at body temperature, and you need to keep stirring gently until it cools down. When it is ready it will feel refreshing on your skin. You are now ready to dip your almond balls.

Work quickly and continue to stir the chocolate as you dip. If the chocolate cools too much, it turns completely matte and begins to thicken; place the bottom of the bowl back into the hot water for a few seconds. Remove quickly and stir the warmer chocolate up from the bottom and throughout the bowl. Test to be sure it has not gotten too hot, and resume dipping.



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