Chocolate Truffles

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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