The Basic Chocolate Truffle w/ variations
 

The Basic Chocolate Truffle

8 oz dark sweet chocolate
1 c. heavy cream, room temperature

Chocolate Coating

16 oz. dark sweet chocolate
1/4 c. vegetable oil

Making the Ganache

To prepare ganache, chop or grate chocolate into small pieces.
Place in top half of double boiler along with cream. Put hot (not
boiling) water in bottom half of a double boiler, making sure the
water
doesn't touch the top pan. Stir often with wooden spoon. When all of
the chocolate has melted, beat until well combined. Remove from heat,
let cool to room temperature. Transfer to covered bowl and
refrigerate
overnight to harden. (Ganache will keep in this state for a few days
if
necessary.)

Take a little ganache at a time and form 1" balls, using
fingertips (with as little contact as possible so the chocolate
doesn't
soften). Keep unused portion refrigerated as you work. Place balls
on
waxed paper-lined baking sheet; continue until ganache is used up.
Refrigerate baking sheet until ganache is hardened, overnight or up to
two days. Allow to set in refrigerator at least two hours before
loosely covering with waxed paper. *

*Foil can be substituted in all cases for waxed paper, but never use
clear plastic wrap. It clings too tightly to the candies and traps
moisture inside which discolors the chocolate.

Prepare Chocolate Coating:

Chop or grate chocolate into small pieces. Heat chocolate and
oil together in top of double boiler over hot water, stirring until
smooth with a wooden spoon. Inssert candy thermometer and begin
dipping
the ganache balls when temperature registers between 85-90F. If
chocolate begins to cool and thicken before you're finished dipping,
reheat over hot water. Work with only 1/2 dozen at a time, keeping
the
rest refrigerated. Drop a single ganche ball into the chocolate,
turning to coat well, then lift it with the fork. Allow excess
chocolate to drip back into pan, then gently rap fork against edge of
pan to remove more chocolate from ball. Failure to do this will cause
a
large dribbly "platform" or "skirt" to form around the base of each
hardened truffle. (this makes it difficult to pack them side by side
in
a box.)

There are two schools of thoughts as to the proper method of
depositing truffles onto the baking sheet: A) If you are conservative
by
nature it's best to gently slide them off the fork with a butterknife,
onto the waiting baking sheet. B) If you intend to further decorate
the
truffle, the second method, (for the showoffs among us) involves
dropping the truffle off the fork upside down directly onto the baking
sheet. Quickly manipulate the single strand of chocolate, adhering to
the fork, into some glorious shap atop the candy, like the pros do.
Either way is acceptable, although the second way requires some
practice
and an accurate thermometer to get it right. If your chocolate
temperature is off by a few degrees, you're likely to find a chocolate
highway - not a chocolate strand - adhering to the fork when that
critical moment comes.

The perfect finale for the basic recipes, for instance, is a
sprinkling of shaved dark chocolate over the top, or better yet,
gently
rolling each newly-dipped truffle in the shavings to coat completely.

Refrigerate all truffles after dipping several hours or
overnight to harden.

Variations of Basic Truffle

----------------------------------------------------------------

Bavarian Mint Truffles

Ganache
8 oz dark sweet chocolate
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 Tablespoons Creme De Menthe

Dipping
16 oz. dark sweet chocolate
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Garnish
green sprinkles for garnish

When chocolate and cream ganache have cooled to room
temperature, stir in Creme de Menthe before refrigerating.
Sprinkle dipped truffles with green sprinkles.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Cream Sherry Truffles

Ganache
8 oz dark sweet chocolate
2/3 c. heavy cream
2 Tablespoons Bristol Cream Sherry
Dipping
16 oz. dark sweet chocolate
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Garnish
2 cups chocolate shavings.

