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A little basic math is all you need for creamy hand-rolled truffles
• by Julia M. Usher - Photo ©iStockphoto.com/Elena Elisseeva
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Chocolate – everyone’s favorite aphrodisiac – is the perfect Valentine’s gift, especially when it comes in a heart-shaped box, smoothed with cream and shaped into truffles. These days, there is a treasure trove of wonderfully exotic – and often expensive – artisan chocolates to be found, even in ordinary supermarkets. But trust me when I say that your S.O. will be more enamored with truffles bearing your personal touch than those handled by strangers. And hand-shaped truffles simply rolled in cocoa powder or nuts are easily made at home with no special equipment or expertise.
What’s central to any great truffle, molded or rolled, is ganache, the velvety surprise at the core. In its most elemental state, ganache is a mixture of heavy cream and chocolate. Butter is sometimes folded or melted into the mix for added richness, but I’ve never found this necessary if the proper ratio of chocolate to cream is observed.
But first, let’s talk ingredients: Generally, when a recipe calls for as few as two ingredients, you must be sure they are top-notch. For cream, gauging quality is easy: Choose only the richest 40 percent milk fat. What constitutes top-notch chocolate is sometimes harder to pinpoint, especially now that the world of chocolate is far more varied – and complex – than ever.
Though the expanded choice is certainly nice, please don’t feel obliged to conform to the latest fads when making truffles. By virtue of having more of the bitter cacao bean relative to additives such as sugar and milk solids, high-ratio chocolates are naturally more robust than the average milk or semisweet chocolate. But, depending on your palate or your application, more powerful may not be better. When I infuse citrus or herbs into ganache, for instance, I always opt for a mild chocolate that won’t mask these delicate overtones. Conversely, when a chocolate has a distinctive – and appealing – flavor of its own, I prefer to use it straight up. Many single-origin chocolates, particularly those that come from one plantation, are prime candidates for this no-embellishment approach. Rich with the nuance of their place of origin, these chocolates are much like fine wines indelibly marked by their terroir.
Whatever you choose, there is a lot to be said for buying a relatively expensive chocolate. In general, a higher price indicates that cheap hydrogenated oils have not been substituted for the cocoa butter (though check the label to be sure) and that the chocolate has been conched (ground) longer. Extended conching results in a smoother texture, and the use of 100 percent cocoa butter translates into more authentic chocolate flavor. Most importantly, taste the chocolate. If you like what it delivers in raw form, it won’t let you down in truffles.
Once you’ve selected your chocolate, it’s time to blend it in the proper ratio with the cream. Hand-shaped truffles need ganache that walks a fine line: The mixture must have enough cream to be pleasingly smooth on the palate, but not so much that it misshapes when rolled in your hands. Too often, recipes blithely suggest a 2-to-1 ratio of chocolate to cream (by weight) without ever specifying the type of chocolate. While this ratio works well for semisweets around 60 percent cacao, it can yield a sludgy, un-rollable mess with chocolates that have a higher cocoa butter content, particularly white chocolate. On the flip side, if you use this formula with bittersweet chocolate you’ll need the strength of an Amazon to scoop the chilled ganache into balls. I’ve found that a 4-to-1 ratio works best with white chocolate, provided you limit other liquid flavorings to 2 to 3 tablespoons for every 14 ounces of chocolate. A much lower ratio, specifically 1½-to-1, is better for bittersweet chocolate or when infusing herbs into the cream. (The extra cream makes up for that which gets absorbed by the leaves.)
Marrying the chocolate and cream into a uniform ganache is the last important step. If overheated or overstirred, ganache will break, meaning the cocoa butter will separate and form a thin film on top. This film looks innocuous, but it will crystallize when the mixture is chilled, marking the ganache with gritty chunks. The best way to avoid separation is to melt the chocolate off the stove by pouring the warm (scalded, never boiling) cream on top, and then stir ever so gently.
From here, simply chill, shape into balls and then tumble in cocoa or nuts. What’s not to love?
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Orange-Basil Truffles
About 2½ dozen 1-inch truffles
A typical savory herb goes sweet in this refreshing citrus truffle.
12 oz. premium semisweet chocolate (about 60 percent cacao), finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp. coarsely grated orange zest (about 1 orange)
1 1-oz. package fresh basil, leaves stripped and coarsely torn, stems discarded
About ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• Place the finely chopped chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.
• Pour the cream into a medium (3-quart) nonreactive saucepan and bring to the scalding point over medium heat. (The cream should not boil, or it will separate.) Add the orange zest and torn basil leaves and let the mixture steep about 30 minutes.
• Gently reheat the cream over medium heat. To remove the orange zest, basil and any skin that may have formed, strain the warm cream through a fine-mesh sieve directly onto the reserved chocolate. Press the absorbed cream from the basil leaves and onto the chocolate before discarding the leaves. Let the mixture sit, without stirring, 1 to 2 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. Gently stir to bring the chocolate and cream together. (If the chocolate does not completely melt, place the bowl over simmering water in a double boiler and heat slowly, stirring constantly, just until the mixture is completely smooth.)
• Pour the ganache into a shallow pan to a ½- to ¾-inch depth. Cover and chill 2 to 3 hours, or until firm enough to be rolled into balls without melting or misshaping in your hands.
• Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using a 1-inch melon baller, scoop the ganache into balls. Roll the balls between your palms to make them perfectly round and then roll in the cocoa powder to evenly coat. Store in airtight containers in the fridge up to 1 week. For the fullest flavor, bring to room temperature before serving.
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