Today I’m off for a yummy Sunday lunch with my auntie and my Gran, at an undisclosed countryside location. It’ll be great to get out of London, and especially to be able to wish them both a very happy Mother’s Day! Sadly, I can’t be with my Mum – she’s at home back in the Bleak North – but I’ve already sent her some flowers and a card. I wanted to do something for my auntie and Gran as well though, and I thought that something home-made and cookery-related would be better than a shop-bought card. Of course, chocolate was the first thing that sprung to mind. The recipe for truffles below is great for any special occasion; don't forget Easter, that ultimate festival of all things chocolate-y, is just around the corner!
If you’re stuck for something to do for Mother’s Day, the clock is ticking, and all the florists and supermarkets are closed, I urge you: head to that local shop that’s still open on Sunday and buy a nice bar of chocolate, a tin of cocoa and a tub of cream. They’ll always see you through!
But first, read on...
Some Interesting Science-y Stuff
No one knows why chocolate seems to exert such a fatal attraction over so many of us, although scientists have proposed that the taste of it raises levels of serotonin in the brain – the chemical associated with feelings of happiness. It’s a mysterious substance: it can appear in many different forms, from the cacao bean through to nibs, bars, drops, liquid and powder. To make it, manufacturers must go through a complex process which involves fermenting the harvested beans then extracting the ‘nib’ from the shell of the bean. Ground nibs form a liquid known as chocolate liquor; this is pure chocolate. It’s separated into cocoa butter and cocoa solids, which are then blended by the manufacturer in varying ratios with other elements like sugar and milk to create their own brands of dark, white or milk chocolate.
Chocolate changes its state depending on what levels of heat it is subjected to, and in what order. In order to make chocolate couverture (the type of chocolate used by chocolatiers) set hard and shiny, they ‘temper’ it. By heating the chocolate to a certain temperature, then cooling it whilst stirring or agitating and then re-heating it to a slightly lower temperature, they can change the size of the crystals which form as the chocolate sets. Smaller crystals mean a glossy appearance, a firm set, and a crisp snap when the chocolate is broken. It’s very difficult to temper chocolate without the proper equipment and knowledge (you either need a tempering machine or a slab of marble and a lot of experience!), so in the recipes I’ve given here, I’ve made soft chocolate truffles which don’t need tempering. But I promise they’re just as delicious as hard chocolates!
All About Truffles (Mmmm...)
Truffles are so called because they look rather like the rare fungus of the same name which is often used in French cookery, particularly in higher-end restaurants. Although this association with an expensive and exclusive ingredient gives chocolate truffles an air of luxury and sophistication, they are actually very simple to make! The base mixture is a ganache, which is a name for chocolate which has been lightened and stabilised by adding another substance to it, usually cream. A standard ganache will use equal quantities of cream and chocolate, so however many grams of chocolate you have, just use the same number of millilitres of cream.
Once you’ve made your basic ganache, you can flavour it with various things and once the truffles are shaped you can roll them in lots of different coverings. The best bit of this is that you can personalise your truffles to match the favourite flavours of the person you’re making them for. I made three kinds for my auntie and Gran: coffee rolled in almond; vodka rolled in icing sugar (adventurous choice, I admit!); and rosewater and honey rolled in caster sugar. You can buy rosewater at some supermarkets or online; they also sell it at a store near me which specialises in Persian ingredients. I’ve included a couple of other suggestions for flavourings and toppings below.
The Easy Option
If you think truffles are beyond you I have two things to say to you: first of all, they’re not! Believe in yourself! Secondly, I can tell you from experience that the old chocolate-dipped strawberry or coffee bean never goes amiss: just melt the chocolate, hold the strawberry by the green hull or the coffee bean between two forks, dip them in and leave them to set in the fridge on some greaseproof paper.
One Final Thing
When melted, chocolate mustn’t be subjected to sudden changes in heat, otherwise it will ‘sieze’ or ‘split’ and become unworkable. When heating it over hot water, it’s important not to allow any of the water to get into the chocolate for the same reason.
And now, down to the good stuff...
Ingredients
Ganache:
150g best quality dark chocolate
150ml cream
25g butter (unsalted is best)
Flavourings:
Either:
20ml rum, Cointreau or other alcohol
OR
30ml very strong coffee
OR
30ml rosewater and/or 1 tbsp honey
OR
Zest of 1 orange/lemon and 1 tbsp juice
Coverings:
Flaked or chopped almonds, toasted until golden brown
OR
Cocoa powder
OR
Sugar: icing, caster or demerara
OR
Ground or chopped pistachios
OR
Melted chocolate
Method
Put the cream and butter in a large mixing bowl and heat it gently, stirring, over a pan of hot water until the butter is completely melted and the cream begins to steam slightly. There is no need to boil the cream.
Break the chocolate into pieces and add it to the cream. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir the cream until it melts in. The best thing to stir it with is a spatula, but a wooden or metal spoon will do. If the mixture gets too cool and the chocolate isn’t melting, put it back over the hot water, but make sure no water gets into the mixture – it can make the chocolate ‘spilt’, which is when it goes hard and unworkable. Once it splits, there’s no going back, so be careful!
When all the chocolate is melted and thoroughly mixed into the hot cream, add your chosen flavouring and stir it in thoroughly. Put the mixture in the fridge and leave it to cool. This will probably take a couple of hours, but stirring the mixture over a bowl of ice can speed up the process. Bear in mind that if you use alcohol for your flavouring the ganache will take longer to set.
While the ganache mixture is cooling, prepare your coverings. Toast the almonds if you’re using them. If you wanted chopped almonds but could only get flaked, you can toast them until they’re a bit crunchy then bash them up in a pestle and mortar or with a rolling pin. If you’re using chocolate, melt it over a pan of hot water, remembering about not letting any water get near the chocolate itself: it is much more liable to split when not mixed with cream. Leave the chocolate in the bowl and keep it warm. For all toppings except the chocolate, just spread out a thick layer on a plate.
Now for the messy bit! Wash and dry your hands thoroughly, then, once the ganache is cooled, take a piece as large as you want your truffle to be and roll it into a sphere with your hands. Some people find that coating their hands with a layer of neutral-flavoured oil, such as sunflower, stops it sticking as much; personally, find this makes it harder to shape the ganache. You can also shape the mixture between two spoons, or using a melon scoop (or an ice cream scoop for giant supertruffles!)
As soon as you’ve shaped your truffles, roll them in your chosen covering. You may need two or three layers if you’re using sugar, especially icing sugar – some of the sugar will be absorbed by the chocolate. If you're using chocolate as a covering, gently spear a truffle on a cocktail stick, hold it over the bowl and spoon over chocolate until it's all covered. Then leave to set in the fridge on a lined tray.
Whatever your covering, put your truffles straight back in the fridge to set once they're done. They only need a little while before serving – just try not to let them get too warm, otherwise they get remarkably sticky! They’re best eaten on the day, but will keep for up to three days in the fridge.
That's all folks! I hope you have a truffle-y Mother’s Day!
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