Caramel dark chocolate truffles with fleur de sel
Happy New Year! I realize my new year greetings are rather belated, but it's been a busy month. It's been a whirlwind of travel, with trips to San Francisco, Vancouver and Thailand crammed in the last 5 weeks. I thought what better way to start off 2014 on Gastrofare than with some sinfully delicious truffles. We actually made these before we left for our holiday and gave them away as gifts to our supervisors.
Recipe
from Bon Appétit Desserts20 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), finely, chopped, divided⅓ cup sugar2 tbsp water⅔ cup heavy whipping cream¼ tsp fleur de sel plus additional for sprinkling½ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powderStir 8 oz chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (don't allow bowl to touch water) until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water. Combine sugar and 2 tbsp water in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Increase heat; boil until syrup is deep amber colour, occasionally brushing down pan sides and swirling pan, about 4 minutes. Add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over very low heat until caramel is smooth. Mix caramel and ¼ tsp fleur de sel into melted chocolate. Chill until truffle filling is firm, at least 3 hours.Place cocoa in bowl. Using 1 tbsp truffle filling for each truffle, roll into balls, then roll in cocoa. Arrange on baking sheet. Cover; chill overnight.Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Stir remaining 12 oz chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of barely summing water (do not allow bowl to touch water) until chocolate is melted and smooth and thermometer inserted into chocolate registers 115 F. Remove bowl from over water. Working quickly, submerge 1 truffle in melted chocolate. Using dinner fork, lift out truffle and tap fork against side of bowl, allowing excess chocolate to drip back into bowl. Using small knife, push truffle off fork and onto prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining truffles. Sprinkle truffles lightly with additional fleur de sel. Refrigerate until coating sets, at least 1 hour.
Musings
A few notes on preparation: We didn't get fleur de sel, but we did use super fancy sea salt.What I love about truffles is that for all their mystery and status as a high-end dessert, they're actually fairly straightforward to make. These were a little more involved than the batch of truffles we made last Christmas, but I think these turned out better. A hard coating of chocolate gave way to a creamy sweet interior of more chocolate, offset nicely by just a hint of salt flavour. I believe they were a big hit with our supervisors, and definitely a recipe to make a batch for ourselves!