Darkchocolateandrumtruffles Food

CHOCOLATE NUT BARK

Steps:

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. (Take care to avoid wrinkles.) Combine melted chocolate and nuts in a medium bowl. Scrape the mixture onto the foil and spread it into an approximate 12-by-9-inch rectangle. Sprinkle with additional finely chopped nuts, if desired. Refrigerate until set, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer the bark and foil to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces.

DARK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• In a saucepan, bring the cream just to a simmer over medium-low to low heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand about 10 minutes to melt the chocolate.
• Add the vanilla and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool to room temperature, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Then beat the chocolate at medium speed, using an electric mixer, until it is thick and light colored. If the chocolate has cooled enough, it will be ready to form truffles right away. If the chocolate is still too soft to hold its shape when rolled in a ball, spread over the bottom of a baking dish and smooth the top. Refrigerate until firmed, but still scoopable, up to 2 hours.
• Pour the cocoa powder onto a deep plate or shallow bowl. Use a melon baller or small ice cream scoop to scoop out balls of chocolate and gently roll into a ball. Place them on the plate with the cocoa powder and roll between 2 forks to completely coat with the cocoa powder. Then use the forks to carefully transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment or waxed paper.
• If making the truffles a day or two ahead of time, let them stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.

TRADITIONAL FRENCH DARK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is hot and starting to bubble but not fully boiling. Remove the cream from the heat immediately.
• Add the finely chopped chocolate and vanilla extract and stir with a wooden spoon until the ganache is completely smooth.
• Pop the pan into the fridge and chill the ganache until it is hard enough to roll into balls. Do not use the freezer, as this will make the ganache unworkable.
• Measure out each truffle by the heaping teaspoonful and use your hands to quickly roll the ganache into a ball.
• If the ganache gets too warm, put it back in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up. Work quickly so that your hands don't melt the chocolate too much. Chill the balls, a few at a time, as you go.
• Put the cocoa powder into a shallow dish. Take each chilled chocolate ball and quickly roll in the cocoa powder for an even coating. Pop the truffle onto a plate and place back into the fridge to chill down again before serving.

DARK CHOCOLATE AND RUM TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Remember: when melting the chocolate DO NOT let your bowl touch the water.
• Place the chopped chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water. Stir with a metal spoon until chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Stir in rum. Place in the fridge until the mixture is firm enough to roll into balls.
• Line a trays with baking paper. Roll chocolate mixture into a ball ( you can vary the size but 2 teaspoons might be a good start size). Place on trays. Repeat until mixture is gone then place in the fridge for 1 hour or until firm.
• When firm place the dark chocolate melts in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water . Stir with a metal spoon until the chocolate melts and is smooth.
• Divide the truffles into 2 batches this is so they will keep firm while working them. Remove 1 batch from the fridge. Use a fork to dip truffles 1 at a time, in the melted chocolate to coat. Gently tap the fork on the edge of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Carefully place on the prepared tray. Repeat until all have been dipped with the remaining truffles and melted chocolate. Set aside for 10 minutes to set.
• Place the white chocolate melts in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water. Stir with a metal spoon until chocolate melts and is smooth. Use a fork to drizzle the white chocolate over the truffles. Place in fridge to set for 5 minutes then you can store in a container in the fridge or serve.

DARK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Place 8 ounces semisweet chocolate and the unsweetened chocolate in a 4-quart bowl.
• Heat the heavy cream in a 1 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth (now you have ganache). Refrigerate the ganache for 1 hour until firm but not hard.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a tablespoon of ganache for each truffle (approximately 3/4 ounce), portion 24 truffles, evenly space onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate the ganache portions for 15 minutes (so the ganache will be firm enough to roll into truffles). When the ganache is firm enough to handle, remove from the refrigerator and individually roll each portion of ganache in your palms, in a gentle circular motion, using just enough pressure to form smooth rounds. Roll 16 of the rounds in 2 tablespoons cocoa and separately roll 8 in the confectioners sugar until completely covered. Store the truffles in a tightly sealed plastic container, in the refrigerator. Remove about 1 hour before serving.

