Sweetie sweets: chocolate truffles

I had intended to post this prior to Valentine’s day, but one thing led to another and I didn’t end up having time. Let this therefore be an idea for next year, or even better, a gift idea for a random expression of love!

I love Valentine’s day. I know some people think it’s a commercial, Hallmark holiday. Not me. I love having a day assigned to expressing and celebrating love. I don’t need flowers or presents, just an excuse to have a nice dinner date, and perhaps to bake something sweet.

Coincident with the holiday, R decided he’d like a cooking project and offered to help with whatever I had planned for the week. Perfect time to try the truffle recipe that I’ve been eyeing in the Tartine cookbook I blogged about here. The recipe looked simple enough, and contains very few ingredients, all of which I had on hand (except of course the pretty little boxes and wrappers that truffles demand). One of the nicest things about the recipe is that it’s basic. No exotic flavors. No lavender. No cardamom. Just chocolate. That’s just the way I like my chocolate: pure and unadulterated.

The truffles were divine. Smooth, silky and creamy. As I am writing this I had to jump up and pop one in my mouth as just thinking about it made me want one immediately!

The recipe suggests that you allow the chocolate mixture to cool and firm up, and then pipe it into inch thick logs on a baking sheet, allow it to firm more in the refrigerator, and then cut the logs into inch pieces that you roll in your palms to get an uneven ball. All of that is well and good, except if your baking partner falls asleep after they’ve been put into the refrigerator, and you lose track of time. If left to cool too long, you risk ending up with logs that are too firm to be coaxed into balls. I was on the verge of the point of no return when I rescued them. I used a couple of paper towels and my fingertips (vs. my palms) to roll them since the heat of my hands started to make them melt on the outside. The paper towel looked like evidence that a chocolate murder had occurred, but it worked. You can skip the piping method altogether and just scoop balls out of the firm truffle mixture. This would probably result in more even, less traditionally shaped truffles, but I might try that method the next time out of convenience.

Save this for next year or use this as an excuse to spread the love any time!

P.s. I am helping a friend with a photo collaboration project (Sea and Sky Journal) this week (My involvement started yesterday). It's a daily diptych using one of her photos, and one of someone else's (unplanned). It's pretty neat. To check it out, click here.

Chocolate Truffles (from Tartine by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson)
(yield: about 60 1-inch truffles)

1 lb bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp light corn syrup
5 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
~1 cup cocoa powder

Place chocolate in a heatproof mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the cream and corn syrup and heat to just under a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for a minute or two. Stir with a rubber spatula in a circular motion until the chocolate has melted. Add the butter and stir until it is incorporated. Let the mixture firm up in a cool place until it can be piped from a pastry bag. The amount of time for the mixture to become firm depends on how cool the room is. Or, place in the refrigerator to speed the process.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Transfer the contents of the bowl to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (no 6 or 7) plain tip. Pipe out long logs abut 1 inch wide. Place in the refrigerator and chill well, about 1 hour. If you don't have a pastry bag and tip, you can leave the mixture in the bowl in the refrigerator until well chilled.

Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator and cut logs crosswise into pieces about 1 inch long. Roll each piece between your palms into an irregularly shaped truffle. If you have left the mixture in the bowl, use a small scoop or spoon to scoop out each truffle and then roll between your palms. Once the truffles are shaped, place the cocoa powder in a shallow bowl and roll each truffle in the cocoa, coating evenly.

The truffles will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.