HAPPY NATIONAL TRUFFLE DAY!!

Chocolate Truffles with sea salt

These are delicious and very easy gourmet food recipe truffles with an unlikely surprise: a sprinkling of light, fluffly sea salt. If you haven’t yet experienced a yummy chocolate truffle with sea salt, then you haven’t…experienced a yummy chocolate truffle with sea salt. It’s a seemingly unlikely, but absolutely scrumptious and special, flavor combination that has to be experienced to be believed. I believe. And I want you to believe, also.

I’ve got a golden ticket. Okay, people. Listen. You can use whatever brand or quality of chocolate you want, everything from the basic grocery store stuff to the ultra-pricey (and darn delicious) fancy stuff. I decided to go with Ghirardelli, because I think it’s delicious…and because I had some in my pantry.

I also had some Scharffen Berger. But I’m saving that for brownies next week.Scharffen Berger brownies. Whew. That’s what I’m talkin’ about.

So for these truffles, I’m going to use equal parts semi-sweet chocolate…And bittersweet chocolate. I’ve found this formula produces a really deep, rich chocolate flavor without going over the top with that dark chocolate flavor, which I sometimes find to be a little overpowering. But that’s just me. Now, my dad? He could probably eat bars of the bittersweet stuff with some unsweetened chocolate thrown in and be happy as a clam. But he also likes Spam, so don’t listen to him.

Throw all the chocolate into the bowl and just wait a few minutes.If you don’t have a double boiler…don’t buy one. Just place a heatproof (glass, preferably) bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.

Before you even stir the stuff, go ahead and pour in 1 14-ounce can of sweetened, condensed milk.

Now you can stir it gently together, being careful to keep the water on a gentle simmer.

Just keep folding gently until all the chocolate is incorporated into the condensed milk.

Finally, turn off the heat and add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. It gives the truffles a nice, rounded flavor.

Stir it together gently until it’s all combined—the vanilla will make the chocolate glossy. Remove the bowl from the saucepan, and cover it with foil. Place it into the fridge for a couple of hours, until the chocolate becomes firm and workable. I actually kept it in the fridge overnight, because I had an altercation with a snake and my candy making dreams were dashed.

Fast Forward: 24 hours later. I take the bowl out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature, which takes a good two hours. When the chocolate is soft enough to scoop out with a teaspoon, I roll them into balls about 1/2 to 3/4″ inch in diameter. I like the truffles to be a little on the small side.

What you’re looking at now is the inside of a chocolate truffle. Now, at this point you could roll them in sprinkles, coarse sugars, or finely chopped nuts. But I like my truffles to have a hard outer coating of chocolate. 

I decided on a mild, sweet milk chocolate. These are Merckens melting wafers—you can find them at a million different online retailers. Milk chocolate is perfect, because the filling is dark and rich. It perfectly balances it without making the truffle overly sweet.But you could use whatever melting wafers you want—even white chocolate! Or go the easy route and use almond bark from the supermarket. It’ll work just fine.

Just drop the truffles, one by one, into the melted (in the microwave) chocolate. Then just spoon more chocolate over the top to make sure the truffle is all coated.

Transfer the truffle to a sheet of waxed paper (or a baking mat.)

After you dip each truffle in the melted chocolate, sprinkle on a small amount of sea salt (or kosher, or whatever coarse salt you have on hand.)

Just be sure to sprinkle on the salt while the chocolate is still soft. This’ll ensure the salt will stay on the truffle.

Beautiful! Honestly, you won’t believe what a treat the salted chocolate is; you have to try it to believe it. And sure, if you’re feeling a little squeamish about the salt, you could just sprinkle some coarse sanding sugar…or whatever other sweet sprinkles you can find. The truffles are nice and pretty, no matter what you sprinkle on the top.

INGREDIENTSIngredients

8 ounces, weight (up To 9 Oz.) Good Semisweet Chocolate

8 ounces, weight (up To 9 Oz.) Good Bittersweet Chocolate

1 can (14 Oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

8 ounces, weight Meltable Milk Chocolate

Sea Salt

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS1. Heat dark chocolates and

condensed milk in a double boiler over medium low heat until chocolate is melted.

2. 2. Stir—mixture will have a slight marshmallow texture. Stir in vanilla.

3. Remove from heat, cover and refrigerate for two hours.

4. Once chilled, roll in balls, then roll in melted milk chocolate coating. Sprinkle with sea salt or other fine, coarse sprinkles.

Source:http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/chocolate-truffles-with-sea-salt/

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www.gourmandia.ca