Homemade Chocolate Truffles
150g very best quality plain dessert chocolate
150ml thick double cream
25g unsalted butter
2 tablespoon rum or brandy
1 tablespoon Greek yoghurt
For Plain Truffles:
1 dessertspoon cocoa powder
For The Ginger Truffles:
20g preserved ginger, very finely chopped, plus some extra cut into small pieces
For The Toasted Almond Truffles:
25g flaked almonds, very finely chopped and well toasted
For The Chocolate Coated Truffles:
50g plain dessert chocolate and 1/2 teaspoon ground nut oil
Break the chocolate into squares and place it in the bowl of a food processor. Switch on and grind the chocolate until it looks granular, like sugar. Now place the cream, butter and rum or brandy in a small saucepan and bring these to simmering point. Then, with a motor switched on, pour the mixture through the feeder tube of the processor and continue to blend until you have a smooth blended mixture. Now add the yoghurt and blend again for a few seconds. Next transfer the mixture, which will be very liquid at this stage, into a bowl, allow it to get cold, then cover it with cling film and refrigerate overnight.
Next day divide the mixture equally between four small bowls, and keep each one in the refrigerator until you need it. Then proceed with the following to make four different varieties.
Plain Truffles:
For these you simply sift 1 dessertspoon of cocoa powder on to a flat plate, then take heaped half teaspoons of the first batch of truffle mixture and either dust each one straightaway all over, which gives the truffle a rough rock like appearance or dust your hands in cocoa and roll each piece into a ball and then roll it into the cocoa powder if you like a smother look. Place it immediately into a paper case.
Ginger Truffles:
Mix the finely chopped ginger into the second batch of truffle mixture using a fork, then proceed as above, taking small pieces, rolling or not and dusting with cocoa powder before transferring each one to a paper case.
Toasted Almond Truffles:
Sprinkle the very finely chopped toasted almond flakes on a flat plate, take half a teaspoonful of the third batch of truffle mixture and roll it round in the nuts, pressing them to form an outer coating.
Chocolate-Coated Truffles:
For these you need to set the chocolate and oil in a bowl over some hot but not boiling water and allow it to melt until it becomes liquid, then remover the pan from the heat. Now spread some silicone paper on a flat surface and dusting your hands with cocoa, roll each truffle into a little ball. Using two flat skewers, one to spike the truffle and one to manoeuvre it, dip each truffle in the chocolate so that it gets a thin coating and then quickly transfer it to the paper. If the chocolate begins to thicken replace the pan on the heat so that it will liquefy again. Leave the coated truffles to set completely, and then using a palette knife, quickly transfer them into their waiting paper cases.
Keep them refrigerated and eat within 3 days. Alternatively freeze