Ok, so this is the biggest gap between postings ever
& i feel very guilty... but in my defence i have a very good reason for
leaving it so long. Not only did we spend an amazing week skiing in St Anton,
Austria with beautiful weather, great snow & the craziest après ski
ever, but the Houseboy asked me to be Mrs Houseboy. YAY! All very very exciting
& i've been running around like headless chicken. So there has been a
lot of drinks & dinners & meeting people which is has been
lovely but exhausting so the blog has been neglected a little, i also haven't
had much time in the kitchen while i have realised i need to keep me sane. But
we are getting back into a routine so will be hitting the kitchen hard, i'm
dying to make banana bread, & have been dreaming of creating jaffa cake
cupcakes.
Being a chocolate fan i have tried more than a few chocolate
truffles, some of my favourites can be found at Rocco Chocolates & Charbonnel
et Walker & the amazing William Curley but actually they are really
easy to make at home & also make lovely gifts at Christmas or as a
thank you. You can flavour them in so many ways, zest, nuts, mint, booze, or
more unusual additions like sea salt or lavender. The main thing is trying to
keep your hands as cold as possible otherwise you can end up in a sticky,
chocolaty mess. Not necessarily a bad thing!
Ingredients:
- 400mls double cream
- 400g dark chocolate (i
used 75% coco solids)
- zest of two oranges
- a pinch of salt
- a splash of brandy
- 5 tbsps coco powder for
dusting
Method:
Take
the chocolate & break into small pieces, and place in a bowl suspended
over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bowl isn't touching the water)
& gently melt. While that's happening zest the oranges making sure you
get any of the pith as it's bitter. Once the chocolate is melted, remove from
the heat and stir in the cream, orange zest, salt and brandy. Place in the
fridge & leave to cool for at least two hours or until it is fully set.
Once the ganache is set you are ready to roll. Literally. Grab a teaspoon
& scoop up some ganache & quickly roll into a ball with your
palms. Make sure you keep your hands as cold as possible to stop the chocolate
melting. I usually keep a bowl of iced water near by to stick my hands in (make
sure you dry them fully before continuing) Take a bowl & add the coco powder
carefully roll the truffle around the bowl coating it fully and shake off the
excess. Keep the truffles in the fridge - they should last a week. They should,
but they won't because they are so darn delicious.
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