……And the food of mournful, moping, moms.
The last week has been full of frenetic activity. The Dee (short for Diva) was leaving- for a short holiday in Europe before going back to school in the US.
There were gifts to be bought, appointments made, cakes to be baked, clothes dry cleaned.
And chocolate truffles.
The Dee, wanted to take a gift for each of her mentors, to say “Thank you” and show how much she appreciated their taking the time to show her the ropes, in her first internship. And chocolate truffles fit the bill perfectly!
Chocolate truffles have a very short list of ingredients- a minimum of two and a maximum of 3-4 ingredients. They are not finicky or moody like macarons. You don’t need precision scales, or expensive tools to make them.
As recipes go, it is one of the simplest….boil cream, mix into chocolate, chill, roll into balls, and Ta-dah! You have truffles.
But the variable is the heat and humidity of Singapore. Chocolate-normally quiescent and well behaved- throws tantrums with a mind of its own, in hot weather. So prepare to be patient, much like a parent!
Intensely Orange Truffles
Ingredients:
400g dark chocolate couverture
200 ml fresh whipping cream
Zest of 1 orange
Juice of 1 orange, reduced
Method:
* Prepare a square dish, with two rectangles of parchment. Lay them such that you have a overhang on all four sides and its easy to pick the whole thing out.
* Weigh the chocolate and put it into a large glass, microwave-safe bowl. I use Callebaut 73% dark.
* Pour the cream into a small saucepan.
* With a fine grater, zest the orange and add it to the cream.
* In another small pan, juice the orange and boil the juice with a spoonful of sugar, until it reduces to a tablespoon or so. This step is optional. You can add 10-12 drops of orange oil if that’s simpler.
* Heat the cream with the zest, until it simmers. Strain it through a sieve onto the chocolate.
* Whisk the mixture, adding the reduced orange juice or the orange oil, until the chocolate is smooth and glossy. If there are one or two lumps, warm gently in the microwave for 10-15 seconds at a time, until you have a smooth chocolate ganache.
* Pour the ganache into your prepared dish and refrigerate for 3-4 hours until set.
* Lift the set ganache, out of the square dish (the parchment rectangles make the job easy) and lay onto a large cutting board.
* Ideally work with the Air conditioning on. Leave for a few minutes, until the ganache is ready to be handled. Use a large knife to score lines in the ganache.
* Starting from one end, cut into the scored line. If the chocolate breaks, it is too cold. In that case leave it for a few minutes longer. Once it’s ready, work quickly, as it changes from ready to mush within minutes.
* Cut tiny squares or rectangles, and transfer into the teensiest paper cups.
* If squares are not your thing, you can roll the truffles into balls, rolling them into cocoa powder.
Put them into little boxes. Prettify with a ribbon, and you’ve got a gift made with patience and love.
Enjoy!
R
The moment I saw the title, Theobroma – Food of the Gods, I thought someone had discovered the famous Mumbai Patisserie. It is one of my favorite haunts.
But then I read your post and it was even more welcome. ๐ Lovely chocolates, made lovelier by the thought behind them and the care bestowed on them.
Hoping that I will soon be a recipient!
Sure! When I come to Bombay next ๐
๐
Next week? {hopeful look}
Nah….off to Bangalore to see my parents. It’s dad’s 80th.
Have fun…..
An irresistible treat to begin with, your truffles are so beautiful, I can’t imagine anyone being able to refuse. Those bright, colorful designs are really eye-catching!
Thanks Hannah!
You are so talented Radhika! Truffles? Gorgeous! You are so~ good! ๐
Thank you ๐
Beautiful! Truffles make a lovely gift!
Yes, absolutely! A gift that says, “I love you!”.
You’re a hit with desserts!! And for someone like me how dreams of dessert all the time, I always eagerly wait to visit your blog ๐
Come on over, and you can taste them too ๐
These sound wonderfully easy to make, excepting the issue with how chocolate has a life all of its own. Really must try these at some stage. Especially as I adore orange.
It should be easier in the UK, or anywhere not on the equator! And if you love orange, leave the zest in. Don’t strain it out.
The truffles are gorgeous what a beautiful gift. Love truffles!!
Thank you Suzanne. I’d love to make you some ๐
Your truffles look so good! These will be the perfect gifts. I’m really surprised though because always thought truffles were quite a production to make and you make it look easy and achievable. Lovely post!
No truffles are not very difficult to make. But they are MESSY! And you add heat to the mix *rolling eyes*….
I came here after reading Aruna’s Buttercake…for she mentioned to visit ‘Sinsations’. I love your truffles and some of them remind me of cake pops. The presentation is so eye catching and the gift wrap is sexy!
Thank you ๐ Do visit often! Am looking forward to seeing your blog as well.
R
Your truffles look great! They have a nice presentation!
Thank you. Sweet of you!
Hi Radhika,
We tried to look for your email contact but it does not seem to be available on your blog. So we are contacting you via a comment.
On behalf of the National Library Board (NLB), we would like to invite you to pledge your blog to the Singapore Memory Project (SMP).
We find that your entries about cakes and desserts would be a great addition to the Singapore Memory Project.
We think your blog would offer a different perspective. Whether your posts are an account of your daily life or an expression of your thoughts, our project hopes to find a home for these memories so that it can help build a ground-up understanding of Singapore.
If you believe memories are worth preserving, simply pledge your blog here.
The SMP is a national initiative started in 2011 to collect, preserve and provide access to stories, moments and memories related to Singapore. For more information about this initiative, you may wish to contact Mr Patrick Cher at [email protected] or read the FAQ.
Yours sincerely,
Krishna
[Simulation Software & Technologies (S2T) Pte Ltd. is the officially appointed vendor for SMP for the period Nov 2012 to Dec 2013.]
Thank you! I’d love to pledge my blog to the Singapore Memory Project.
R
These made my mouth water – and I’m not a big chocolate eater! The look stunning.
Thank you so very much, and a warm welcome to my blog ๐
You’ve nailed it, R! I wouldn’t have the courage to attempt truffles in our boiling weather. And yet you breezed through it. All hail!
๐ Thanks Nat!