Chocolate Truffles au Naturel

Truffles are a subterranean fungus which have been found in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America. The most prized and exceedingly expensive are from France and northern Italy. Truffles grow symbiotically with oak, hazelnut, poplar and beech trees. These gnarly looking lumps, called "the diamonds of the kitchen" by Brillant-Savarin, have a very strong mushroomy, meaty, and earthy taste that is hard to describe, but enhances any ingredient that it touches. For instance, once I was served warm popcorn generously adorned with black truffles and it was astonishingly good!

So, while real truffles are a rare treat for most people, on a regular basis, chocolate truffles are not! In fact, with careful instructions, they are fairly easy to make at home and don't cost a lot! Unlike the fancy, perfectly round, decorated truffles that are mass produced by chocolatiers everywhere, my favorite are chocolate truffles that resemble real truffles, having emerged from the earth covered with "dirt." This recipe for "Chocolate Truffles au Naturel" have a smooth creamy ganache filling encased in a crisp, cocoa-coated chocolate shell. They are quite delicious and positively addictive! You'd be proud to serve these to anyone at anytime!

Chocolate Truffles au Naturel

Makes 30-40, depending on the size (sounds like a lot, but trust me they will be gone very quickly!) (recipe can also be doubled successfully)

Ingredients:

For the ganache filling

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 tablespoons liqueur of choice (e.g., Grand Marnier, Cognac, Rum-which is what I prefer)

For the chocolate coating

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

For the ganache filling

In a saucepan, heat the chocolate and heavy cream over low heat, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Stir in your liqueur of choice. Place the mixture in the refrigerator until it is firm, a minimum of 2 hours.

Cover a baking sheet with a piece of parchment or wax paper. Using two spoon, scoop out and drop mounds of 1/2-1 teaspoonful, depending on the size you wish to make, onto the paper. Refrigerate until very cold or overnight.

When cold, loosen the mounds from the paper and use your fingers to make them as round as you can, if not already so. (This can get messy, but remember these are supposed to look natural, so they don't have to be perfect!) Refrigerate until ready to coat.

For the chocolate coating

Place a jelly-roll pan or plate in the refrigerator to chill well.

Place the chocolate in a oven-safe saucepan and place in a very low oven. Check after a few minutes, stir to see if the chocolate is melted. If not, place back in the oven and gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until melted. (Alternately, you can melt the chocolate in a microwave over 15-second bursts, stirring after each burst until melted.)

When the chocolate has melted, stir it well from time to time as it cools to body temperature. (This is determined when you notice no difference in temperature when you touch the chocolate with the knuckle of your pinky finger.)

Remove the chilled pan or plate from the refrigerator and sift the cocoa powder evenly over it. 

Remove the truffles from the refrigerator and drop two at a time into the coating chocolate. Using two forks, turn the truffles, coating them well with chocolate. Lift a truffle with one fork, tapping that fork with the other to knock off excess chocolate, then drop the coated truffle onto the pan or plate containing the cocoa powder. Using a spoon, quickly roll and coat with the cocoa powder, then push it to the side. Continue with the remaining truffles. When done, place the pan or plate into the refrigerator to cool completely and firm the chocolate coating.

After the coating has cooled and the truffles are firm enough to handle, using your fingers, palm-side down, shake each truffle to remove excess cocoa powder. Transfer them to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. (They will keep well in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks and can be stored in the freezer for several months.)

To serve, mound the truffles in a serving dish. Can be served at room temperature or cold from the refrigerator. They are quite indulgent!