Chocolate Truffles

At our first multi-course tasting extravaganza in the summer dining room of Hotel Bristol the meal concluded with a selection of chocolate truffles. It's those kind of little things that are long remembered. Now at home, I often offer a plateful of truffles of at the end of a special meal.

¼ cup heavy cream 60 ml
2 T Grand Marnier 30 ml
9 oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces 260 g
4 T butter 60 ml
1/8 tsp Fleur de Sel 1.25 ml

Method

In a small heavy-bottom pan, bring the cream to a boil and reduce to about 2 tablespoons. Remove from the heat and stir in the Grand Marnier and 6 ounces of the chocolate pieces, save the remaining 3 ounces for tempering. Return the pan to low heat until the chocolate melts, stirring continuously.

Whisk in the butter. When the mixture is smooth, pour it into a shallow bowl and refrigerate until it’s firm, about 1 hour.

Scoop out chocolate with a spoon or a small melon baller and shape each piece into a 1-inch balls. They shouldn't be too perfect! Place the truffles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and return to the refrigerator for another hour.

Now the truffles are ready to be dipped into the tempered chocolate sauce.

How to temper chocolate

Tempering is a method of heating and cooling chocolate for coating or dipping. Once tempered the chocolate will have a glossy finish and won't instantly melt in your hands.

Grate or chop the remaining 3 ounces of chocolate. Place 2 ounces of the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler. Melt it over hot, but not boiling, water, stirring constantly, until the chocolate reaches 115º F (45º C).

Remove the top pan ,with the melted chocolate, from the heat and place it on a towel. Let it cool to 100º F (38º C), then add the remaining 1 ounce of grated chocolate to the, stirring until melted. The chocolate is now ready to be used for dipping.

Place each cooled truffle into the tempered chocolate. With a fork, quickly turn it over until the truffle is coated. Remove and place it back on the baking tray lined with parchment paper.

When all the truffles have been dipped, garnish each one with a pinch of lemon zest, a few granules of Fleur de Sel, or a shelled pistachio. Makes 2 dozen truffles.