INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

GANACHE
From:    Andrea Wagner <WAGNA@FOSTER.COM>
Date:    Mon, 15 Jul 1996 18:18:24 -0700
Where do you live?  Making truffles in this summer heat is tricky.  It's
best to work with chocolate in a room that's about 65-70 degrees.  Maybe
you have air conditioning, unlike me! I use a basic recipe for ganache,
then dip into melted chocolate. The secret is using really good quality
chocolate.
I recommend Callebaut, or Valhrona. Lindt or Ghiradelli would work too.
1.  Begin by breaking the chocolate into small pieces and placing in a
bowl.
2.  In a heavy saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over medium heat,
stirring frequently.
3.  Remove cream from the heat and stir in the chocolate until mixture is
smooth.  Place bowl in fridge for 30 minutes until it can hold a shape.
4.  Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.  Scoop a melon baller into the
ganache and form small balls, place on the waxed paper.  Refrigerate the
ganache balls until firm, 2-3 hours.
5.  When the balls are firm, roll them between your hands to get a smooth
round shape.
Melting Chocolate: Here are two good methods for melting chocolate so that
it is smooth and glossy. (From Chocolatier Magazine)
In a Microwave Oven: Place coarsely chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe
container and microwave at MEDIUM (50 percent power) for 1 1/2 to 4
minutes, until the chocolate turns shiny. Remove the container from the
microwave and stir the chocolate until completely melted. Stir milk and
white chocolates after about 1 1/2 minutes. Because of their milk proteins,
they need to be stirred sooner than dark chocolate. (If overheated, these
chocolates may become grainy.)
In a Double Boiler: Place coarsely chopped chocolate in the top of a double
boiler over hot, not simmering, water.  Melt the chocolate, stirring until
smooth. Remove the top part of the double boiler from the bottom.  Don't
ever let even a drop of water get into your chocolate while it is melting
or else it will "seize" and cause you a great headache (my advice not
Chocolatiers!).
Follow directions above for melting chocolate, and keep stirring until  the
temperature of the chocolate has reached 88 to 91 degrees (84 to 87 if milk
chocolate). Once I reach that temperature, I keep my melted chocolate on
top of an old heating pad set to 'low' to maintain it at that temperature
while dipping.
1.  Line a baking sheet with wax paper or aluminum foil.
2.  Dip the truffles (ganache balls) into the chocolate one at a time,
letting the excess chocolate drip off into the bowl. Drop the truffle onto
the baking sheet.
3.  Refrigerate for 5 minutes, then remove and store at room temperature
(65-70 degrees is best) for 2 weeks (although mine never last that long.)
I vary this recipe a whole lot, because I usually make them in huge batches
for Xmas, and I like to give each person a few different varieties.  I will
add different liqueurs (Kahlua, Bailey's, etc,.) to the ganache or a bit of
ground coffee. I usually melt sepaprate batches of  milk, white and
bittersweet chocolate for dipping.  Sometimes I roll them in cocoa or nuts.
EAT-L Digest 15 July 96
From the EAT-L recipe list.  Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive,
http://www.erols.com/hosey.

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