Thought someone here might be interested in this yummy recipe i saw
being made on a canadian cooking show. It looked simple enough for
anyone who has had chocolate- making ambitions..

He also made cocoa nibs brittle, which looked very interesting and easy,
and mexican hot chocolate, the usual way. Enjoy! ~judy ) (who "looks"
like she's just done up a batch w/o gloves on, but really it was from
her de-husking her first bagful of raw black walnuts sans gloves!! ;o)


72% Truffles George Graham
Chocolatier/Pastry Chef,
Rogers' Chocolates
www.rogerschocolates.com


Ingredients:

1/2 L whipped cream
1 kg dark 72% chocolate
20 g unsalted butter (optional)
2 lb semi-sweet chocolates


Directions:

1. Chop chocolate into small pieces and place into a clean, dry
stainless bowl or container.

2. Add butter to cream and bring to a boil, then carefully pour onto the
chopped chocolate. Let sit for a few minutes then gently mix until
completely incorporated.

Clean down sides of container and lay plastic right on top of liquid
mixture.

Leave to set overnight in a cool place or refrigerate (Note that the
next day it may be very firm right out of the fridge so allow to soften
slightly for 1 or 2 hours prior to using).

(Use a tiny cookie dough scoop and warm it over gas flame before you
begin scooping out each truffle onto parchment paper. He had a marble
slab too).

3. Scoop into small, bite size pieces and then roll in the palms of
your hand to a round shape. (Put on gloves and roll each ball, after
you've dipped your hand, into the tempered chocolate).

Proceed to finish (by drizzling) with tempered semi-sweet chocolate.

This recipe is a little on the stiff side when brought out of the
fridge, but is easy to scoop and round when cool.

Ganache/truffle softens as it comes to room temperature to make for a
very nice creamy filling.


http://tinyurl.com/u0n1

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at Fri, 07 Nov 2003 05:38:09 GMT in <13745-3FAB2FC1-68@storefull-
2134.public.lawson.webtv.net>, (Judy) wrote :
Minor, but important corrections:

>
>72% Truffles George Graham...
....
>Ingredients:
>
>1/2 L whipped cream

This would be *whipping* cream, not *whipped* cream. In other words, you
don't have to whip it before use, nor is using canned whipped cream
advisable. In the USA, also, results will be better using "heavy cream".
What's labelled as "whipping cream" usually has too little fat, making the
ganache very temperamental and prone to "break" (i.e. become grainy and
uneven)

>1 kg dark 72% chocolate
>20 g unsalted butter (optional)
>2 lb semi-sweet chocolates

This would be *chocolate*, not *chocolates*. You're not going to melt and
temper various kinds of small, bite-size, chocolate-covered confections
often found in boxed assortments. You use pure chocolate (this one is a
*lot* more obvious but somebody will make that mistake, you can count on
it.)

....

>1. Chop chocolate into small pieces and place into a clean, dry
>stainless bowl or container.

That would be the 72% chocolate.

....

>3. Scoop into small, bite size pieces and then roll in the palms of
>your hand to a round shape. (Put on gloves and roll each ball, after
>you've dipped your hand, into the tempered chocolate).

The tempered chocolate referred to will be the semi-sweet. It's actually
better to dip your hands in cocoa, not in chocolate - MUCH easier to roll.

See below on how to temper.

>Proceed to finish (by drizzling) with tempered semi-sweet chocolate.

Tempered semi-sweet chocolate means that you melt the chocolate, then pour
about 1/2 to 3/4 out on a marble or other smooth, porous slab, then spade
it around with a metal spatula until it just starts to solidify. Then
scrape it quickly back into the rest of the chocolate and stir until smooth
and remelted. There are also machines that can do this with somewhat less
work.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Alex Rast wrote:
>
> at Fri, 07 Nov 2003 05:38:09 GMT in <13745-3FAB2FC1-68@storefull-
> 2134.public.lawson.webtv.net>, (Judy) wrote :
> Minor, but important corrections:
>
> >
> >72% Truffles George Graham...
> ...
> >Ingredients:
> >
> >1/2 L whipped cream
>
> This would be *whipping* cream, not *whipped* cream. In other words, you
> don't have to whip it before use, nor is using canned whipped cream
> advisable. In the USA, also, results will be better using "heavy cream".
> What's labelled as "whipping cream" usually has too little fat, making the
> ganache very temperamental and prone to "break" (i.e. become grainy and
> uneven)

Why is it necessarily 'whipping cream' and not whipped cream? I've made
truffles before with whipped cream. The chocolate and other ingredients
were added to *whipped* cream. Made for a very nice light truffle
texture.


