dark chocolate

Gluten Free Candy Filled Chocolate Cake Doughnuts

29.10.2010 46 Comments

Despite seeing it on the store shelves since late August, I resisted getting candy for Halloween until yesterday. For once, that’s kind of how my stubborn mind works. The more commercial a holiday gets, the longer I’ll resist buying into it, and it was not until B. gave me a friendly hint that maybe we should stock up for trick or treaters, that I finally started seeing the displays at the store. However, I had a better reason for waiting to be closer to Halloween: Lara's Candy Filled Doughnuts. Oh yes.

If I make cookies, they disappear as if a tornado went through the kitchen. If I get Halloween candy a week before the due date, I keep finding little gold and silver wrappers in his pockets for seven days straight. The man cannot be left alone with food. I count my blessings that he can’t cook but knows how to eat. I also love when he gets involved and excited about baking something even if I know I’ll be the one at the stove.

Nothing warms my heart more than seeing people get excited about food even if they feel or are clueless about putting it together. I know we will have a good time in the kitchen or at the dinner table ultimately. It did not fail when I saw B. huntched over Lara’s book letting out some "ooohs" and "aaaaahhs" with almost every turn of the page. Then he got quiet. Pages were not being turned. He gave me a look so meaningful I thought he was going to start his sentence with "mom, can I have that?"

Yep, at the sight of Candy Filled Chocolate Cake Doughnuts, this grown up guy was 6 years old again. Very relieved to hear his deep ~~sexy~~ adult voice "hon, isn’t it time for Halloween candy?" You know the old complaint "it’s not what you said, it’s how you said it"? Yay…I totally knew what he was up to. I said "give me the book – Give me the book now – you can’t look at the book. You’re making me crazy." And then he gave me that look again and I melted. Again. Damn he’s good! So I told him to pick one and stick to it.

This recipe is so easy to put together and so timely if you want to play with some of your extra candy. If that ever happens to you that is. I had to hide a handful to make sure I’d have something to post! I made the dough the night before which always makes it easier to roll, gluten free or not and had enough to make 15 doughnut holes filled with various candies and 4 doughnut rings. I want to make a full batch of dipped cake ones now. Forever. Well, only if it involves salted butter caramel icing.

Lara…dear…you did again. And we could not be happier…!

Public Service Announcement: a while back, my friend Rachael from Today’s Mama and the nice folks at Avery asked me if I wanted to contribute a design to their "back to school" binder initiative with pictures of mine for the cover and back. Unless, it’s a doughnut Rachael asks me for, I pretty much melt when she talks to me. She’s hot. Strong. Nice and her schedule really makes me look like a lazy bum. Anyway… Avery and Today’s Mama are running a follow up campaign and giving away 10 binder certificate for you to create your own. It’s super easy and fun…and a neat way to keep things organize. More details on Today’s Mama.

Gluten Free Candy Filled Chocolate Cake Doughnuts:

2 cups Gluten Free Baking Mix for Doughnuts (recipe follows)
1/4 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon guar gum
1 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 unsalted butter, cold and cut into small dice
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2/3 cup milk, scalded and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
vegetable oil for frying
your favorite candy (cut smaller if too big)
extra sugar and cocoa powder for dusting if desired

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the baking mix, cocoa powder, guar gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Blend on low and add the butter still on low speed, blending until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, yogurt, milk and vanilla. With the mixer running on slow, slowly pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Scrape down the sides and mix for 30 seconds. The batter should be similar to loose cookie dough. Let rest 30 minutes (I like overnight) (stay with me people I am still talking about doughnuts!)
When ready, roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick and cut out 3-inch rounds with a cookie cutter. Place a candy piece in the middle of the round, bring the edges over toward the top and seal. Roll the dough ball in the palm of your hands and place them on a baking sheet.
Refrigerate 20 minutes. During that time, heat the oil up to 350F.
When ready to roll, gently drop the holes in the hot oil. Fry a couple of minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and dust with sugar and cocoa powder if desired.

For doughnut rings:
Roll the dough and cut holes with a 3-inch cookie cutter then with a smaller cookie cutter to create a hole (I use the opposite end of a pastry tip). Fry as directed above.

For the salted butter caramel sauce:
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 stick (115gr) salted butter at room temperature, cut into small pieces
1 cup heavy whipping cream

In a heavy saucepan set over low heat, combine the sugar and water. Cook just until the sugar is dissolved. Add the butter. Let it come to a boil and cook until it reaches a golden caramel color. Remove from the heat and add the cream ( it will splatter and get crazy). Whisk to combine and put back on the stove. Let it come to a boil again over low heat and cook 15-25 minutes until you reach a creamy consistency.
Let cool. Dunk or double dunk (!) the doughnut.

