cynupstateny
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So many truffle recipes out there. Anyone have a t&t that doesn't have to be stored in the refrig?
- Thread starter cynupstateny
- Start date
Just made these yesterday. Rec: Cacao Bean Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles. Notes inside
Cyn, these hold up really well at room temperature so they're great for gift giving.
Cacao Bean Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles
Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Truffles : 50 Deliciously Decadent Homemade Chocolate Treats by Dede Wilson.
Cacao beans, from which we get all our wonderful chocolate, are now available in raw form. Called cacao (or cocoa) nibs, they look like tiny brown nuggets similar in shape to kasha or buckwheat groats. Cacao nibs are not sweet, but they have an intense chocolate flavor unlike any other product. In this recipe, they are steeped in cream to add flavor to the ganache and chopped for use as a topping.
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons cacao nibs
10 ounces Sharffen Berger Nibby Bar chocolate (8 ounces finely chopped, 2 ounces in rough chunks)
Dutch-processed cocoa powder
55 small fluted paper cups (optional)
1. Place cream in a 2-quart wide saucepan add 1/4 cup cacao nibs. Cook over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes; strain out nibs and discard. Reheat to a simmer, remove from the heat, and immediately sprinkle 8 ounces finely chopped chocolate into cream. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes; the heat should melt the chocolate. Stir very gently until smooth.
2. Pour mixture into a shallow bowl. Cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, then allow to sit, preferably overnight, until firm enough to roll. (Or you may refrigerate ganache until firm, about 4 hours.)
3. Place remaining nibs and chocolate in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process by pulsing on and off until both are finely ground but not powdery; place in a small bowl. Coat your hands with cocoa powder and roll ganache into 3/4- to 1-inch balls.
4. Toss truffles in chocolate-nib coating. Place in fluted paper cups, if desired, and serve at room temperature.
Truffle Tip: Scharffen Berger cacao nibs and Nibby Bars are available by mail order and at Whole Foods Market store nationwide.
Makes about 55.
Reprinted with permission from Truffles
© September 2006, by Dede Wilson, Harvard Common Press
Source: Epicurious
Pat's notes: Didn't have a nibby bar so I used Scharffen Berger 62% cacao semisweet chocolate which worked very nicely. I let the cacao nibs infuse in the cream a little longer, about 20 minutes, before straining, to impart a bit more of the nibby-goodness. Rolled half of the truffles in the cacao nib/chocolate mixture and the other half in some Valhrona cocoa powder. Both treatments were great.
It takes a little bit for the ganache to set up. I was in a hurry so I poured the ganache into a shallow bowl and popped the bowl in the freezer to chill. Worked great. These are lovely truffles....the centers are a bit creamier than most truffles...probably due to the cream to chocolate ratio this recipe uses.
Didn't get the yield stated in the recipe but then mine were made maybe a little larger. Also, I added about 6 drops of vanilla extract to the ganache.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/236602
Cyn, these hold up really well at room temperature so they're great for gift giving.
Cacao Bean Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles
Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Truffles : 50 Deliciously Decadent Homemade Chocolate Treats by Dede Wilson.
Cacao beans, from which we get all our wonderful chocolate, are now available in raw form. Called cacao (or cocoa) nibs, they look like tiny brown nuggets similar in shape to kasha or buckwheat groats. Cacao nibs are not sweet, but they have an intense chocolate flavor unlike any other product. In this recipe, they are steeped in cream to add flavor to the ganache and chopped for use as a topping.
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup plus 4 teaspoons cacao nibs
10 ounces Sharffen Berger Nibby Bar chocolate (8 ounces finely chopped, 2 ounces in rough chunks)
Dutch-processed cocoa powder
55 small fluted paper cups (optional)
1. Place cream in a 2-quart wide saucepan add 1/4 cup cacao nibs. Cook over medium heat until it just comes to a simmer. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes; strain out nibs and discard. Reheat to a simmer, remove from the heat, and immediately sprinkle 8 ounces finely chopped chocolate into cream. Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes; the heat should melt the chocolate. Stir very gently until smooth.
2. Pour mixture into a shallow bowl. Cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, then allow to sit, preferably overnight, until firm enough to roll. (Or you may refrigerate ganache until firm, about 4 hours.)
3. Place remaining nibs and chocolate in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process by pulsing on and off until both are finely ground but not powdery; place in a small bowl. Coat your hands with cocoa powder and roll ganache into 3/4- to 1-inch balls.
4. Toss truffles in chocolate-nib coating. Place in fluted paper cups, if desired, and serve at room temperature.
Truffle Tip: Scharffen Berger cacao nibs and Nibby Bars are available by mail order and at Whole Foods Market store nationwide.