When chocolate and cream ganache have cooled to room
temperature, stir in sherry before refrigerating.
Roll dipped truffle in chocolate shavings.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Dark Rum Truffles

Ganache
8 oz dark sweet chocolate
2/3 c. heavy cream
2 1/2 Tablespoons dark rum
1/4 teaspoon lime juice

Dipping
16 oz. dark sweet chocolate
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Garnish
slivered lime peel

When chocolate and cream ganache have cooled to room
temperature, add rum and lime juice before refrigerating.
Top dipped truffles with slivers of lime peel.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Bourbon Pecan Truffles

Ganache
8 oz dark sweet chocolate
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 Tablespoons bourbon
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Dipping
16 oz. dark sweet chocolate
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Garnish
1 cup whole pecans

When ganache has cooled to room temperature, fold in
bourbon and chopped pecans before refrigerating.
Top dipped truffle with a whole pecan.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Amaretto Truffles

Ganache
8 oz dark sweet chocolate
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 Tablesppons Amaretto

Dipping
16 oz. dark sweet chocolate
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Garnish
2 cups chopped almonds

When ganache has cooled to room temperature, add Amaretto.
Roll dipped truffle in chopped almonds

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Kahlua Cream Truffles

Ganache
8 oz dark sweet chocolate
3/4 c. heavy cream
2 Tablespoons Kahlua

Dipping
16 oz. dark sweet chocolate
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Garnish
1 Cup Chocolate coffee beans

When ganache has cooled to room temperature, add Kahlua
before refrigerating.
Top dipped truffle with a chocolate coffee bean.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Irish Cream Truffles

Ganache
8 oz dark sweet chocolate
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 cup Irish Cream Liqueur

Dipping
16 oz. dark sweet chocolate
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Garnish
2 cups chocolate sprinkles

When ganache has cooled to room temperature, add Irish
cream before refrigerating.
Roll dipped truffle in chocolate sprinkles

----------------------------------------------------------------

Grand Marnier Truffles

Ganache
9 oz dark sweet chocolate
1 c. heavy cream
2 Tablespoons sweet butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier

Dipping
16 oz. white chocolate
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Garnish
candied orange peel

Melt chocolate, cream and butter together. When cool,
add Grand Marnier before refrigerating.
Top dipped truffle with candied orange peel.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Pistachio Truffles

Ganache
9 oz semisweet chocolate
1 c. heavy cream
2 Tablespoons sweet butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons Pistacha Pistachio Liqueur

Dipping
16 oz. white chocolate
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Garnish
1 cup chopped pistachios

Melt chocolate, cream and butter together. When cool,
add Pistachio Liqueur before refrigerating.
Top dipped truffle with sprinkled chopped nuts.

----------------------------------------------------------------


This is not a variation from the basic truffle, but it is very
similar.

Chocolate Chip Truffles
Three layers of deep dark chocolate

Ganache
9 oz semisweet chocolate
1 c. heavy cream, room temperature
3 oz dark sweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks
1 Tablespoon Sabra Orange-chocolate liqueur

Dipping
16 oz. dark sweet chocolate
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Garnish
1 cup dark chocolate shavings.

Prepare ganache by chopping or grating semisweet chocolate into msall
pieces. Place in top half of double boiler along with cream. Put hot
(not boiling) water in bottom of double boiler, taking care that water
doesn't touch top half. Stir with a wooden spoon. When melted, beat
vigorously until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool to room
temperature.

When ganache is at room temperature, add Sabra Liqueur and dark
chocolate chunks, stirring until thoroughly blened. Transfer to
covered bowl and refrigerate overnight to harden.

Take a little ganache at a time and form 1" balls, using fingertips
(with as little contact as possible so the chocolate doesn't soften).
Keep unused portion refrigerated as you work. Place balls on waxed
paper-lined baking sheet; continue until ganache is used up.
Refrigerate baking sheet until ganache is hardened, overnight or up to
two days. Allow to set in refrigerator at least two hours before
loosely covering with waxed paper.


Dipping


Prepare chocolate coating with 16 ounces dark sweet chocolate and 1/4
cup vegetable oil.Chop or grate chocolate into small pieces. Heat
chocolate and oil together in top of double boiler over hot water,
stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth. Insert candy thermometer
and begin dipping the ganache balls when temperature registers between
85-90F. If chocolate begins to cool and thicken before you're
finished dipping, reheat over hot water.

Work with 1/2 dozen ganache balls at a time, keeping the rest
refrigerated. Drop ganache into the chocolate, turning until
completely covered. Lift with fork, letting excess drain off, then
gently rap fork against rim of pan to remove more chocolate. Gently
slide tuffle off of fork (using a butterknife) onto waxed paper-lined
baking sheet. Repeat with remaining truffles.