Gluten Free Doughnut Baking Mix:
Enough for a standard recipe in the book – mix all the ingredients together.

1 cup potato starch
1/4 potato flour or sweet sorghum
1/2 tapioca flour (we don’t like the taste so I used cornstarch)
1/2 cup sweet rice flour

Dark Chocolate Brownies, Ginger Ice Cream & Salted Butter Caramel Sauce

03.09.2010 90 Comments

For the first few years I moved away to the US, my family would always ask me to bake brownies when I’d come back to visit. There is a little of an unspoken love affair for that simple square of dark chocolate, sometimes studded with nuts, ~~sometimes~~ often adorned with a scoop of ice cream. Almost always with a short cup of espresso.

I can’t even recall where I found my first recipe for brownies and I admit I go through what B. dubbed my “brownie baking frenzy phases”. I have been known to bake quite a few batches in the span of a few days just to keep finding the elusive “perfect” one. I know I am not the only one with that problem.

Just as with anything in life, and after hundreds of batches tested and enjoyed by our friends and neighbors, I do believe there is no perfect recipe for us – just the one we like then. Consistently different and yet every time just right

However, there is one I have favored a bit more over the years, probably because I memorized it easily and it has never failed so far to produce the same deep dark squares of chocolate brownies, smooth and rich as velvet. The thing is, I am pretty sure I have never baked this one for my family here. I’m hoping to have enough time to do so and leave a batch on the kitchen countertop before I head back home to the US.

When Caitlin and her fiancé came to visit this past month so I could shoot their engagement session, I had just worked on a savory food feature and the fridge was fairly void of anything sweet. One evening that we had planned to grill and just chill on the patio, I figured Caitlin and I could tackle a batch of brownies as we went about the kitchen getting dinner together.

Who better than an “engineer baker” to share the kitchen with? Well, all my blogging friends actually but the dogs would go insane from excitement!! As we were baking, I threw in the idea of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. Salted butter caramel sauce to be exact. All of sudden I had 3 pairs of eyes staring at me with such intensity that I knew I could not get around that one and take my words back. You cannot take back “salted butter caramel sauce”…Period.

Before I left for France I made B. a double batch and tucked one in the freezer labeled "in case of an emergency – ice cream to your right". After only one week away, he said that batch is about gone. His schedule has been a frenzy of work and rehearsals for Hairspray (he plays trombone) afterwards and he has had no energy to cook afterwards. We are traveling in the Alps and Provence as you read this (the magic of scheduled posting) and I sure hope I don’t get a text "come home now – brownies all gone!"…ehehe!

Vanilla ice cream worked perfectly with the brownies but I got to tell you that the ginger ice cream I made a couple of days after that weekend was so much better. It highlighted the intensity of the chocolate and contrasted with the sweet/salty caramel in such a way that it took us great self control not to polish a couple of more servings.

I made the same batch of brownies, ginger ice cream and salted butter caramel sauce three times that week. And if you find yourself with extra of either or and nothing to go with it, just a spoon will do. Trust me.

Dark Chocolate Brownies, Ginger Ice Cream & Salted Butter Caramel Sauce:

For the brownies (adapted from Martha Stewart):

Notes: you can replace the gluten free flours with 3/4 cup all purpose flour if not gluten sensitive.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup best-quality unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 cup superfine sweet rice flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup millet
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup Kahlua or strong coffee

Preheat oven to 350°F and position a rack in the center. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Butter the paper and set aside.
In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt together the butter, chocolate, and cocoa. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth; let cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice flour, cornstarch, millet, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until pale on medium high speed, about 4 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture. Add kahlua or coffee. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool 15 minutes, lift out of pan, and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely. (check at 15-20 minutes if using smaller molds). Cut into 8 rectangles. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

For the ginger ice cream:
2 cups (500ml) heavy cream
1 cup (250ml) whole milk
1 cup (200gr) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons freshly and very finely grated ginger

In a large saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, sugar and ginger. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium low heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and let steep as it cools to room temperature. Refrigerate, preferably overnight. Strain if desired.
Process the mixture into your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s intructions.

For the salted butter caramel sauce:
1 1/4 cup (250 gr) granulated sugar
80 ml water
1 stick (115gr) salted butter at room temperature, cut into small pieces
150 ml heavy whipping cream

In a heavy saucepan set over low heat, combine the sugar and water. Cook just until the sugar is dissolved. Add the butter. Let it come to a boil and cook until it reaches a golden caramel color. Remove from the heat and add the cream ( it will splatter and get crazy). Whisk to combine and put back on the stove. Let it come to a boil again over low heat and cook 25-35 minutes until you reach a creamy consistency. Pour into a jar and try to refrain yourself from drinking it!

