INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Chop the chocolate.  Melt together with the butter over simmering water.
Stir continuously with a rubber spatula. Don't let water get into the
chocolate.
Warm the Cointreau to the same temperature as the chocolate. Slowly blend
the Cointreau into the chocolate (still over the water). Stir continuously.
Do this slowly (as if you were making Hollandaise). Using an electric
mixer, beat the mixture until cool and somewhat thickened. (Takes about 5
minutes; you'll need a good mixer.)
Line a large baking sheet (11 x 17) with wax paper. Pour in the truffle
mix. (This will fill the pan.) Chill in the refrigerator until solid
(several hours).
Use a pizza cutter to cut the stuff into strips (peel off the wax paper
first), then into squares.  Take each one, mash it in your palm, and roll
in cocoa. Chill some more.
I recommend Merckens Yucatan or Lindt Extra Bittersweet for the dark
coating chocolate. In place of the Cointreau, try substituting other
liqueurs (Chambord, Amaretto, Kahlua) and coatings (chopped roasted
almonds, finely chopped candied orange peel, coffee beans run through a
nutmeg grinder, etc.)
Truffles rolled in cocoa are "classic", here are some rough and ready
instructions for coating anything with chocolate, abstracted from "Making
Chocolates" by Alec Leaver, published in 1975 by Weathervane Books by
arrangement with Michael Joseph Ltd.  (The book is out of print.)
Melt some chocolate over hot water, let it cool slowly until it just
thickens (80-84 F). Now warm the chocolate gently and slowly until it thins
slightly. The temperature should be above 85, but below 91. This maximum
working temperature is absolutely crucial. The temperature of the room you
work in should not exceed 70.
Pre-bottom all centers, that is, smear a little couverature on what will be
the bottom of the center with the back of a spoon and place it, bottom side
up, on a plate. This lets you check that the couverature is properly
tempered.
After the bases have set and hardened a little, stir the couverature
thoroughly, trying not to get too many air-bubbles in. Drop a center into
the couverature, bottom down and, with an ordinary fork, slightly warmed,
push it down to submerge it fully. Immediately, pick it out with the fork,
tap the fork on the side of the bowl in order to settle the chocolate, and
wipe any excess from underneath the fork. Transfer the center to a sheet of
wax paper. Stir the couverature after depositing each center to keep it
well mixed.
  NOTES:
*  Classic chocolate confectionery -- These are as good, or better, than
anything you can buy in a store.
*  The basis of the truffle centre is ganache paste, a mixture of melted
chocolate and warm cream well blended and cooled until it hardens. Orange,
honey, peppermint, rum or vanilla can be added to give flavor, but it is
important that the final mixture should be hard enough to be moulded to
shape and be capable of standing up to being coated with chocolate.
*  The texture of ganache paste depends upon the kinds of cream and
chocolate and the proportions in which they are used. Plain chocolate is
harder than milk chocolate, so more cream can be added to it. Single cream
is thinner than double so must be used in smaller quantities. Incorporating
cream or other liquids fulfills two functions: it softens the chocolate and
it gives flavor. After the centre has been made and moulded to shape, it is
coated with chocolate to seal it and help to keep it moist. It is then
rolled in a final decorative coating, and this can cocoa sweetened with a
little icing sugar, or chopped mixed nuts.
: Difficulty:  moderate for classic truffles, quite difficult for coated
centers.
: Time:  most of a day.
: Precision:  measure carefully.
  :
: Martin Minow
: decvax!minow
: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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