Garnish

Garnish truffle by sprinkling dark chocolate shavings over top.
Repeat with remaining truffles. Refrigerate truffles overnight or
until firm. Allow to set in refrigerator at least 2 hours before
loosely covering with waxed paper.

Makes approximately 40.

--
Alison | Practice random kindness & senseless acts of beauty.
MacLellan | Margaret Cho's opinion on temperature & racism.
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Article 2918 of rec.food.recipes:
Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes
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From: (Vicki Domansky)
Subject: CHOCOLATE COLLECTION Truffles - chocolate
Message-ID: >
Keywords: CHOCOLATE COLLECTION
Sender: (Usenet news)
Organization: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 16:11:13 GMT
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[Still more truffles. Each begins with "Title:" and is separated
by a line with ten dashes. MFS]

I have quite a few truffle recipes, as a matter of fact. Luckily I
usually make the truffles to sell at craft fairs, or I'd be the size
of an elephant ;-)

This batch is from a 1898 issue of Better Homes & Gardens Creative
Ideas magazine, "Holiday Cooking".

----------
Title: Exqisite Almond Truffles

The most popular truffle I have ever made :-)

Ingredients:

16 ounces white baking pieces with cocoa butter
1/4 cup whipping cream and 1/4 cup of cream of coconut
OR
1/3 cup whipping cream and 3 tablespoons butter (I use this one)
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted and chopped
2 tablespoons amaretto (I find vanilla extract is better)
18 ounces (3 cups) semisweet chocolate pieces
3 tablespoons shortening
4 ounces white baking pieces with cocoa butter
2 tablespoons shortening

Heat and stir 16 ounces of white baking pieces, cream and cream of
coconut or cream and butter just till melted. Remove from heat. Stir
in almonds and amarette (or vanilla extract). Transfer to 8x8x2inch
baking pan; cover. Freeze 2 hours or until firm. Cut filling into 48
portions; shape each portion into a ball. Place on baking sheet.
Freeze 15 minutes.

Melt chocolate using tempered method below. Using a fork, dip balls
one at a time into chocolate; place on waxed-paper-lined baking sheet.
Melt 4 ounces white baking pieces and 1 tablespoon shortening over hot
water. Spoon over candies. Makes 48.

----------
Title: Tempered Melting

Note: chocolate melted this way does not need to be stored in the
refrigerator.

In a 4-cup glass measure, combine one 12-ounce package chocolate
pieces (2 cups) and 3 tablespoons shortening. In large glass bowl
pour very warm tap water to depth of 1 inch. Place
container with chocolate inside large bowl. (Water should cover
bottom half of container with chocolate). Stir chocolate constantly
with rubber spatula until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
This takes about 20 minutes; don't rush (believe it - your chocolate
will get sugar bloom white streaks if you rush). If water cools,
remove container with chocolate. Discard cool water; add very warm
wate. Return container with chocolate to bowl with water.

NOTE: Even a drop of water in melted chocolate will cause it to
seize, or become stiff. If this happens, stir in a little vegetable
shortening, 1 teaspoon at a time, and continue heating and stirring
until chocolate is smooth again.

----------
Title: Truffles

A very good basic recipe that can be modified to your own taste.

6 squares (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup margarine or butter
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 beaten egg yolk
3 tablespoons desired liqueur
(I have used Frangelico, Grand Marnier, Baileys, Cointreau as well
as different flavours of extract)
Cocoa powder, chocolate sprinkles, coconut or ground nuts

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan combine chocolate, margarine and cream.
Cook and stir over low heat till chocolate melts. Gradually stir half
the hot mixture into egg yolk. Return to saucepan. Cook and stir
over medium heat till mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from
heat. Stir in liqueur or exract. Transfer mixture to small bowl.
Cover and chill until completely cool and smooth, stirring
occasionally (about 1-1/2 hours).

Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until slightly fluffy (about
2 minutes). Chill till mixture holds its shape (10 to 15 minutes).
Drop by wel-rounded teaspoons onto baking sheet lined with waxed
paper. Chill till firm (30 minutes). Gently shape into balls. Roll
in desired coating. Store, covered, in cool, dry place. Makes 32
pieces.