36-Hour Chocolate Chip Cookies & Threadless Giveaway!

11.08.2010 467 Comments

Cookies. Milk. Afternoon showers. Looking at the shoreline through the window. That was just the medicine needed the other day. Even if just for the enticing aroma of warm chocolate wafting through the house. I did not know the power of chocolate chip cookies until I moved to the US though. We don’t really do those back home. We have eclairs, macarons, financiers. These I knew as my pick up-feel better-never let me down treats. Until I met B.

Turns out I married a ~~chocolate chip~~ cookie monster. It does not matter which kind comes out of the oven, a tray usually disappears in its entirety as soon as the cookies are cool enough to handle. And before I am done with the batch I can pretty much start over. His favorites are hands down chocolate chip cookies and I think I have baked 100 different recipes so far. Always in search of the next best one.

I must say, after years of marriage and oodles of batches behind me that I get it. the French have their baguette and chocolate bar as a snack, here it’s cookies and milk….and I love that too. Unlike B. I am good after a couple of cookies but I had to find a gluten free recipe now and one that he would not even blink twice about trying. And liking.

I really had not particularly trying to find one until the good folks at Threadless contacted me about a promo they were doing. I have a personal rule not to do product review here, mostly because I hate to commit to a deadline for one when work is already full of deadlines as it is. But it’s Threadless tees…I love them. I bought my first one four years ago and probably bought over a dozen for friends and family since then. They are awesome. Different, fun and they promote artists and individual talent.

Before I agreed I checked the selection they wanted to promote, trying to tie it in somehow with this blog and give you something back at the same time in the form of a new recipe. You can guess I fell in love with the Cookie Loves Milk design. And I had the perfect reason to search for that gluten free chocolate chip recipe my repertoire was missing.

I picked the most reliable gluten free source I know, my friend Shauna from Gluten Free Girl and The Chef. I know the extent with which her recipes are developed and the love she puts in making them for us around. If you doubt it, watch this video trailer for their upcoming cookbook. See what I mean? I picked her cookie recipe in the Blog Aid cookbook we both participated in to raise funds for the Haiti this past winter. Tons of your favorite bloggers contributed pictures and recipes! And dorky as I am, I baked in my brand new Cookie Loves Milk tee….

You know what I love about that tee-shirt? It brings a smile on everyone’s face. Even the cranky bank teller giggled. Five seconds of giggles in your day and you have already done a great deal for your inner self. Smiling. The good for the soul kind of workout. Something I am definitely happy to promote and stand behind. Not to mention that this tee is so comfortable to wear I almost went to bed with it..eheheh! The flip-flops that came along? Just what I needed for the beach…

But that’s not all… Threadless has nicely offered to giveaway a "Cookie Loves Milk" tee shirt to one lucky reader of this blog (they unfortunately ran out of flip-flops) and I am am adding a copy of the Blog Aid – Recipes For Haiti cookbook where the following recipe comes from. To enter:
– leave a comment on this post (why not tell me your favorite cookie?) between today Wednesday August 11th and Sunday August 15th, midnight eastern US time.
– one entry per person, duplicates will not be published
– no anonymous entry. Sign Zorro or Bambi if you must…

36-hour Chocolate Chip Cookies – originally adapted from David Leite from Leite’s Culinaria, now adapted from Shauna’s version.

Note: Read more about why 36 hours in the fridge makes them better here.

1 cup sorghum flour
1 cup corn starch (you can sub tapioca starch)
1 cup potato starch
1 cup millet flour
1 tablespoon xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 cup plus granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
Sea salt

In a large bowl, whisk together each of the flours and "starches" along with the xanthan gum, baking soda and baking powder.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and the sugars on medium speed for a couple of minutes. then mix for 1 minute more. Don’t overmix. the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well in between each addition and scraping the sides and bottom of your mixer bowl if necessary. Add the vanilla extract and beat an extra 30 seconds.

Add the flour mixture into the batter, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing just until the dry ingredients are coming together. Add the chocolate and mix briefly to incorporate.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 36 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F, position a rack in the middle of the oven and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
Scoop your preferred size of dough balls onto your baking sheet, 2 inches apart from each other. Sprinkle the tops with the sea salt.

Bake the cookies about 12-15 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies or until golden brown. Let cool the cookies 10 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to cooling racks.

Chocolate & Hazelnut Meringue Cake

30.07.2010 135 Comments

Thank you guys so much for playing the game the other day and giving me great suggestions for B’s birthday cake. He was a bit shocked I did not have any of my own – the truth is I had too many and after staring at them for a few days, none seemed that fun anymore! And, I really like when we can all share, communicate, participate.

