Truffles, Dipped And Sprinkled

After making my Penguin Truffles last week, I had some ganache leftover to experiment with other chocolate combinations. I had just gotten a fascinating book in London, called "Adventures With Chocolate", by Paul A. Young. Wild Strawberry and Pink Peppercorn Truffles, Basil and Lemon Thyme Ganache and Maple Macadamia Ganache, are just a few of his interesting concoctions. He inspired me to try some of my own. I dipped some truffles in white chocolate and topped them with pink peppercorns. Next I sprinkled some bittersweet chocolate dipped truffles with lavender sugar. The last ones were just rolled in cocoa since they are delicious in their purity of simple flavors. This book will keep me busy for a while as I try his exotic flavors and play around with a few of my own. His photos are artful and and enticing as chocolate methods are explained.I prefer my truffle recipe since he adds sugar to his, but his unique flavor combinations are inspiring. It now sits among my current cookbook reads before it takes up residency with my 100 plus cookbooks.

Chocolate Truffles

For the ganache:
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

For the rolling, dipping, coating and sprinkling:
2 tablespoons powdered sugar (for rolling)
8 ounces good quality white chocolate* (for dipping)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate* (for dipping)
1/2 cup cocoa (for coating)
1 tablespoon pink peppercorns (for sprinkling)**
1 tablespoon lavender sugar (for sprinkling)**
1/4 cup shredded coconut (for sprinkling)**
*Use couverture chocolate or tempered chocolate. Click here for video on tempering chocolate.
** Alternatively use any combination of flavors you desire to sprinkle on top.

To make the ganache: Break 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate into small pieces and process in a food processor until very fine. Heat the cream until just boiling and pour through the food processor feed tube in a steady stream, with the motor running. Process just a few seconds, until smooth. Transfer to a bowl to firm. This should take a few hours at room temperature. You may also put it in the refrigerator. Once firm, using a 1 inch melon baller, scoop out balls of ganache and place on a parchment lined tray. Place in refrigerator to firm, about 30 minutes. Dust hands with powdered sugar and roll ball between your hands to smooth into a round ball.

To coat in cocoa: For the truffles you plan to coat in cocoa, place the cocoa in a large zip lock bag and add truffles a few at a time to toss and coat. If you want to dip them in chocolate as well as cocoa, dip into melted chocolate, let excess drip off and the place in a pan of cocoa. Roll them around to coat in the cocoa. Remove from the pan and let harden on a parchment lined baking sheet.

To coat in white chocolate: Melt 8 ounces white chocolate by breaking it into a medium bowl placed over a pot of hot water. The bowl must not touch the water and the water must not simmer, but just remain hot. Stir until melted and then take off of heat and cool until it is about 84 degrees or dab a small amount on your upper lip. It should feel slightly cool. Using a spoon, dip truffle into chocolate to coat and let let excess drip off before placing on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with pink peppercorns, lavender sugar, coconut or other flavor of choice at this point, if desired. Let harden at room temperature.

To coat with bittersweet chocolate: Melt 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate by breaking it into a medium bowl placed over a pot of hot water. The bowl must not touch the water and the water must not simmer, but just remain hot. Stir until melted and then take off of heat and cool until it is about 84 degrees or dab a small amount on your upper lip. It should feel slightly cool. Using a spoon, dip truffle into chocolate to coat and let let excess drip off before placing on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with pink peppercorns, lavender sugar, coconut or other flavor of choice at this point, if desired. Let harden at room temperature.

Makes 60 truffles. Store at cool room temperature for 2 weeks in an airtight container. May also be frozen for up to 3 months, and thawed overnight in the refrigerator.Chocolate Truffle recipe (pdf)

Penguin Truffles

Sitting in a waiting room last week, I was thumbing through a magazine...in the food section, of course! I saw the most adorable Penguin Truffles that came packaged all neatly in a box of 9 for $32. O-O-K...maybe not this year, it's too much of a folly in this recession. I could make them, couldn't I? It couldn't be that hard. I mean, making truffles is just about as easy as anything gets. Mix hot heavy cream into top quality bittersweet chocolate and voilà, perfection. Dipping truffles into chocolate is also a no brainer, but these little cuties had form...and flippers! I had to give it a try. I made my truffle recipe, let it firm up and then shaped them into what looked like a Hershey's Kiss with a drooped-over top. Then I tucked a slivered almond into each side for the flippers, and dipped them into white chocolate. Now came the tricky part. Resting (balancing) on a fork, I spooned rich dark chocolate down the penguin's top, back and sides, with a little drip on the "beak". Only one took a dunk in the pool ;-)....and one fell in the "snow". Other than that they came out pretty well. My intention was to make the whole batch into penguins, but it was a little labor intensive, so I decided that I'd only make 10, and they'd be a single feature on my holiday gift plates. I made a variety of truffles with the rest of the ganache and was very happy with my sweet afternoon.
Chocolate Penguins

For the ganache:
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 1/4 cups heavy cream

Break the chocolate into small pieces and process in a food processor until very fine. Heat the cream until just boiling and pour through the food processor feed tube in a steady stream, with the motor running. Process until smooth, just a few seconds. Transfer to a bowl to firm. This should take a few hours at room temperature. You may also put it in the refrigerator.
For the rolling and dipping:
2 tablespoons powdered sugar (for rolling)
12 ounces good quality white chocolate* (for dipping)
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate* (for dipping)
*Use couverture chocolate or tempered chocolate. Click here for video on tempering chocolate.

