Chocolate truffles #3

20 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
12 ounces Bittersweet chocolate
1¼ cup Heavy cream

Directions

GANACHE

From: Andrea Wagner <WAGNA@...> Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 18:18:24 -0700 Where do you live? Making truffles in this summer heat is tricky. It's best to work with chocolate in a room that's about 65-70 degrees. Maybe you have air conditioning, unlike me! I use a basic recipe for ganache, then dip into melted chocolate. The secret is using really good quality chocolate.

I recommend Callebaut, or Valhrona. Lindt or Ghiradelli would work too.

1. Begin by breaking the chocolate into small pieces and placing in a bowl.

2. In a heavy saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently.

3. Remove cream from the heat and stir in the chocolate until mixture is smooth. Place bowl in fridge for 30 minutes until it can hold a shape.

4. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Scoop a melon baller into the ganache and form small balls, place on the waxed paper. Refrigerate the ganache balls until firm, 2-3 hours.

5. When the balls are firm, roll them between your hands to get a smooth round shape.

Melting Chocolate: Here are two good methods for melting chocolate so that it is smooth and glossy. (From Chocolatier Magazine) In a Microwave Oven: Place coarsely chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe container and microwave at MEDIUM (50 percent power) for 1½ to 4 minutes, until the chocolate turns shiny. Remove the container from the microwave and stir the chocolate until completely melted. Stir milk and white chocolates after about 1 ½ minutes. Because of their milk proteins, they need to be stirred sooner than dark chocolate. (If overheated, these chocolates may become grainy.)

In a Double Boiler: Place coarsely chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, not simmering, water. Melt the chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove the top part of the double boiler from the bottom. Don't ever let even a drop of water get into your chocolate while it is melting or else it will "seize" and cause you a great headache (my advice not Chocolatiers!).

Follow directions above for melting chocolate, and keep stirring until the temperature of the chocolate has reached 88 to 91 degrees (84 to 87 if milk chocolate). Once I reach that temperature, I keep my melted chocolate on top of an old heating pad set to 'low' to maintain it at that temperature while dipping.

1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or aluminum foil.

2. Dip the truffles (ganache balls) into the chocolate one at a time, letting the excess chocolate drip off into the bowl. Drop the truffle onto the baking sheet.

3. Refrigerate for 5 minutes, then remove and store at room temperature (65-70 degrees is best) for 2 weeks (although mine never last that long.) I vary this recipe a whole lot, because I usually make them in huge batches for Xmas, and I like to give each person a few different varieties. I will add different liqueurs (Kahlua, Bailey's, etc,.) to the ganache or a bit of ground coffee. I usually melt sepaprate batches of milk, white and bittersweet chocolate for dipping. Sometimes I roll them in cocoa or nuts.

EAT-L Digest 15 July 96

From the EAT-L recipe list. Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, .

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