As you can guess, B’s cake had plenty of chocolate, eggs, sugar and nuts…Which one did I/we pick? EP’s Chocolate and Hazelnut Meringue Cake from Martha Stewart ended up stealing the show. Congratulations on winning the "Artisan Breads At Home". You are going to love this book!

How did I pick? Actually I ended involving B. a little in the process as I noticed after 50 or so comments that I was slightly putting in the "maybe" or "no sure" columns flavors, desserts, ideas that he could picked if given the chance. It was his birthday after all. And I have known in the 13 years we have been together that I should never expect anything if only be surprised.

We sat down and I asked him for key words that would help me narrow down the winning suggestion. Here were his specs: chocolate, nuts, crunchy – creamy, gluten free so I would not have to worry about adapting (go ahead, insert "awwww" right here!). I read everyone of your comments and put a star next to the ones that fit his criteria then I went back and had him look them over, one by one and pick his top three.

You guessed it, I didn’t want to spoil the element of surprise completely. Yes. It turned out into a day 100% tuned into him and I am happy for it. This year has been nothing but tranquil for us and he deserves every bit of "you you you you you" that I could give him. And I am glad you indulged me in this rather fun and chocolatey quest.

That cake is sublime! flourless, creamy, complex and yet not so rich that you have to stop after one bite – more like control yourself not to want it for dessert at every meal! Granted we invited plenty of friends to share with us so the slices were small but I have to say, sneaking in the kitchen passed midnight and sharing a slice with a cold glass of milk after everyone had gone home was pretty much the "ahhhhhh" moment of the day.

The combination of the deep flavors of the cake (I added espresso to the batter instead of vanilla extract) with the meringue was exactly what he asked for. Because we have been heat indexes hovering around the 115F-120F and high humidity, I cooked the meringue topping longer than what the recipe called for to make sure it would not end up in complete puddle of goo when the time to serve it came about. It worked perfectly and yielded the right amount of crunch and softness after standing for a few hours. Like macarons, this cake only tastes better after 24 hours.

Speaking about cake and chocolate, how about doing a little French Word A Week on chocolate cake while we are at it? So, here it is: click on Gateau Au Chocolat to hear its pronunciation.

Thanks everyone for playing along! Have a great weekend everyone!

Chocolate and Hazelnut Meringue Cake, adapted from Martha Stewart.

Makes one 9-inch cake

Notes:
– Now is not the time to use the cheap-o chocolate. Get the best quality bittersweet chocolate you can find as it is the star of the recipe. (Guittard, Callebaut, Valrhona, El Rey, Scharffen Berger, etc…)
– To toast the hazelnuts, preheat oven to 350F and spread the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
– To skin the nuts without driving yourself crazy, place them in a mesh bag (like a recycled orange or lemon bag) and rub the nuts between your hand over the sink. The skins will fall and only the "naked" nuts will remain in your bag.
– The cake at room temperature is excellent but served really cold, it becomes even fudgier and the meringue gives slightly under your tooth like a soft pavlova. Brilliant!

For the cake:
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
3/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
6 large whole eggs, separated
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/2 tablespoons espresso (or vanilla)
1 1/2 tablespoons rum (optional)(not with us!)
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the meringue:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped (1 cup)
1 cup hazelnuts (about 4 ounces), toasted and skinned (see notes)and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar

Prepare the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-3-inch springform pan. Line bottom with parchment paper. Butter parchment and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter and brown sugar until pale and smooth at medium speed, about 3 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the bottom and sides of your bowl if necessary. Add the melted chocolate, espresso (or vanilla), rum, if using, and salt. Beat until combined. Transfer to a clean bowl and wash your mixing bowl thoroughly.
In a clean mixer bowl fitted the whisk attachment, beat the 6 egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Fold one-third of the egg whites into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining egg whites and pour batter into prepared pan, and bake 25 minutes.

Prepare the meringue:
Combine the chopped chocolate, nuts and cornstarch in a small bowl, and set aside. Place remaining 4 egg whites in a clean mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until frothy. With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes. Fold in hazelnut mixture.

Assemble and Finish:
Remove cake from oven. Using a large offset spatula, spread meringue mixture on top of cake using as little strokes as possible not to deflate the meringue, and return to oven. Bake until meringue is lightly browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let stand 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen, and release sides of pan. Let cool, about 30 minutes, before slicing and serving.

