Are there tasks associated with cooking or baking that you dread (aside from washing the dishes - I don't think anyone enjoys that!)? For me, it's chopping chocolate. I'll often skip right past a recipe that looks absolutely delicious simply because the ingredient list reads "bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped." Those two words, finely chopped, are enough to make me run the other way.
Sometimes though, for the right recipe, I'll put aside my fear and chop chocolate. I'll break out my cutting board and despite my best efforts at neatness, that chocolate will wind up all over my hands, on the countertops and on the floor. Worse still, if I happen to be making a recipe that calls for pouring hot cream over the chocolate to melt it, my chocolate is never chopped fine enough. The chocolate doesn't melt fully and I end up having to microwave it briefly to achieve a smooth, silky result (yes, that happened here too - 15 seconds in the microwave at 50% power took care of the problem).
When I saw these truffles on Kristin's site, the promise of decadent treats made from just two ingredients (3 if you count the optional liqueur), was enough to make me look past the fact that one of those two ingredients needed to be "finely chopped." The recipe is simple - you make a ganache, let it thicken then chill and finally scoop and form into little bite sized-treats. The process of forming the truffles proved messy, even after chilling the ganache. I used a melon baller, but if I had a smaller cookie scoop, that would have been even better. I rolled my truffles in two different types of cocoa powder and popped each one in its own little silver candy cup.
These truffles were never meant to stay at our house. I don't even like truffles- too rich for my tastes - but I knew they'd be appreciated by others so I was happy to send them off to be enjoyed. I did, however, keep one here for Shane to taste so I could report back. Kristin had raved about them and the reviews from Martha Stewart's site (the original source of the recipe) were positive, so I wasn't too worried. The truffles got a thumbs-up, but the cocoa powder coating? Well, that elicited one of the most adverse reactions I've ever seen from Shane to something I made. Needless to say, he wasn't a fan. I started to worry maybe I'd done something wrong, but when I went back and checked the recipe, it definitely said "unsweetened cocoa powder" and a quick internet search yielded many other recipes that called for the same coating on chocolate truffles. So, I'm left to assume it's simply a matter of personal preference. Still, I'm curious - if you've had truffles rolled in cocoa powder and enjoyed them, please let me know so I can confirm my theory about personal preferences. One thing's for sure: future truffles in our house will be coated with confectioner's sugar!
Chocolate Truffles
from Martha Stewart (as seen on The Kitchen Sink Recipes)
8 ounces best-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon liqueur, such as triple sec or framboise (optional) (I used vanilla extract)
unsweetened cocoa powder, for rolling (confectioner's sugar would work well too)
Place chopped chocolate into a large heatproof bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; pour over chocolate in bowl. Stir in liqueur or extract, if using. Cover with plastic wrap; let stand 10 minutes. Stir until smooth. Let stand until thick, about 15 minutes.
Pour chocolate mixture into a shallow 8-inch dish or pie plate. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until mixture is very cold and set but still pliable, about 30 minutes.
Using a teaspoon or a 1/2-inch melon baller, scoop balls of chocolate mixture, transferring them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper as you work. Refrigerate truffles 10 minutes.
Using hands dusted with cocoa powder, dip each truffle in cocoa powder to coat, then quickly shape truffle into a rough round. Refrigerate truffles in an airtight container until ready to serve, up to 2 weeks; before serving, reshape into rounds, and roll each truffle in cocoa powder, if desired.
Yield: I made half of the recipe and wound up with 10 truffles. Mine were slightly larger than the teapoon size indicated in the recipe.
27 comments:
I've used cocoa popwder on truffles, but you have to make sure not to coat them to heavily. Really tap off the excess, or you just get a mouth full of chocolate chalk.
Mimi
the recipe is right . usually the sweetness of th ganache will overpower the cocoa powder. i love these especially when I add liqueur :)
Tracey, your photos get more and more beautiful with each post! I have also blanched at truffles rolled in cocoa powder, but people love them! They're actually not bad if you are a chocolate lover (I'm a chocolate liker)! But I agree with you about finely chopping chocolate. It's a pain! Chocolate shards get everywhere, I constantly have to worry about chocolate falling on the floor and my dog eating it, and my hands are covered with melted chocolate by the end!
Making truffles is fun. These look perfect.
And all that chocolate. Such DECADENCE!!
I've had truffles rolled in cocoa powder and they taste great to me! though some may find them too bitter for their taste especially if the cocoa layer's thick. Does a melon baller work well for truffles? I always disliked shaping truffles cos they dirty my hands!