>
> >1 kg dark 72% chocolate
> >20 g unsalted butter (optional)
> >2 lb semi-sweet chocolates
>
> This would be *chocolate*, not *chocolates*. You're not going to melt and
> temper various kinds of small, bite-size, chocolate-covered confections
> often found in boxed assortments. You use pure chocolate (this one is a
> *lot* more obvious but somebody will make that mistake, you can count on
> it.)
>
> ...
>
> >1. Chop chocolate into small pieces and place into a clean, dry
> >stainless bowl or container.
>
> That would be the 72% chocolate.
>
> ...
>
> >3. Scoop into small, bite size pieces and then roll in the palms of
> >your hand to a round shape. (Put on gloves and roll each ball, after
> >you've dipped your hand, into the tempered chocolate).
>
> The tempered chocolate referred to will be the semi-sweet. It's actually
> better to dip your hands in cocoa, not in chocolate - MUCH easier to roll.
>
> See below on how to temper.
>
> >Proceed to finish (by drizzling) with tempered semi-sweet chocolate.
>
> Tempered semi-sweet chocolate means that you melt the chocolate, then pour
> about 1/2 to 3/4 out on a marble or other smooth, porous slab, then spade
> it around with a metal spatula until it just starts to solidify. Then
> scrape it quickly back into the rest of the chocolate and stir until smooth
> and remelted. There are also machines that can do this with somewhat less
> work.
>
> --
> Alex Rast
>
> (remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

"Arri London" > wrote in message
...

>
> Why is it necessarily 'whipping cream' and not whipped cream? I've made
> truffles before with whipped cream. The chocolate and other ingredients
> were added to *whipped* cream. Made for a very nice light truffle
> texture.
>
>

I would guess that it should be whipping cream because of the measurement
involved. If it were whipped cream, the measurements would more likely be
in cups rather than litres. Also, 1/2 litre of whipped cream would be far
too little cream to go with 1 kg dark chocolate.

When you made truffles with whipped cream, how much whipped cream did you
use and how much chocolate? Were there any other ingredients? Did it firm
up well, and could you dip them in couverture? I'm on a perfect truffle
quest. So far, I've made 6 batches each using a different type of chocolate
and reduced whipping cream. So far, Trader Joe's 70% dark chocolate and
bittersweet have beaten out Callebaut (a cheap one), Bernard Callebaut,
Valrhona, and Scharffen Berger. Only one person has varied--one liked the
Callebaut dark but I think it was because it was much sweeter, and she
prefers semi-sweet chocolate, in general. I don't really like chocolate,
but I also preferred TJ's over the rest. It tastes just like a rich hot
chocolate made with dark chocolate.

Have you ever tried making truffles with creme fraiche? Or clotted cream?
I've just heard of doing that, but have never tried it, myself.

rona

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***

at Sun, 09 Nov 2003 03:09:26 GMT in
>, (Rona
Yuthasastrakosol) wrote :

>
>"Arri London" > wrote in message
...
>
>>
>> Why is it necessarily 'whipping cream' and not whipped cream? I've
>> made truffles before with whipped cream. The chocolate and other
>> ingredients were added to *whipped* cream. Made for a very nice light
>> truffle texture.

IMHO a confection made with whipped cream and chocolate is very good, but
it's not a truffle. It's a matter of definitions rather than of
palatability. A concoction made with whipped cream and chocolate isn't
dense and creamy, like a truffle, it's light and airy, like a chocolate
mousse. Indeed, I think this very simple preparation could almost be called
chocolate mousse, except, being technical, I tend to reserve the term
mousse for something that includes eggs as well. But chocolate and whipped
cream work very well togther. I use it as a filling for my Chocolate Death
cake (which also has truffles, as well).

>When you made truffles with whipped cream, how much whipped cream did
>you use and how much chocolate?

My ratio for chocolate cream is 8 oz chocolate to 1 cup (liquid) cream. You
melt the chocolate in a double-boiler, whip the cream until just below
fully stiff, then beat the chocolate in by adding it in a steady, slow
stream. The beating-in method, btw, works far better for keeping volume
than folding it in, which tends to collapse the cream.

>it firm up well, and could you dip them in couverture?

It does get pretty firm when chilled, but not dense and firm like truffle
ganache. If you hold it in your hands it instantly goes completely soft.
You can dip in couverture, if you freeze the mixture and work quickly. You
have to chill it first, use a melon ball or ice-cream scoop to make balls,
spike each with a toothpick, then freeze (the toothpick, btw, is to prevent
you having to pick up a frozen center with your hands.

However, it is VERY different done like this from a standard "truffle".
This will seem more like a fancy dessert than "chocolates" in the
traditional sense. Ever had those frozen things called "Bon Bons?" It's
similar to that. You don't have to freeze the concoctions once dipped, but
you do need to chill them.

>Have you ever tried making truffles with creme fraiche? Or clotted
>cream? I've just heard of doing that, but have never tried it, myself.

Clotted cream, yes. The result is VERY rich, but a bit greasy for my taste.
It's hard to control the texture. They tend to be somewhat grainy and
fudgy.

