Belgian Chocolates and Travels
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Happy cooking!
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This chocolate truffles recipe is brought to you by Ashley.
How did Ashley come up with this chocolate recipe? You can find a
truffle recipe in almost every gourmet cookbook, but Ashley combined
several chocolate truffle recipes, added her own advice and tips from
trial and error to give you the world's best (and easiest) chocolate
truffle recipe.
Chocolate truffles ingredients
* 8 ounce (about 230gr) semi-sweet baker's chocolate
* 16oz. (1 bag) (about 460gr) chocolate or white chocolate chips
* 3 tablespoons very heavy whipping cream
* 1tablespoon of your favorite liqueur. (Ashley's favorite is
Kahlua. Yet Mint or almond extract works well too.)
Chocolate truffles preparation
1. In a large pan half filled with water, place a smaller, heat-
safe bowl. (au bain-Marie). The stove should be at about medium. Add
the baker's chocolate to the smaller bowl and stir occasionally until
it's completely melted. Add the whipping cream and stir completely,
then add the liqueur or extract and mix well. Take it away from heat
immediately.
2. Place the bowl with the chocolate in the freezer for 40 minutes
or an hour, until the chocolate is firmed up enough to be malleable
and keep it's shape. Roll the chocolate into 1 tablespoon balls, put
them on wax paper.
3. What you've just created is "ganache" or "chocolate truffle
filling". Some people just leave it at that: ganache is delicious! You
can roll it in powdered sugar or chopped nuts and still make a big
hit. However, for a true chocolate truffle, the next step is so easy
and fun I've never successfully avoided it. (ganache can also be made
far in advance and kept in an air tight container in the freezer until
you're ready to use it.)
4. Put the ganache in the freezer and let it firm up for 20
minutes. Take about 3/4 cup of the chocolate or white chocolate and
microwave it in a small bowl in 30 second intervals. Between
intervals, stir vigorously. Chocolate is only tricky to work with if
you forget that it can burn and will keep it's chocolate chip shape as
its melting. Stirring chocolate vigorously between micro-waving will
help it break up and not burn. Using smaller quantities at a time will
help, too. It usually takes three 30 second intervals to get the
chocolate smooth.
5. Take the ganache out of the freezer and one by one, drop it in
the melted chocolate. To make sure it's coated completely, use 2 forks
to 'juggle' it. That's it! Place your truffles on wax paper and wait
until they firm up- usually 4 or 5 hours. You'll want to leave them at
room temperature: if you stick them in the fridge they'll get that
gross white stuff on the surface.
6. I like to dip my truffles in milk chocolate and then melt and
color white chocolate and splash it over for my truffles as an added
accent. The chocolate truffles from the photo above show green
truffles made for St. Patrick's Day!
Eat well to sleep well,
TheSkinnyCook
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