I've rolled them in unsweetened cocoa before -- hated it! I prefer powdered sugar or nuts or sprinkles!
Allie - the melon baller really didn't work all that well to be honest. My hands got very dirty! I just used it to make them all roughly the same size. I would definitely have preferred a cookie scoop with a spring release, but even my smallest one was a bit too big.
I was just wondering if grating the chocolate might be easier than chopping it. I've never tried that, but it would seem to me that it would work as good, or even better.
Chopping chocolate is my most-hated kitchen task too!!! Other than doing the dishes, I guess.
Chopping chocolate is indeed a royal pain in the you know what. I keep mine in the fridge so that it's harder and I make less of a mess but I still make a mess nonetheless.
I love truffles! And though cocoa tastes disgusting usually, on the truffles, it seems right. You just have to make sure the cocoa is on as thinly as possible, just to avoid stickiness. BTW, the truffles look simply amazing, especially in the silver cups!
When I make truffles, I usually coat half in cocoa powder, half in powdered sugar. The cocoa seems to make them a bit too bitter, the sugar a bit too sweet. I can never get nuts to stick (and a fair share of my friends don't like nuts, anyway), so I haven't found a suitable solution, but I suffer through and eat them anyway :)
You're making me hungry, Tracey!
Truffles in cocoa powder are classic, but you ca also temper chocolate and coat them with chocolate (dab a little in your palm, roll the truffle lightly in the chocolate to coat and let set--you don't want globs, just a nice crisp shell).
I HATE HATE HATE chopping chocolate, so I buy feves. No chopping required. They're designed for confection so they melt uniformly.
Truffles are so much fun to make and they taste sinfully delicious! Yours look like they would kill me! In a good way, of course. ;)
Your truffles look beautiful! I'm with you on chopping chocolate, though... I rarely bother and I just microwave it instead :) I feel the same way about chopping nuts for some reason, too. I think it's because they tend to shoot in every direction off of my cutting board.
I just took a chocolate class last week and the chef made truffles. She mentioned not liking the unsweetened cocoa either and suggested using (as well as we tasted) her truffles that were rolled in Ghirardelli sweetened cocoa powder. They were really good. You'll see it (or already have) near all the other cocoas at the store.
Your photos are stunning! I'm not big on truffles, either, but they are kind of a fun thing to make.
I have made truffles and rolled them in chocolate sprinkles. They both look and taste good.
Um, YUM! How could they NOT be good??!
I tend to avoid recipes that call for finely chopping chocolate myself. Looks like this was worth the effort!
I was going to write what Mimi, the first commenter, wrote. For the truffles I made not too long ago, I notied that the cocoa powder was on there too heavy, but the ganache part came through quickly enough to make you forget about that first bitter taste. I think that the best part of a truffle, though. The contrast of flavors and the mingling that happens right on your tongue.
Anyway, your truffles look beaeutiful. I love the little cups you used.
Wow... beautiful truffles! While the chopping is a pain - it's amazing how easy these are to make... people are so impressed! Love all the variations you've done - and I agree - the photos are stunning!
I love cocoa powder on truffles! I'm form the Netherlands, and the standard "truffle" here is a cream truffle, covered in a layer of chocolate and the chocolate then carries a good layer of cocoa.... we don't actually have sweetened cocoa powder here, so I guess we're/I'm just used to the slightly bitter but wonderful cocoa taste...
(here's a picture of homemade cream-truffles: http://www.eediete.nl/keuken/pics/slagroomtruffel.jpg )
Those look great, Tracey. I don't mind cocoa powder on truffles, but I usually dip mine in chocolate. I haven't been brave enough to try tempering chocolate, so I just keep them in the fridge.
I won't lie to you, these look horrible. LOL...of course they would, right? I don't like chocolate. That said, to someone who does, these probably look like heaven...and your recipient certainly thought so, too! Cute the way you have them all lined up in those little paper cups.
I love love LOVE truffles-I was shopping at the mall yesterday and passed by the Ghiradelli store and couldn't leave without buying several :)
After many years I've just started making truffles again as the treat at the end of Afternoon Tea at my mum's tea garden. I've used the unsweetened cocoa powder and the reaction to the truffles has been very positive, but I agree that the coating has to be light. I'm about to experiment with different liquors & coatings. I chop the chocolate with a pastry blender - my husband just breaks it up with his hands. As long as your hands are cool, neither makes the mess of chopping. Rolling just seems to be a messy job no matter what, but cold hands or a very light coating of cooking spray can help. I use a rounded table spoon measure as a scoop.
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