FARE

The Truffle Shuffle

‘I’d make a million trips to his lips

If I were a bee

Because he’s sweeter than chocolate candy to me

He’s confectionary’

~ Billy Holiday

I don’t know Billy…chocolate candy is pretty sweet.

Whether making truffles or listening to Billy Holiday, there’s a whole lot of shuffling going on. From the double boiler to the fridge shuffle shuffle; from the ganache centre into the tempered couveture shuffle shuffle; from the parchment to the taste buds shuffle shuffle. Yes. I shuffle, when I eat a truffle…I’d eat them in a box with a fox, in a house with a mouse, here or there or anywhere…

I just cornered the market on people who search Truffles, Billy Holiday and Dr. Seuss. That was not my intention. 

What was I saying?

I sure like chocolate.

Pistachio Apricot Chocolate Truffles

275g white chocolate

125g heavy cream

1 1/2 Tbls. apricot jam

85g ground pistachios

350g dark chocolate

In a food processor grind pistachios finely with some small chunks throughout.

To make the white chocolate pistachio apricot ganache, chop the white chocolate finely and place in a metal bowl with the apricot jam. In a heavy sauce pan bring cream just to the boil then pour it over the white chocolate jam, then cover immediately with plastic wrap. Let sit for 4-5 minutes before removing the plastic wrap. Stir the cream, chocolate and together until smooth. If there are still chocolate chunks, heat water in the heavy sauce pan and place bowl with chocolate over top, creating a double boiler to heat the chocolate until all the chunks are dissolved. Stir in the pistachios keeping some aside for later then cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours. The ganache needs to firm up.

Once the ganache is firm, remove from fridge and scoop out 1 teaspoon portions, roll into balls and place on a parchment lined cookie tray. Pop back into the fridge while you prepare the dark chocolate.

Now to temper the dark chocolate. Over a double boiler melt about 285g of dark chocolate to between 40-45 degrees Celsius. Take special care not to get water in the chocolate or it will seize and you won’t be able to use it to coat your truffles. Remove chocolate from heat and add the remaining 65g of dark chocolate, stir in until melted. Take the temperature of the chocolate and if it hasn’t reached 28 degrees Celsius then continue to stir until it has cooled to 28. As soon as it reaches 28 degrees Celsius place it back over the double boiler for just a few moments until you bring the heat back up to 31 or 32 degrees Celsius. Be sure not to go past 32 or the chocolate will not be tempered. You’ll want a good digital thermometer to do this unless you have years of chocolate tempering under your belt and you can do it just by looking at it.

Prepare another cookie tray with parchment paper and grab your firmed up ganache balls from the fridge. You’ll want to work fast so get a fork or candy dipping tool and get dipping. Drop your dipped balls onto the clean parchment, sprinkle right away with ground pistachios and try not to get chocolate in your hair. It’s going to get messy but that’s part of the fun.

The truffles are best enjoyed a day after they’ve been dipped. If they last that long. You can leave them at room temperature or pop them into the fridge. I don’t have a lot of moisture in my fridge and I didn’t have an issue with sugar bloom on my chocolate.

Makes 35-40

P.S. Incidentally, it was Dr. Suess’s birthday yesterday! 

Photos and recipe by Maggie Murphy