20 December 2010

Truffes au Chocolat / Chocolate Truffles

The holidays always evokes an image of baking and candy-making.  For the past few years, I have made cookies, biscotti, and marshmallows to give away as gifts, but I think one of the cutest and easiest was the chocolate truffle.  It is a bit messy (chocolate will get on your hands as you roll it into balls), but it is fun and if you really love chocolate, you will enjoy being surrounded by the intense aroma of quality chocolate.  A chocolate truffle is a mixture of solid chocolate and cream (called a ganache) that is then chilled to set, and then cut into pieces so that you can roll them up into individual balls.  The pieces are then rolled in a topping of your choice: cocoa powder and ground nuts are common.  What is also great about them is that steps are best separated over a three days; this makes it easier to make around a busy schedule because the individual steps do not take that long.


Special equipment is not needed: in fact, if you have made box brownies, then that probably means you already have all the equipment you need.  One item that you may or may not have is a scale; if you do not have one, that is OK.  12 ounces of chocolate is approximately two cups.  You can use this conversion to figure out how much chocolate you need in a specific recipe.

Ingredients are generally available at your local grocery store.  A tricky ingredient to find may be the invert sugar.  In simplest terms (at least for me), this is a very concentrated liquid sugar syrup, similar in texture to corn syrup (and maybe Lyle's Golden Syrup, popular in the UK, but I have never used it).  Invert sugar makes the truffle's texture smoother without adding overpowering sweetness to it.  In Virginia, I bought my invert sugar from Fran's Cake and Candy Supplies in Fairfax.  However, after some internet research, I  learned that making invert sugar is actually a fairly simple process (mix sugar, water, and a little citric acid, and boil until the mixture it reaches a specific temperature).  If making this is something that takes your fancy, please visit here.  Although I have not tried it, you probably can replace the invert sugar with corn syrup.

This year, I made two kinds of truffles based on recipes from Chocolate Obsession: one flavored with vanilla rolled in ground pistachios and the other flavored with orange (fitting I thought, since this is the season for citrus) rolled in cocoa powder. Although I found my taste going toward the vanilla one, consensus says that the orange chocolate truffle was the winner so that will be the recipe I present here. 

Truffes au chocolat à l'orange / Orange Chocolate Truffles
makes about 50 pieces

2 large oranges, preferrably organic
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons OR 7 ounces heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon OR 4.25 ounces invert sugar (if the sugar has separated, make sure you mix before measuring)
9.5 ounces 70% chocolate, chopped if purchased as a block (I used a mixture of 80% Lindt chocolate and Whole Foods semi-sweet chocolate chips)
5 tablespoons OR 2.5 ounces unsalted butter, very soft
Unsweetened natural cocoa powder for rolling

Day One
  • Plan to do this at least two hours prior to the next step.  If you have one, use a zester to grate the zest off the oranges.  Make sure you do not grate the white pith that is below the zest; it is bitter.  If you do not have a zester, you can use a paring knife or a vegetable peeler to peel the zest off.  As you peel the zest off, flip the strips over to check if the white pith is still attached.  If it is is, use a paring knife to cut it off (hold the zest flat on a cutting board with the pith side up, and holding the blade flat, cut the pith off using a back-and-forth motion).  Put the zest on a small plate and let it dry out (it does not have to be completely dry).
  • Stir the cream and the invert sugar together in a medium saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, remove from heat, and stir in the dried orange zest (it will smell like a Creamsicle).  Cover the saucepan, and when the mixture has cooled to room temperature, place it in the refrigerator.  Leave the mixture at least overnight, or up to three days.

Day Two
  • Line the bottom and sides of an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan with plastic wrap .  
  • Set a medium pot filled half-way with water on the stove, and bring it to a simmer.  Put the chocolate in a one quart bowl (you can use either stainless-steel or glass) and place the bowl over the simmering water, and lower the heat to low (to keep it from boiling).  Let the chocolate sit and use the heat from the water to melt.  Stir occasionally, so that the chocolate on top can get in contact with the heat at the bottom of the bowl.  Make sure that any steam from the heat does not condense into the chocolate mixture.  If you have a candy thermometer or an instant read thermometer, melt the chocolate until it registers 115F.  If you do not, you can do this by sight: chocolate will be thoroughly melted, and lumps should be minimal.  Once the temperature is reached, remove the bowl from the pot.
  • While the chocolate is melting, take the orange cream mixture and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over low heat.  Once the chocolate has reached the correct temperature, using a fine sieve or a sieve lined with a cheesecloth, pour the orange cream mixture through the sieve directly into the melted chocolate.
  • Using an immersion blender or a hand mixer with only one beater attached, blend the chocolate and cream, using a stirring motion.  If the sides of your bowl are not high enough, there may be some splatter, so be careful and be sure to wear an apron.  The ganache will thicken and have a pudding-like consistency.  Add the butter, and incorporate it with the immersion blender or hand mixer.
  • Pour the ganache in the prepared pan, and spread it as evenly as possible.  Cool the ganache to room temperature (between two to four hours), then wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to shape them. 
Day Three
  •  Remove the ganache from the pan and onto a work surface, and remove the plastic wrap.  Using a large sharp knife, cut the ganache into one-inch squares.  Dust your palms with cocoa powder, and roll the squares into balls, and toss them into a bowl of cocoa powder (or a coating of your choice, for this flavor I prefer cocoa powder since it won't compete with the orange chocolate flavor).  Keep the truffles in a container that has enough cocoa powder to prevent the pieces from sticking to each other.  Store the truffles in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, and remove 30 minutes prior to serving
Photo courtesy of Thomas!

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