Champagne truffles are one of life's little luxuries. Is there a woman out there who would not admit to having a penchant for the odd Champagne truffle from time to time? Well, this gem of a recipe combines dark and milk chocolate for an exquisite flavor. Too much dark chocolate does not balance with the delicate taste of the pink Champagne, while too much milk chocolate makes it too creamy. The proportions below give the perfect balance for the perfect pink Champagne truffle.
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
- 250g/9 oz dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids), finely chopped
- 200g/7 oz milk chocolate (40 per cent cocoa solids), finely chopped
- 100ml/3 ½ fl oz double cream
- 65g/2 ¼ oz unsalted butter
- 100ml/3 ½ fl oz pink Champagne
- 4 teaspoons brandy
- 500g/1lb 2 oz icing sugar
- 10g/ ¼ oz red berry powder, if available
- 750g/1lb 10oz tempered dark
- Chocolate (see pages 212-213)
Preparation
Put the chopped dark and milk chocolate in a bowl. Put the cream and butter in a pan and bring to the boil, then pour the mixture over the chocolate. Leave for 30 seconds, then add the Champagne and brandy.
Mix gently with a fine whisk, whisking only enough to combine the ingredients into a smooth ganache. Pour the mixture on to a plastic tray or into a large, wide bowl. The ganache needs to cool quickly and evenly, so a large surface area is best. Leave to cool at room temperature until it is firm enough to pipe. Using a piping bag fitted with a 1cm/ ½ inch plain nozzle, pipe blobs 2.5cm/1 inch in diameter on to a tray lined with baking parchment. Place in the fridge until they are set firm.
Remove the truffles from the fridge and, with your hands dipped and coated in icing sugar, roll them into even balls. Return them to the fridge to firm up again.
Sift the remaining icing sugar on to a tray with the red berry powder, if using. Put the tempered chocolate in a bowl. With a dipping fork, dip the truffles in the tempered chocolate and then roll them in the icing sugar mixture. Leave them in the tray of icing sugar until they are set - this will help them retain a good shape. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.
Chef Clark's Notes
- If you cannot find red berry powder, use a spice grinder to grind down some of the freeze-dried red berries that are now available. It works a treat.
- If you do not have a dipping fork, dip the truffles into the chocolate with your hand. Dip them one at a time and keep the truffle at the side of the bowl, rolling it in the chocolate on the top. Do not immerse it in the middle of the pot where it will be difficult to retrieve. Rolling it on the side of the bowl helps remove the excess chocolate.
Source: INDULGE: 100 Perfect Desserts, by Chef Claire Clark
