Truffles...

I'm gonna make some today. If you haven't had a homemade rum truffle, you haven't lived. I suspect many people haven't lived.

It's an old family secret, so I can't tell you exactly how I do it.

Ok, fine. Really, I just don't follow a recipe, so I can't tell you exactly how I do it. But here's a rough estimate:


For the 'Truffle'
In a double boiler or non-stick sauce pan (or even a microwave)
-Melt ~ 2 cups chocolate chips. (I make a large batch)
-Add ~ 1 cup heavy whipping cream. The melted chocolate needs lots of stirring, but it should end up rich and dark and viscous/runny
-Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your favorite alcohol. I usually use Gosling Rum, but I have also used Contreau, Grand Marnier, Amaretto, and Kahlua. They're all great!

Stick this concoction in the freezer for a while. Depending on your liquid to chocolate ratio, the time it takes to solidify varies. Once it's solid, I have on hand:
-wax-paper covered cookie sheet
-melon baller
-cup of hot water
-~2 tbsp. dark cocoa powder or powdered sugar

Much like they do at ice cream places, I warm the melon baller in the hot water, then start scooping inch-diameter sized balls. Usually I have to roll the balls of chocolate in my palms to make them resemble spheres; the baller just doesn't do the job. I place the chocolate spheres on the cookie sheet, sprinkle the cocoa sparingly over them, and stick them back in the freezer.

For the 'Shell'
I then melt about 1/2 cup of chocolate (and frequently have to do more, but it's so easy to make more) in the microwave, and coat the truffle balls with the chocolate. The cocoa hinders this process, 'cause the chocolate shell doesn't stick to the cocoa, but it'll work eventually. I like doing this part straight from the freezer for two reasons: 1) The truffle part melts fast, so the colder it is, the slower the truffle part becomes too mushy to use, and 2) The cold makes the shell solidify faster.

Once they're all done, I use the excess cocoa to coat the shell, so they don't all stick. I throw them back in the freezer to solidify, and then store them in the fridge.


This is my personal adaptation from several arduous attempts from a German cookbook, and then a thrilling find in a book called 'Capital Celebrations' which is a collection by the Junior League of Washington, whoever they are. Here's the recipe from that book, which may be clearer than mine, but is much harder than it looks (And not nearly alcoholic enough!)

Dark Chocolate Truffles
contributed by Jacques Haeringer,
L'Auberge Chez Francois

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
12 oz. semisweet chocolate, divided
2 tbsp. Grand Marnier
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup cocoa powder

Pour cream in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and immediately reduce heat. Add 6 oz. of the chocolate, broken into small pieces. Stir constantly until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and stir in Grand Marnier. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Using a melon baller of teaspoon dipped in hot water, scoop 1-inch balls out to the truffle mixture into a plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar, shape into balls and place on wax paper. Freeze for a minimum of one hour.
Melt the remaining 6 oz. of chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Set aside. Cover bottom of a small shallow baking pan with cocoa powder. Remove truffles from the freezer and drop them in the melted chocolate, 1 at a time, coating all sides. Drop coated truffles into cocoa powder. Gently shake pan back and forth to powder truffles. Place truffles in a fine sieve and shake gently to remove excess cocoa powder. Place truffles in a single layer in a covered container and refrigerate. Serve at room temperature. Yield: 24 truffles.


The first batch I made following that recipe, and they were darn good. But I've had several people tell me my newer ones are better because...
1) They're smoother / more melt-in-your-mouth Secret: add more heavy whipping cream
2) They're not a dry from the powder Secret: use less powder. Two cups? you're got to be kidding!
3) They have a stronger alcohol flavor Secret: take a wild guess

Clean up after these is a monster. Mom usually laughs at me if she comes into the kitchen to see me licking my hands, the bowls, and the spoons with a blissful expression on my face.

It's a messy job, but someone's gotta do it!