Chocolate Truffles 101

Chocolate Truffles 101

No one is certain, but food historians claim that chocolate truffles probably originated in the kitchens of nineteenth-century Swiss confectioners. There’s less guesswork about how the candy got its name: After they’re rolled in cocoa powder (the traditional finishing touch, although some confectioners favor toasted nuts, grated chocolate, or powdered sugar), they bear a strong resemblance to the black truffles from the Périgord region of southern France. Candy enthusiasts prize a good chocolate truffle as much as a chef would a real one, but acquiring them doesn’t involve the highly trained pigs who unearth black truffles in Périgord. All you need instead is good-quality chocolate and the perfect recipe.

Recipe
Chocolate Truffles
Makes about 5 dozen 28 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons liqueur, such as Cognac, Grand Marnier, or Poire William (optional)
Best-quality cocoa powder

1. Make the ganache: Place 16 ounces of chocolate and the cream in the top of a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted; remove from heat. Add butter and Cognac, and stir until combined.
2. Pour mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until mixture is very cold and set but still pliable, about 2 hours.
3. Melt remaining 12 ounces chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted; remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature.
4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Using a 1/4-ounce ice-cream scoop, drop ganache onto one of the prepared baking sheets. Chill 10 minutes.
5. Coat the palm of one of your hands with about 1 tablespoon of the melted chocolate. Roll balls, one at a time, between your palms until evenly coated with chocolate. Roll in cocoa powder to coat. Transfer to second baking sheet. Repeat with remaining balls, coating your palm with more chocolate as needed. Chill until ready to serve. Truffles can be stored, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to 2 weeks.

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