Nooobody Knows the Truffles I've Seen....
deilciosity in photographed for your delectation and amusement
THE BASICS:
2 parts chocolate
1 part heavy fresh cream
UPDATE: This year I increased the cream, using 6 - 7 oz of cream to the 9.7 oz in a SB bar. MMMMmmmm creamier!
Grate chocolate.
Scald cream. Then add 1 1/2t real vanilla and 1/2 t real almond essence [makes the chocolate chocolatier]. Pour cream onto chocolate and stir gently with wire whisk until blended and shiny and pretty. Place clingy wrap directly on the top of the chocolate sealing out air.
Go away. Come back later.
Truffle mix will be firm. Use melon baller to make small, oddly shaped balls and drop into pie tin of cocoa. Roll ‘em around til covered. Place into little ruffled foil cups.
**This year’s variation: I found little foil squares to wrap the truffles in. More on this to come… *crosses fingers*
UPDATE: Foil squares are the bestest—keeps everything fresher even than just storing in a zippy bag or plastic burpee box.
After wrapping, I’ve stored them in large zippy bags until it’s time to box ‘em up on 12/23 or so.
Prepare to accept adulation of adoring fans.
PHOTO GALLERY
The only kind of chocolate worth eating
Chocolate Grating in action [makes the most unimaginably wonderful scent—like fine wine, only better]
Chocolate grated
It will turn all shiny and creamy when the cream is added and stirred with the whisk
If you want to have an orange flavor, add about a cup or so—to taste—of this
For a coffee/mocha flavor, scald the cream and throw in 3/4 Cup fresh roughly ground coffee beans and let steep for 20 minutes or so. Strain a couple of times. don’t worry about the tiniest bits. [and the resulting cream will be strong and, if you’re a coffee junkie, beyond delicious. *cough*SK*cough* And if you’re not a coffee lover, whyinhell wouldja be making this?!?]
This process took about 1/3 of the total amount of cream away so I added more and re-scalded it before adding to grated chocolate.
Once the truffle stuffle is solid [coupla-few hours - overnight] use a melon baller [or any spoon] to get little bite-sized bits up and roll ‘em around in your hands to make irregularly shaped balls. Plop ‘em in a dish with cocoa.
Like this
Here they are—all done and in their little cups. Note the two cups with the candied orange peels and candied ginger.
A couple of comments. The bit about Scharfen Berger being the only chocolate worth eating, be it known, is a religious opinion and depends on just what qualities you want front-and-center in your chocolate. Just as high quality is Valrhona, a European chocolate; the qualities in which it differs from Scharfen Berger is that it has more fruity and floral tones in the taste. Some people think that is worthwhile for eating chocolates, not as worthwhile for combining with other elements in patisserie. It’s a matter of palate. Personally, I like ScharfenBerger better than Valrhona—but it’s a matter of palate.
What you can’t skimp on, however, is the 70% on the bar, which indicates 70% chocolate solids versus cocoa butter and other ingredients (sugar in the case of bittersweet; milk in the case of (ugh!) milk chocolate). The higher this number is, the more chocolate will your truffles taste.
Second, the orange liqueur. I, too, favor Curacao (orange, clear white, or blue doesn’t seem to matter) because it has a bright, intense orange flavor, and I have been known to reduce the liqueur to a syrup to intensify the flavor without signficantly increasing the liquid, but some people prefer Grand Marnier. I find GM has a burned flavor, which might combine better with coffee additives than it does as a principal flavoring element, in my opinion. It’s sometimes difficult to find Curacao of a specific color—which is useful enough to warrant keeping around the house, so it’s a good idea to find workable substitutes. I’ve never used Triple Sec but it might do. There is an Israeli orange liqueur, Sabra, which might do. For my purposes, the Patron Citronge Extra-fine Orange Liqueur stocked at Trader Joe’s works even better than Curacao for truffles.
Posted by on 12/17/05 at 07:01 AMMy wife wants truffles for Christmas, and I was going to buy her some, but now I’m thinking I’ll try these. The look great - and sound like a lot of fun to make.
I have two questions:
1. It’s two “parts” chocolate, and one “part” cream, but 1.5t vanilla and .5t almond ... what are the units for the “parts” of chocolate and cream? Cups?
2. To “scald” the cream means to… what? heat it on the stove without burning or boiling?
You may now, of course, laugh at my ignorance. When you’re done, maybe you could set me straight?
Posted by on 12/19/05 at 05:51 PMI did something last year that causes Claire to go into a dead faint—white chocolate (yes, I know it’s not really chocolate) center, with reduced curacao and grated orange zest. Another batch mixed with very finely chopped glace pineapple. Nice change. And of course you can then coat these centers in semisweet chocolate.
Posted by on 12/19/05 at 07:07 PMNo laughing here, Brian! Before I knew, I didn’t know....
Scalding cream means to bring it to a temp where there are bubbles around the edge of the pan but it’s not boiling. Boiling changes some of the properties of the proteins in the cream. [Bill?]
As I am using ScharffenBerger *ahem* which comes in 9.7oz bars, that is my one part. This year, as I am making things a little earlier, I added about 6 oz cream and the truffles are staying creamy a little longer. I’ve had batches where I added up to 7 1/8oz and they turn out great. Bill’s suggestion of reducing the curacao is a good one. And I’d forgotten about the Sabra and the Patron—thanx! [OTOH his idea that anything sans chocolate liquer or cocao is actually ‘chocolate’ is ...unfortunate; “white chocolate” being essentially Coppertone.]
These *are* fun to make—let me know how they turned out for you!
Posted by Claire on 12/20/05 at 05:01 AMThank you! If all goes well, I will try this tonight—what fun!
I think I’ll try the simple-looking “just chocolate” version first, but I like Bill’s suggestions, too…
Posted by on 12/20/05 at 05:34 AMI don’t care what name they give it; it’s delicious, and that’s reason enough.
Yes, boiling does coagulate some of the proteins in the cream, but even more important it changes the fat-to-water ratio and damages some of the butterfat.
If you don’t keep the liquid additions above 24%, you are liable to an unpleasant phenomenon called “seizing.” So in a 2:1 ration, you are starting out with 33%, some of which is butterfat, so you’re talking about a tight margin for error.
If you want to see what seizing is, find a disposable chocolate (because you won’t be able to recover or use it afterwards), melt it, and put in half a teaspoon of water and stir—or try to stir—then deal with your regrets.
Posted by on 12/20/05 at 07:51 AMThey turned out great! I have about sixteen of them left - only ate three - each about a tablespoon-and-a-half in size, wrapped in aluminum foil. Perfect for the stockings…
Thank you Bill, for your 24% suggestion. That helped me get the proportion right. About 9 oz of chocolate with about 6 oz of cream gave me something just a little more gooey than I’d hoped for. But a few minutes in the fridge firmed it up enough that I it held together long enough to make it into the cocoa tub.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Posted by on 12/20/05 at 07:08 PMWOW, Brian—you make man-sized truffles! Yer gonna be popular!!
I’m glad it worked out for you—makes me grin.
Posted by Claire on 12/22/05 at 10:44 PM
Next entry: Our new Brothers in Democracy!
Previous entry: Sounds to me...
