In the food world, there are two types of truffles. One type is a rather difficult to find mushroom that are only found in Italy and France. The other type is a creamy chocolate treat that can be made at home. Let's learn how to make the latter.
Get Your Chocolate Melting
Since we already know how to make a ganache, we can push the concept just a bit. Let's start with:
- 8 ounces chopped dark chocolate
- 4 ounces cream
- 1 ounce unsalted butter
Optional:
- A small bowl of cocoa powder
- 12 ounces chocolate (milk, dark, semisweet, or bittersweet as you like)
Instructions
- Put the chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl.
- Heat the cream and butter in a saucepan to scalding.
- Pour the cream over the chocolate and whisk the chocolate until it is smooth.
- Pour the chocolate/cream mixture into a clean container and chill in your refrigerator until it sets, about three hours.
- Once the chocolate is set, get a teaspoon and start scooping the chocolate out and rolling it into balls about an inch wide. You will have to work fast because the chocolate will melt very quickly.
- After all the chocolate has been rolled into balls, place the chocolate balls in the cocoa powder. You may want to let them rest in the refrigerator periodically. The cream and butter added to the chocolate will make it very soft and susceptible to heat. Once the chocolate is rolled in the cocoa powder, the truffles are done.
But we can go further.
Using a bain marie, melt the remaining 12 ounces of chocolate slowly until it is smooth. Once the chocolate is completely melted, take the powdered truffles out of the refrigerator and, using a fork (balance the truffle on the fork, please don't impale the truffle), dip the truffles one at a time into the melted chocolate. place them on a plate or tray that has a sheet of parchment paper on it. Once they are all dipped, pop them back in the 'fridge. You now have about a dozen creamy chocolate covered truffles. If you like, you can roll the chocolate coated truffles in crushed peanuts.
Add Some Flavor to the Chocolate
There are some people who feel that chocolate is flavor enough. To them, I say, "yes, you are right." Chocolate is great. But there are those who like to add a bit of extra flavor to their truffles. To them, I say "Let's get creative."
You can add flavors to the cream as it scalds. If you want to add a liqueur flavor like Kahlua or brandy, you can just pour it directly into the cream before you add the cream to the chocolate. To add a flower flavor like lavender, add the lavender flowers to the cream before you start to heat it. And, strain it before adding the cream to the chocolate.
