Jane’s chocolate truffles

Rita’s chocolate truffles

The first time I had a chocolate truffle was at a trendy Chicago restaurant during a food convention with my husband and his then employers, Howard and Jan Melvin of The Heritage Restaurant. So long ago!  I was immediately smitten with the silky chocolate confection.
Since then I’ve made lots of truffles, but none are better than Jane Cervantes’. Jane, a Maineville reader and expert chocolatier, also makes other ethereal creations that stun the eye and please the palate. She’s been a popular guest on my cable show, and the recipe I’m sharing today is one we made together. 

Make your special Valentine feel well, pretty special with a box of homemade truffles.

They require only a few ingredients and are easy to make. I’m giving you 2 techniques here – one produces a lighter textured truffle and one produces a more firm one. Both are excellent.

And as we approach Valentine’s Day, remember “someone” who may be lonely, in need of a friendly call, card, or maybe a plate of truffles. Share the love!

Jane’s chocolate truffles

Called truffles since they originally were made to resemble the precious black truffle mushroom. 

If you look at Jane’s truffles next to mine, you’ll see hers are very round and elegant while mine, though pretty, aren’t quite as perfectly shaped. So you have 2 choices, and both are acceptable.

Recipe can be cut in half. 

Use your choice of good chocolate. Read labels — first ingredient should be chocolate. 

Ingredients

Truffle base #1

1-1/2 pounds quality chocolate – I like half bittersweet and half semisweet, chopped into small pieces

1 cup whipping cream

1-1/2  teaspoons vanilla

Coatings

Melted chocolate 

Cocoa powder

Confectioners’ sugar

Finely chopped nuts, sprinkles, etc.

Instructions

Truffles

Place chocolate in heat/microwave proof bowl. 

Heat cream until simmering so it’s hot enough to melt chocolate.

Pour hot cream over chocolate and butter, and slowly whisk until completely melted. It looks light and lumpy at first, but will smooth to a glossy brown. If you still have unmelted pieces, place bowl in microwave for 20 seconds or so. Whisk again to smooth. 

Stir in vanilla.

Cover and refrigerate until firm enough to scoop or roll into balls. I use a small ice cream scoop.

Place truffles on sprayed paper. 

Place in refrigerator until set/chilled, an hour or so. In a hurry? Chill in freezer.
Can be stored up to 2 weeks before coating, covered, in refrigerator.

Truffle Base #2

This produces a more fluffy type truffle in my opinion.  A bit more technique here.

1 1/2 pounds (about 4 1/2 cups) milk chocolate, melted

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

 

Melt chocolate on low in nonstick pan on stove OR in a medium-sized plastic bowl in the microwave for 2 minutes at 50% power.  When a few little pieces remain unmelted, remove from heat and stir. This will smooth it out and prevent chocolate from overcooking/seizing.

 

Scald cream (bring it just to the boiling point) in a 1 quart sauce pan.  Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.  Stir in vanilla.  Beat chocolate with an electric mixer.  Stop mixer and pour cream all at once over chocolate.  Continue beating, cleaning sides and bottom of bowl several times with rubber scraper, until mixture is smooth and well blended, about 1-2 minutes.  Pour into bowl; cool for about 1/2 hour and cover and refrigerate 6 hours or until firm.

 

With a spoon or cookie scoop, scoop out a teaspoon size ball and roll each into a ball and place on prepared cookie sheet with waxed paper.  When sheet is full, refrigerate for about an hour.

 

To coat truffles:

 

Melt chocolate as above.

Bring truffles out of refrigerator and dip one at  a time into chocolate:  

 

TIP:  just let the truffle roll off of your hand and place on a cookie sheet with waxed paper.  Place dipped truffles in the refrigerator until set.  Then eat and enjoy.

Coatings

Melted chocolate. (Be careful — pull off heat while some lumps remain, then stir to smooth; chocolate will seize if overheated or if water gets into it.)

Let cool a bit before coating truffles. 

Dip chilled truffles and set on sprayed surface. Refrigerate, covered, until coating sets. 

Sprinkles/nuts. Do this before chocolate sets.

Cocoa or confectioners sugar. Drop truffles in bowl with coating, rolling them around to coat.

Store, covered, in refrigerator. Bring to room temperature to eat.

Note: Check out Jane’s facebook page: Cakes Come True and Truffles Too.
There’s even a place to ask questions and receive a reply.

The photos of her homemade exquisite creations will make you smile.