Ingredients
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230 grams bitter sweet chocolate couverture at least 58% cocoa
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125 millilitres heavy cream 35% fat
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30 grams unsalted butter
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15 grams coffee beans
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30 millilitres Kahlua or other coffee liquor cocoa powder for coating
Directions
This was this year’s surprise Valentine’s Day gift for my wife. While I was in charge of the coffee flavored ganache, our two boys were eagerly rolling the truffles, shaping them and covering them with the cocoa powder.
Making great chocolate truffles is fairly simple, does not require a long cooking or preparation time or specialized tools and by home made, hand rolled truffles make great gifts – for Valentine’s Day or otherwise.
- Chop the chocolate couverture into small pieces and place it in a bowl.
- In a saucepan, heat up the cream and the coffee beans. Bring to boil and keep warm for 5 minutes to infuse the coffee flavor into the cream.
- Bring to boil again and strain the boiling hot cream over the chocolate pieces. Let stand for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the butter and stir gently with a hard plastic or rubber spatula until a smooth homogeneous chocolate mixture has formed. This mixture is called a ganache.
- Add the Kahlua, incorporate very well and pour the mixture into a shallow, cling wrap (plastic film) lined tray. Thickness should be approximately 2-3 cm (approx. 1 inch) thickness.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, best overnight. This will firm up the mixture for easy handling during the rolling and coating process.
- Turn the firm, chilled ganache onto a clean surface and with a hot knife, cut 12-15 g (approx. ½ oz) or 2 cm (3/4 inch) cubes out of the chocolate-cream mixture.
- Between your palms, roll the ganache cubes into round balls and coat them well with the cocoa powder.
- Chill again to firm them up before packing or for storing.
