A truffle is basically any chocolate that has a ganache centre. Sometimes it will be coated in more chocolate or rolled in cocoa powder or nuts. In other words, they are wonderful morsels of chocolate goodness. Surprisingly, they are not very hard to make, despite how fancy they look.
Ingredients: (makes approximately 30 truffles)
12 ounces good quality chocolate (I used a mix of milk and 52% couverture from Lindt)
6 ounces of heavy cream (35%)
1/4 cup dry champagne
2 ounces butter, softened
Milk chocolate or chocolate candy coating for dipping
***Note: I used milk chocolate, but remember you have to temper your chocolate if you are using regular chocolate otherwise the moistness of the ganache will cause blooming and won't allow the chocolate to harden. You can see a tempering tutorial here. If you use candy melts, you do not have to temper it, but I find that it compromises that delicate flavour of the truffle.
Directions:
Place your chocolate in a large bowl and set it aside. In a sauce pan, heat the cream until it just comes to a boil then remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes then stir the chocolate with a whisk until smooth. If all the chocolate does not melt, you can microwave it for 10 seconds and stir again until melted and smooth.
Add the champagne and stir until completely incorporated. Allow the ganache to set on the counter for approximately an hour and then finish setting in the fridge for at least another hour. You can make this a few days ahead of time and leave it covered in the fridge.
Now, I have to apologize because in my busy schedule of making all these goodies for our anniversary party, I forgot to take any pictures of the next few steps. But I will try to explain them as best as I can and hope the process is straightforward.
Once the ganache is set (it will be pretty firm) scoop out marble sized amounts of the ganache and working quickly roll the ganache between your palms to make a ball. You have to move quickly here, otherwise the ganache will melt from the heat of your hands. Place it on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. I used the large end of a melon baller to get equal amounts but this isn't necessary.
Once you have all the ganache rolled into small balls place the tray into the freezer to harden up for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, melt your candy melts or temper your chocolate. Remove the ganache balls from the freezer and again working quickly (especially with tempered chocolate because it will lose its temper) dip one ganache ball at a time into the melted chocolate, ensuring it is completely coated. Using a fork, remove the ganache ball, but do not tap the fork to get the excess chocolate off, because the ganache is too soft, you can wipe the bottom of the fork against the side of the bowl.
Using another fork slide the chocolate ball off the first fork onto your lined baking sheet to set. If using real chocolate, it will take approximately 30 minutes for your chocolate to fully set, candy melts will set within a few minutes.
The outer chocolate will be thin and crisp while the centre will be super smooth and soft, they are really delightful. Once your chocolate is set, the truffles should be placed in a covered container at room temperature. Chocolate does not need to be refrigerated. These are such a wonderful gift idea or the perfect pairing to chocolate dipped strawberries and champagne!