For the flippers:
1/4 cup slivered almonds (or about 60 unbroken)

Using a 1 1/2 inch melon baller, scoop out balls of ganache and place on a parchment lined tray. Place in refrigerator to firm, about 30 minutes. Once firm, dust hands with powdered sugar and roll ball between your hands to smooth. Then continue rolling while pulling and shaping the top to resemble a small head with a drooped, thin pointy end (the beak). To insert the slivered almonds for the flippers, take a knife and insert it about 1/2 inch deep at the placement and angle you want the flippers. Gently insert a slivered almond into the slit, rounded end facing out. You should have about 25-30 penguins. Return to tray and put in refrigerator to chill.

In the meantime, melt the white chocolate by breaking it into a medium bowl placed over a pot of hot water. The bowl must not touch the water and the water must not simmer, but just remain hot. Stir until melted and then take off of heat and cool until it is about 84 degrees or dab a small amount on your upper lip. It should feel slightly cool. Resting a penguin on a forks tines and holding over bowl of melted white chocolate, spoon the chocolate over the penguin to coat. Let excess drip off. Place on parchment to cool and harden. Continue coating all penguins.Break the bittersweet chocolate into a medium bowl and place over hot water to melt in the same manner as the white chocolate. Once cool to 84 degrees, pick up penguins in the back behind the flippers, so as not to touch the tummy, and place on the tines of a fork. Holding over the bowl of bittersweet chocolate, gently spoon the chocolate down the back top and sides of the penguin. Carefully spoon a little down over the beak to form a point. Keep the tummy white and don't touch it or you'll get fingerprints on it. Let excess chocolate drip off and place on clean parchment to harden.

Makes 25-30 Penguin Truffles. Lasts up to 2 weeks at cool room temperature.
Penguin Truffle recipe (pdf)

Pretty in Pink Peony Cake

Every year when peonies come into their fragrant glory, a friend brings by an armload full of some of the most beautiful varieties from his farm. Each one has its own personality and color, and all have a sweet and feminine aroma that fills the air. Like a summery floral chintz, they make me happy to just look at them. This year I wanted to thank him and his wife by making a cake. I just happened to be making cupcakes for my neighbors high school graduation party and so I split the recipe, making a small 6 inch cake and 2 dozen mini cupcakes. My graduating neighbor loves chocolate nut toffee crunch (she's very smart...move her to the top of the class!), so I crushed some and mixed it into chocolate ganache and added it to the filling of the cake. The little cupcakes had their chocolate treasure hidden under a slice on top and were crowned with a meringue frosting. As you bite into the lightly sweet cloud of meringue frosting, the cake is tender and moist. And with the chocolate toffee ganache surprise in the center, you'll need a chair to sink into as you lick your spoon clean. The combination works so well together, that after the last taste, you'll be left dreaming for more. Sweet Dreams!For the cake batter, I used Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake recipe poured into a 6x3 inch round pan and the rest into a lined mini cupcake tin. After the cake was baked and cooled, I cut it in half horizontally and put in on a serving plate. I then put a layer of ganache on top of the lower layer and spread it into a generous filling.Then I added the top layer and frosted with the Meringue Frosting. Just like a prom date awaiting her corsage, a pretty pink peony from my friends garden was the only decoration needed.
Chocolate Toffee Crunch Ganache

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
optional: 3-4 ounces crushed chocolate toffee/nut candy, such as Heath Bar.
I used Trader Joe's, Dark Chocolate Roasted Pistachio Toffee.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the optional candy until coarsely chopped and remove. Break up the chocolate into the bowl of the food processor and process until fine. Heat the cream until just before the boiling point, and pour into the feed tube while processing. Process until just smooth and creamy, and then add the vanilla and pulse a few times to blend. Pour into a medium bowl and let come to room temperature and then fold in the crushed candy mixture. Refrigerate until it thickens enough to spread. If made ahead of time, let come to room temperature before using.

Makes about 2 cups.

Store at room temperature 1 day, 1 week refrigerated and 3 months frozen.

Written and photographed by Diane.

Hershey's Chocolate Cake recipe (pdf)
Meringue Frosting recipe (pdf)
Chocolate Toffee Crunch Ganache recipe (pdf)