CHOCOLATE RUM TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Coarsely chop 12 ounces of chocolate; set aside. In a saucepan, heat cream over low heat until bubbles form around sides of the pan. Remove from the heat; add chopped chocolate, stirring until melted and smooth. , Cool to room temperature. Stir in butter and extract. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or until firm., Grate remaining chocolate; place in a shallow dish. Add nuts; set aside. Shape tablespoonfuls of chilled chocolate mixture into balls. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. (If truffles are soft, refrigerate until easy to handle.) Roll truffles in chocolate-nut mixture. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Add chocolate chips to a heat-proof mixing bowl; add ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, salt, and cayenne. Heat cream over medium heat until it just starts to simmer. Immediately remove from heat and pour hot cream over chocolate. Shake bowl slightly to fully cover the chocolate; let sit for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk until well combined and a thick, glossy ganache forms.
• Cover ganache with plastic wrap and let cool to room temperature or until firm enough to scoop, about 15 minutes. Form about 2 teaspoons of the ganache into balls using a small sorbet scoop, or roll by hand. Place balls onto a baking sheet lined with silicone or parchment paper. Refrigerate until cold and firm, about 15 minutes, then re-roll as needed to smoothen.
• Place a heat-proof bowl over a pot of hot water on the lowest heat settling. Add most of the chocolate chips, reserving about 1/3 cup, to the bowl and let melt, about 5 minutes. In the meantime, break gingersnap in half and place on a plate next to a microplane. Stir the reserved chocolate chips into the melted chocolate until they disappear. Remove from heat.
• Dip truffles into the melted chocolate by hand or by holding each truffle with a fork and spooning the chocolate on top. Place truffles on the baking sheet and swirl the tops with your finger. Grate the gingersnap on top. Let truffles rest on the baking sheet until the coating dries and hardens completely, trimming away excess chocolate from the bases using the back of a knife if desired.

DARK CHOCOLATE ORANGE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• FILLING.
• In a small saucepan, heat cream just until bubbles form around edge of pan, remove from heat.
• Stir in 250 g of chocolate pieces until smooth, stir in orange juice concentrate and orange zest.
• Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until thickened and cold.
• Using a whisk (NOT electric mixer), beat chocolate mixture just until creamy and lighter in colour. Do not overbeat or mixture will separate.
• Using a pastry bag fitted with 1 cm plain tip, pipe filling into 2.5 cm diameter rounds on two wax paper-lined baking sheets.
• Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.
• Sift icing sugar into a pie plate.
• Working with rounds from one baking sheet at a time, lightly roll in icing sugar.
• Gently roll each round between fingertips to round off tips. Return to wax paper-lined sheet and freeze for 1 hour or until hard and almost frozen.
• COATING.
• In top of double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, melt 375 g of chocolate.
• Remove from heat, let cool slightly.
• Sift cocoa into a pie plate.
• Using two forks, dip balls from one baking sheet at a time into chocolate, letting excess drip off. (If chocolate thickens while you work, rewarm gently over hot stove.
• Place balls in cocoa.
• Using two clean forks, roll truffles in cocoa and refrigerate on wax paper-lined baking sheet until hardened.
• Place truffles in candy cups and store in airtight container in refrigerator until just before serving.
• Can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen up to 3 months.

CHOCOLATE RUM TRUFFLES

Steps:

• break the plain chocolate into small pieces and melt in a bowl over boiling water. remove from heat and stir in the butter, rum and cream.
• leave the mixture until cool enough to handle stirring from time to time. shape into balls and chill for 1 hour
• to dip the truffles melt the plain chocolate as in step one.lower the truffles in one at a time using a dipping fork shake off surplus chocolate them place a little apart on greaseproof paper.
• leave until set them melt the white chocolate and pour into a piping bag and drizzle over the truffles one at a time.