I always have wanted to make truffles, but every recipe I have found always makes a zillion of them, so I have never taken the plunge. Then I found this one and decided that finally, I'd DO it.
Truffles really are very easy. Whip cream, chocolate, a little butter, and some liqueur if you want, all melted together and shaped into balls, then dipped in chocolate. I think the trick here is to use really good chocolate, not your cheap bulk bin stuff. Bakers has this lovely 70% cocoa chocolate that I picked up, and then I had some Lindt bars in my baking cupboard that I used for the dipping part. With such a small batch you really can go with the good stuff and not break the bank.
The only thing I was a bit perturbed by was trying to shape them. There must be a trick that I am totally missing, because I'd scoop out the chocolate goodness and the second it would hit my hands, it would melt. They were slightly messy to shape and frustrating to anyone with *cough* perfectionist tendencies. I resorted to using a melon baller, but even at that some of my undipped truffles looked conspicuously like turds on a plate.
The upside is that as soon as they were dipped in chocolate and greedily devoured, the original turd-like resemblance was forgotten because they were beyond delicious. Better than any store bought truffle I have ever eaten in my entire life, really.
If you are looking for a tiny batch to try, this is the recipe for you.
Makes 6 truffles
Adapted from Canadian Living
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I recommend you use a good quality 70% cocoa)
2 Tbsp whipping cream
1 tsp butter
2 tsp Kaluah (you could try Bailey's or Grand Marnier as well)
1 oz of good quality dark chocolate, for dipping (you might need more...I melted about 1.5-2 oz and had some leftover)
In a saucepan over very low heat (or you could do this in a double boiler, but I never bother), melt the chocolate, butter, and cream all together. Stir it lots. You will have this wonderfully thick, creamy mixture that will take restraint NOT to eat right then and there.
Stir in the Kaluah, if you are using that.
Spoon it all into a bowl, cover, and put in the fridge for about an hour until it's good and cold.
Now the shaping part gets a little tricky. Do your best to scoop the stuff out into 1 tsp sized balls and roll between your fingers (palms of your hands just warms it up and makes a gooey mess) to shape them. A melon baller is really good for this. Don't try to be perfect. Stick them back into the fridge to chill for a bit.
Melt the dipping chocolate over low heat in a sauce pan until smooth. One by one, dunk your little truffle centers and set them on a wax paper lined plate to dry. You can put them in the fridge to speed up the process.
Store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze them for up to 1 month.
Heh. Right. Like they'd last that long.
