David Lebovitz's Chocolate Port Truffles
Author: Kirsten | My Kitchen in the Rockies
Prep time: 4 hours
Total time: 4 hours
Ingredients
  • ½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream
  • 8 ounces (225 g) + 5 ounces (140 g) good bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons (45 g) butter, unsalted, at room temp., cut into small pieces
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) tawny port, Grand Manier, whiskey or dark rum
  • ¾ cup (75 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa, sifted
Instructions
  1. Bring cream to a boil over medium heat in a smaller pot. Take from the heat and add 8 ounces (225 g) chopped chocolate. Let sit for about 1 minute. Stir chocolate cream with a smooth spatula until all the chocolate is melted. Add the port and butter. Stir until all ingredients are well combined.
  2. Pour mixture in a higher measuring vessel and blend with a stick blender until the ganache is shiny and smooth, about 1 minute. Avoid mixing in air! David mentions that you could also use a whisk or stand mixer, but again, don't mix in any air!
  3. Transfer ganache into a shallow container, cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
  4. Remove ganache from the fridge and form little balls with a melon baller or two teaspoons. I weighed mine to make them more even (each 10 g). Roll the ganache balls with your hands, not quite round, it adds some character. Place the ganache balls on a plate and refrigerate until firm, at least ½ hour.
  5. Place sifted cocoa into a shallow bowl with a rim. Melt 5 ounces of chocolate over a water bath. Remove ganache balls from the fridge.
  6. Now the fun starts! Pick up some melted chocolate with one hand, David recommends your dominant one (makes sense, right), place a ganache ball with your clean hand into the "chocolate hand" . Coat the truffle with chocolate and drop it into the sifted cocoa. Repeat the process with all the truffle balls. When done, jiggle the cocoa dish so that the truffle balls get completely covered with cocoa.
  7. Place truffles into a mesh strainer and move it gently to get rid of all the excess cocoa.
  8. David recommends to store the truffles in the fridge, but to remove them at least 1 hour before consumption. I personally like them cold, straight out of the fridge.
Recipe by My Kitchen in the Rockies | A Denver, Colorado Food Blog at http://www.mykitchenintherockies.com/2012/02/10/chocolate-port-truffles/