————————————————————————————
Some inquiring minds asked so here is a short prop list.
– Plates: the ever fabulous Asya from Gleena.
– glasses and little bottles (they are bud vases actually): Wal-Mart.
– paper straws from Bake It Pretty.
– silverware, glass jar and linens: vintage from a little shop in town.
– candles: gift from my friend Jen from Use Real Butter (I think she got them at Peppercorn in downtown Boulder).
– wire cake stand and green handled strainer from etsy.

Les Truffes Au Chocolat – Dark Chocolate Truffles

28.12.2009 74 Comments

I hope that you had a good holiday break, celebrating or just spending time relaxing, hopefully without pipes and heaters freezing on you because of a blizzard. Our holiday was quiet, loud, lovely and reflective all at once. Christmas wasn’t anything huge or terribly fancy this year but we are lucky to have love and health, our couple and our families here and afar. It was filled with many heart warming and unexpected moments throughout the day, making it truly a wonderful time. And in my family, it’s not Christmas without a batch of Truffes Au Chocolat. Really.

Seeing my nieces via webcam on Christmas Eve preparing for the "reveillon" twirling in their pretty new dresses, their hair held tight by shimmering headbands was a moment as delicious as cracking the crust of creme brulees. Watching my brother, their dad, the one who used to hide in my closet to scare me at night, this proud and gentle with his daughters was a moment to savour.

On Christmas day, I had a very much needed webcam moment with my mom. To prevent us from getting emotional, we had the toddler caroling for us but I know exactly what we were thinking about: my late brother and grandmother, reveillons dinners lasting until 3am, my uncles practical jokes, my grandmother’s marzipan stuffed dates and making chocolate truffles.

Lots of you commented how much you liked learning about other people’s cultures and traditions that may be completely different or somewhat similar than your own. I’m the same way. It makes the world go round really. I visited lots of blogs these past few days and like you, enjoyed reading about others' traditions or important moments. In my family, there is no Christmas without a good dose of chocolate and chocolate truffles to be exact. Wether we make, eat or give them.

Christmas preparations were always made between my grandmother and my mother around a cup of tea and a slice of cake. When I was six or so, I complained I had nothing to do, pulled out a magazine and told them I would make chocolate truffles, like the ones in the ad for Van Houten cocoa. I was actually secretely trying to find the source for the ones my grandmother’s friend, Suzanne, used to make. They were so different than ours. Creamier, sweeter, richer.

Every year we would go from Aix to Paris to spend Christmas with my grandparents, and a visit to Suzanne and her husband was always on the agenda. I loved their small apartment beside the bicycle shop. It always smelled as if beef Bourguignon was on the stove. We would enter, quickly marvel at the tree and impatiently wait for Suzanne to get the big silver tin filled with chocolate truffles. One for each and two for our parents. Except my parents never saw any of them. The truffles never made it this far.

As years went by, many truffle recipes came between Suzanne’s and me. She passed away, so did my grandmother. One day, I did find a scribbled piece of paper in my grandma’s recipe box reading "Les truffes de Suzanne". My heart skipped a beat. The proportions seeemed right but there were no instructions. I know chocolate, I know truffling. "Can’t be that hard" I thought. I got close but there always seemed to be something missing. I made five batches the week I found the recipe. Bill was a trooper and sampled them all, each time finding the new batch as good and decadent as the last.

After he sampled the last one, I plopped next to him on the sofa and mumbled "something’s missing". That’s when he pointed out the obvious. They were missing: Paulette, my grandmother and her pal Suzanne. Indeed, many things had changed since that time. Life had changed us but those memories also gave us the essence of who we were now as adults. He also was quick to say that I could stop my quest for that particular truffle recipe if I wished but he hoped I didn’t while rubbing his belly in a facetious way.

This recipe for Truffes Au Chocolat is so far the closest I have gotten to Suzanne’s and by the look on everyone’s face the other day, I’m inclined to think it could be the best so far. I am not done tweaking it so who knows what next year’s batch of truffles will bring…

Chocolate Truffles:

8 1/4 oz (250gr) bittersweet dark chocolate (chopped, broken, or chips)
1 stick (115gr) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large egg yolks
1 cup (125gr) powdered sugar, unsifted
cocoa powder for dusting

Melt the chocolate in a large bowl set over a pot of simmering water (make sure that the bowl fits snuggly over the pot so that very little steam escapes). Stir occasionaly.
Remove from the heat and add the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Stir until completely incorporated. Add the egg yolks and powdered sugar whisking until the batter is smooth.
Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
When ready to roll, scoop out balls of ganache with a spoon, roll them in between your palms fairly quickly and set them on a baking sheet. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, roll them in the cocoa powder and keep refrigerated until ready to eat.
Yields 35 to 45 truffles, depending on size.