Makes about 55.
Reprinted with permission from Truffles
© September 2006, by Dede Wilson, Harvard Common Press
Source: Epicurious
Pat's notes: Didn't have a nibby bar so I used Scharffen Berger 62% cacao semisweet chocolate which worked very nicely. I let the cacao nibs infuse in the cream a little longer, about 20 minutes, before straining, to impart a bit more of the nibby-goodness. Rolled half of the truffles in the cacao nib/chocolate mixture and the other half in some Valhrona cocoa powder. Both treatments were great.
It takes a little bit for the ganache to set up. I was in a hurry so I poured the ganache into a shallow bowl and popped the bowl in the freezer to chill. Worked great. These are lovely truffles....the centers are a bit creamier than most truffles...probably due to the cream to chocolate ratio this recipe uses.
Didn't get the yield stated in the recipe but then mine were made maybe a little larger. Also, I added about 6 drops of vanilla extract to the ganache.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/236602
cynupstateny
Well-known member
Sounds great but I dont have nibs and am 60 miles from a decent sized city so this won't work for me
misplaced-in-az
Well-known member
Cyn, sent you a pm.
Rec: Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles
Cyn, here's another one I've done with good results.
Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles
8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1/4 cup boiling water
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
To make the truffles, place the chocolate and butter in a 4- to 6-cup heatproof bowl set in a wide skillet of barely simmering water over low heat. Stir frequently until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Remove the bowl and set aside. Leave the skillet on low.
Place the egg yolk in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the boiling water. Place the bowl in the skillet and stir constantly until the yolk mixture thickens slightly to the consistency of light cream and registers between 160º and 165º on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the skillet and scrape the yolk mixture immediately over the melted chocolate.
Stir gently, without whisking or beating, just until the egg is completely incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Pour through a fine strainer into a clean bowl. Cover and chill until firm, 2 hours or more. (Pat’s note: I did a quicker chill setting the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water...worked well, took about 20 minutes.)
To form the truffles, remove the truffle mixture from the refrigerator and allow it to soften about 30 minutes if the mixture is very hard. Pour cocoa into a pie plate. Dip a melon baller or small spoon into a glass of hot water, wipe off the excess water, and scrape across the surface of the chilled truffle mixture to form a rough 1-inch ball. Pinch the truffle into shape with your fingers if necessary; it should not be perfectly round. Deposit the truffle into the cocoa. Repeat with the remaining truffle mixture. Gently shake the pie plate to coat truffles with cocoa. Store truffles, tightly covered and refrigerated, up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 3 months.
Variation: Bittersweet Mint Truffles. Add 1 tsp peppermint extract to the melted chocolate with the egg mixture.
Source: A Year in Chocolate, Four Seasons of Unforgettable Desserts, Alice Medrich Notes from the cookbook: “These are still my favorite chocolate truffles, but the original recipe, from Cocolat, included raw egg. Here the egg is adequately heated to prevent salmonella. The truffles are as good as ever. A dozen or so nestled into a gold foil bag tied with a pretty ribbon is a popular teacher gift at Christmas. My daughter gets excellent grades.”
Pat’s notes: When I first made this recipe I didn’t have time to wait 2 hours for the truffle mixture to chill so I set the bowl into a larger bowl of ice water and kinda spread the mixture up the sides so it would cool quicker. It worked great.
Cyn, here's another one I've done with good results.
Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles
8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1/4 cup boiling water
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
To make the truffles, place the chocolate and butter in a 4- to 6-cup heatproof bowl set in a wide skillet of barely simmering water over low heat. Stir frequently until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Remove the bowl and set aside. Leave the skillet on low.
Place the egg yolk in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the boiling water. Place the bowl in the skillet and stir constantly until the yolk mixture thickens slightly to the consistency of light cream and registers between 160º and 165º on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the skillet and scrape the yolk mixture immediately over the melted chocolate.
Stir gently, without whisking or beating, just until the egg is completely incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Pour through a fine strainer into a clean bowl. Cover and chill until firm, 2 hours or more. (Pat’s note: I did a quicker chill setting the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water...worked well, took about 20 minutes.)
To form the truffles, remove the truffle mixture from the refrigerator and allow it to soften about 30 minutes if the mixture is very hard. Pour cocoa into a pie plate. Dip a melon baller or small spoon into a glass of hot water, wipe off the excess water, and scrape across the surface of the chilled truffle mixture to form a rough 1-inch ball. Pinch the truffle into shape with your fingers if necessary; it should not be perfectly round. Deposit the truffle into the cocoa. Repeat with the remaining truffle mixture. Gently shake the pie plate to coat truffles with cocoa. Store truffles, tightly covered and refrigerated, up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 3 months.
