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TRUFFLES

 

Sweet Eats
by Rose Dunnington
These bites of rich chocolate are named after a fungus. It's on extremely rare and delicious fungus. But still, a fungus. Go figure. You'll work for less than half an hour to make these goodies, but they have to chill for an hour in the middle of it.
Makes: about 16 truffles

Equipment
• measuring cups and spoons
• mixing bowl—microwave-safe, just in case
• small saucepot
• whisk
• plastic wrap
• melon bailer or small spoon
• shallow dish, such as a pie plate

Ingredients
• two 4-ounce bars semisweet chocolate (The better quality the chocolate, the better the candy.)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso or coffee (optional)
• about 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• about 1/4 cup powdered sugar .


Directions
1. Break the chocolate into small pieces and put it in the bowl. Heat the cream and vanilla extract in the saucepot until it steams but doesn't bubble. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let this mixture sit for a few minutes.

2. Whisk the mixture until the chocolate melts and mixes smoothly with the cream. (If the mixture doesn't get completely smooth, microwave it for 10 seconds and whisk some more.) This concoction is called ganache. Cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. Use a melon bailer to scoop bite-sized chunks of ganache out of the bowl. Roll the chunks into spheres between your palms. If the ganache gets too goopy to roll into balls, put it back in the fridge for a while.

4. Put some cocoa powder in the shallow dish. Roll half of the truffles, one at a time, in the cocoa powder to coat. Roll the other half of the truffles in powdered sugar.

5. Truffles are best when you eat them at room temperature, but they should be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Tell your little brother that those are just some weird fungi—who'd want to eat them?