Today is the last official day of my baking project, so I wanted to make something really decadent that I wouldn't make very often. I decided to make chocolate truffles because they always sound so perfectly heavenly. I have had a really good experience baking all of these desserts for the past twenty days. I have learned a lot about the art of baking (and how nice it would be to have a dependable oven, though I suppose I have no complaints since my temperamental one did everything that I asked of it).
Chocolate truffles were given their name because of their similarity in appearance to actual truffles (the fungi ones that pigs sniff out). They are a French invention traditionally made from chocolate, genache, and cream. The legend says that the culinary master of the 1920s, Auguste Escoffier, had an apprentice who accidentally poured hot cream into a bowl of chocolate chunks. As the chocolate mixture hardened he tried to roll it into balls and dunked them into cocoa powder. He noticed the resemblance to a truffle and named it a chocolate truffle.
These were really fun to make and they are absolutely scrumptious. Look forward to a bonus blog post in the next week and a half. Xochi and I are going to block off a day and make her grandparents' baklava recipe. Until then, happy baking!
3 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
3 1/2 oz. semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier liqueur
1 Tablespoon prepared coffee
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cocoa powder
Confectioners' sugar
1. Chop the chocolates finely and place in a bowl.
2. Heat the cream in a saucepan until it boils. Immediately pour the hot cream through a fine -meshed sieve into the bowl with the chocolates. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together until the chocolate is completely melted. (If the chocolate doesn't melt completely, place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir for a few minutes just until it melts.) Whisk in the Grand Marnier, coffee, and vanilla. Cover and chill for 45 minutes to and hour until pliable but firm enough to scoop.
3. With two teaspoons or a 1 1/4-inch ice cream scoop, make dollops of the chocolate mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, until firm enough to roll into rough spheres. Roll in cocoa powder and chill. Truffles are best when they're allowed to set overnight in the refrigerator. Roll in confectioners' sugar and serve chilled or at room temperature.
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