Variation: Bittersweet Mint Truffles. Add 1 tsp peppermint extract to the melted chocolate with the egg mixture.
Source: A Year in Chocolate, Four Seasons of Unforgettable Desserts, Alice Medrich Notes from the cookbook: “These are still my favorite chocolate truffles, but the original recipe, from Cocolat, included raw egg. Here the egg is adequately heated to prevent salmonella. The truffles are as good as ever. A dozen or so nestled into a gold foil bag tied with a pretty ribbon is a popular teacher gift at Christmas. My daughter gets excellent grades.”
Pat’s notes: When I first made this recipe I didn’t have time to wait 2 hours for the truffle mixture to chill so I set the bowl into a larger bowl of ice water and kinda spread the mixture up the sides so it would cool quicker. It worked great.
I remember Gail Gand telling a story about these REC: Gale's Famous Truffles where she...
she was working in France for a famous pastry chef (don't remember who--maybe Payard), and noticed that there were many cartons of creme fraiche stored there. She was told that it was the secret ingredient in the truffles. I've not tried this recipe, but found that fascinating.
GALE’S FAMOUS TRUFFLES
Recipe By :Gale Gand
Serving Size : 50
1 1/2 cups creme fraiche -- or sour cream
2 tablespoons espresso coffee -- finely ground
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate -- chopped with a heavy knife
1 1/2 pounds semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups Dutch-process cocoa powder
In a saucepan, combine the crème fraîche and espresso and bring to a boil over medium heat. As soon as it boils, turn off the heat. Meanwhile, put the chopped bittersweet chocolate in a medium bowl. Strain the hot crème fraiche mixture into the bowl. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Cover and let rest in a cool place overnight. The mixture will become firm but not too hard to pipe easily.
The next day, using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe bite-size “kisses” of the mixture onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate briefly just until set, about 30 minutes. Use your palm to gently press down the point that sticks up on each truffle. Transfer to the freezer and freeze until hard, 2 to 3 hours or overnight.
In the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, melt the semisweet chocolate. It should be liquid, but not so hot that you can’t touch it; if it is too hot for you, wear disposable surgical gloves. Spread the cocoa powder out on a sheet pan with sides. Working in 2 batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan of cocoa, dip the frozen truffle centers 1 at a time into the melted chocolate, shake off any excess, and set them down in the cocoa. When all the truffle centers are dipped and the chocolate has started to set, gently but thoroughly shake the sheet pan to roll the truffles around in the cocoa until coated. Carefully remove to another sheet pan and refrigerate, uncovered, 30 minutes. You can sift the unused cocoa and use it for another purpose. Transfer to an airtight container and keep chilled until almost ready to serve. Bring to room temperature before serving.
NOTES : The secret is the creme fraiche
she was working in France for a famous pastry chef (don't remember who--maybe Payard), and noticed that there were many cartons of creme fraiche stored there. She was told that it was the secret ingredient in the truffles. I've not tried this recipe, but found that fascinating.
GALE’S FAMOUS TRUFFLES
Recipe By :Gale Gand
Serving Size : 50
1 1/2 cups creme fraiche -- or sour cream
2 tablespoons espresso coffee -- finely ground
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate -- chopped with a heavy knife
1 1/2 pounds semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups Dutch-process cocoa powder
In a saucepan, combine the crème fraîche and espresso and bring to a boil over medium heat. As soon as it boils, turn off the heat. Meanwhile, put the chopped bittersweet chocolate in a medium bowl. Strain the hot crème fraiche mixture into the bowl. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Cover and let rest in a cool place overnight. The mixture will become firm but not too hard to pipe easily.
The next day, using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe bite-size “kisses” of the mixture onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate briefly just until set, about 30 minutes. Use your palm to gently press down the point that sticks up on each truffle. Transfer to the freezer and freeze until hard, 2 to 3 hours or overnight.
In the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, melt the semisweet chocolate. It should be liquid, but not so hot that you can’t touch it; if it is too hot for you, wear disposable surgical gloves. Spread the cocoa powder out on a sheet pan with sides. Working in 2 batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan of cocoa, dip the frozen truffle centers 1 at a time into the melted chocolate, shake off any excess, and set them down in the cocoa. When all the truffle centers are dipped and the chocolate has started to set, gently but thoroughly shake the sheet pan to roll the truffles around in the cocoa until coated. Carefully remove to another sheet pan and refrigerate, uncovered, 30 minutes. You can sift the unused cocoa and use it for another purpose. Transfer to an airtight container and keep chilled until almost ready to serve. Bring to room temperature before serving.
NOTES : The secret is the creme fraiche