Chocolate truffles
Three different finishes for dark, alcoholic truffles: dusted with cocoa or dipped in dark chocolate then finished with edible gold leaf (from cooks’ shops that specialise in baking or www.squires-shop.com) and walnut.
Makes about 30 truffles
Ingredients
- 250g/10oz dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids
- 125ml/5oz double cream
- 2 tbsp brandy, rum, whisky or Bailey’s
To decorate:
- 2 tbsp cocoa
- 100g/4oz dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids
- 10 walnut halves
- 1 sheet 24ct edible gold leaf
- 2 toothpicks or 2 wooden kebab sticks
Method
- Break the 250g/10oz chocolate into small pieces. Bring the cream to the boil in a small pan. Stir in the chocolate, stirring until melted. Turn into a small bowl and stir in the alcohol. Leave to cool, cover with clingfilm and chill until set.
- Line a tray or baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Dust your hands with cocoa to avoid excessive stickiness and using a sturdy teaspoon, scrape up a spoonful of chocolate and quickly roll between your hands to make a cherry tomato-size ball, not worrying too much about shape. Transfer to the baking paper, continuing until the mixture is finished. Dust one third of the balls with cocoa.
- Break the 100g/4oz chocolate into small pieces and melt in a bain-marie. Use one toothpick or kebab stick to spear the un-dusted truffles and dip into the hot chocolate. Shake off excess and use the other toothpick to disengage the truffle. Continue until all the truffles are coated.
- Press a piece of walnut lightly into half the chocolates and carefully cut and paste a piece of gold over the others. Chill then keep chilled, covered with clingfilm, until required.
Please note the image above is for illustrative purposes only, and is not an original photograph of the dish described.
This article was first published in the November 2008 edition of Saga magazine
Lindsey Bareham's website is www.lindseybareham.com