Creme fraiche isn't my favourite thing. I'm not really very fond of most
things that have been subjected to bacterial action. I suspect it would
tend to make truffles taste a bit strange, nothing one could put one's
finger on, but sort of unexpectedly "gamy". It would probably work best
with darker-roasted chocolates, like Domori or Cluizel. Light roasts, like
Valrhona or Scharffen Berger, I think, would become overly sharp. But this
is all speculation.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Rona Yuthasastrakosol wrote:
>
> "Arri London" > wrote in message
> ...
>
> >
> > Why is it necessarily 'whipping cream' and not whipped cream? I've made
> > truffles before with whipped cream. The chocolate and other ingredients
> > were added to *whipped* cream. Made for a very nice light truffle
> > texture.
> >
> >
>
> I would guess that it should be whipping cream because of the measurement
> involved. If it were whipped cream, the measurements would more likely be
> in cups rather than litres. Also, 1/2 litre of whipped cream would be far
> too little cream to go with 1 kg dark chocolate.

That's probably true.

>
> When you made truffles with whipped cream, how much whipped cream did you
> use and how much chocolate?

I'd need to try to find the recipe again. It was out of a book on
confectionery. My mind's eye is saying about equal volumes. Chocolate
and butter melted together, then folded into stiffly-whipped cream.


Were there any other ingredients? Did it firm
> up well, and could you dip them in couverture?

It was just great chocolate (about 80% cocoa solids), a little butter
and the whipped cream. After refrigeration, they could be dipped in good
couverture; what I had was from the Netherlands. Extremely liquid when
melted, very crisp and glossy when cooled.

The others were rolled in cocoa powder or cinnamon sugar. They did firm
up well, but couldn't be held in the hand very long LOL! Who'd want to
anyway??

I'm on a perfect truffle
> quest. So far, I've made 6 batches each using a different type of chocolate
> and reduced whipping cream. So far, Trader Joe's 70% dark chocolate and
> bittersweet have beaten out Callebaut (a cheap one), Bernard Callebaut,
> Valrhona, and Scharffen Berger. Only one person has varied--one liked the
> Callebaut dark but I think it was because it was much sweeter, and she
> prefers semi-sweet chocolate, in general. I don't really like chocolate,
> but I also preferred TJ's over the rest. It tastes just like a rich hot
> chocolate made with dark chocolate.
>
> Have you ever tried making truffles with creme fraiche? Or clotted cream?
> I've just heard of doing that, but have never tried it, myself.
>
> rona
>

No I haven't. Have eaten them and they were delicious, but never made
any.

On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 18:11:35 -0700, Arri London
> wrote:


> Why is it necessarily 'whipping cream' and not whipped cream? I've made
> truffles before with whipped cream. The chocolate and other ingredients
> were added to *whipped* cream. Made for a very nice light truffle
> texture.
>

Do you have a recipe to share with us?

sf wrote:
>
> On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 18:11:35 -0700, Arri London
> > wrote:
>
> > Why is it necessarily 'whipping cream' and not whipped cream? I've made
> > truffles before with whipped cream. The chocolate and other ingredients
> > were added to *whipped* cream. Made for a very nice light truffle
> > texture.
> >
>
> Do you have a recipe to share with us?

LOL Rona asked the same thing. I got the recipe out of a (library) book
on confectionery. Might still be in my files, but it was very simple.
Guessing it was unsalted butter, chocolate and sweetened whipped cream.
The whipped cream was about equal in volume to the chocolate/butter mix.

Will have a look and see if I can find it.

sf wrote:
>
> On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 18:11:35 -0700, Arri London
> > wrote:
>
> > Why is it necessarily 'whipping cream' and not whipped cream? I've made
> > truffles before with whipped cream. The chocolate and other ingredients
> > were added to *whipped* cream. Made for a very nice light truffle
> > texture.
> >
>
> Do you have a recipe to share with us?

This isn't the precise recipe, but it should work similarly:

200 g de chocolat noir spécial dessert (dark chocolate or semisweet)
60 g de crème fraîche épaisse (thickened creme fraiche; stiffly-whipped
cream should work, as it's the same
texture)
150g de beurre (unsalted butter)

Chop the chocolate and melt it over low heat. Add the butter off the
heat and mix to a smooth paste.
Add the cream and mix well. Place in a bowl, cover and chill for at
least 3 hours.
Form the chilled paste into balls and roll in powdered sugar (or cocoa).

(For dipping into couverture, have the chocolate melted and cooled
slightly. Dip the chilled truffles and return to the fridge.)

That's the best I can do right now.

Here's the other chocolate recipe he made on the show. Thanks Alex R.,
for your added clarifications & suggestions.. ~judy )

Cacao Nib Bark
George Graham
Chocolatier/Pastry Chef,
Rogers' Chocolates
Tel: 1.888.663.2220
www.rogerschocolates.com

Ingredients:

450 g semi-sweet chocolate
100 g roasted cacao nibs (made by Scharffenberger, i think they were)


Directions:

1. Place parchment paper on chilled countertop.

2. Measure cacao nibs and place in a bowl.

3. Measure tempered, semisweet chocolate and mix together with cacao
nibs using wooden spoon.

4. Pour out onto parchment, quickly spread out using the back of the
wooden spoon until very thin and allow it to set in a cool dry location.

5. When solid, store in airtight container or zip lock. Keep cool and
dry.

Can be used to enhance additional chocolate display or simply eaten!

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