Chocolate Cayenne Truffles Food

SPICY CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• In a medium saucepot, heat the cream, cinnamon, chili powder and cayenne pepper over medium-low heat until it comes to a simmer. Add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Transfer to a bowl and chill in the refrigerator until it firms up, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• In the meantime, place the toasted coconut, cookie crumbs, cocoa powder and chopped pistachio nuts onto separate small plates.
• Remove the chocolate from the refrigerator and let sit for 30 minutes to soften.
• Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop out the chocolate into the toppings and roll them around to completely coat. Place on a plate and serve. Truffles can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Place the cream in a heat-proof bowl and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Cook until heated through. Using a wire whisk, slowly stir the white chocolate into the warm cream until completely melted. Whisk in the Baileys and vanilla. Cover and chill for one hour or until pliable but firm enough to scoop.
• With two teaspoons or a 1 1/4-inch ice cream scoop, make dollops of the chocolate mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, until firm enough to roll into rough spheres.
• Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.
• Drizzle the melted bittersweet chocolate over the truffles. Chill until ready to serve.

ROBERT LINXE'S CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Finely chop 8 ounces of the chocolate and put in a bowl.
• Bring heavy cream to a boil in a small heavy saucepan. Make sure your pan is small, so you'll lose the least amount of cream to evaporation, and heavy, which will keep the cream from scorching. Linxe boils his cream three times - he believes that makes the ganache last longer. If you do this, compensate for the extra evaporation by starting with a little more cream.
• Pour the cream over the chocolate, mashing any big pieces with a wooden spoon.
• Then stir with a whisk in concentric circles (don't beat or you'll incorporate air), starting in the center and working your way to the edge, until the ganache is smooth.
• Let stand at room temperature until thick enough to hold a shape, about 1 hour, then, using a pastry bag with a 3/8-inch opening or tip, pipe into mounds (about 3/4 inch high and 1 inch wide) on parchment-lined baking sheets. When piping, finish off each mound with a flick of the wrist to soften and angle the point tip. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt 3 more ounces of the same Valrhona and smear some on a gloved hand. Gently rub each chilled truffle to coat lightly with chocolate. The secret to a delicate coating of chocolate is to roll each truffle in a smear of melted chocolate in your hand. Linxe always uses gloves.
• Toss the truffles in unsweetened Valrhona cocoa powder so they look like their namesakes, freshly dug from the earth. A fork is the best tool for tossing truffles in cacao. Shake truffles in a sieve to eliminate excess cacao. Store truffles in the refrigerator.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Add chocolate chips to a heat-proof mixing bowl; add ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, salt, and cayenne. Heat cream over medium heat until it just starts to simmer. Immediately remove from heat and pour hot cream over chocolate. Shake bowl slightly to fully cover the chocolate; let sit for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk until well combined and a thick, glossy ganache forms.
• Cover ganache with plastic wrap and let cool to room temperature or until firm enough to scoop, about 15 minutes. Form about 2 teaspoons of the ganache into balls using a small sorbet scoop, or roll by hand. Place balls onto a baking sheet lined with silicone or parchment paper. Refrigerate until cold and firm, about 15 minutes, then re-roll as needed to smoothen.
• Place a heat-proof bowl over a pot of hot water on the lowest heat settling. Add most of the chocolate chips, reserving about 1/3 cup, to the bowl and let melt, about 5 minutes. In the meantime, break gingersnap in half and place on a plate next to a microplane. Stir the reserved chocolate chips into the melted chocolate until they disappear. Remove from heat.
• Dip truffles into the melted chocolate by hand or by holding each truffle with a fork and spooning the chocolate on top. Place truffles on the baking sheet and swirl the tops with your finger. Grate the gingersnap on top. Let truffles rest on the baking sheet until the coating dries and hardens completely, trimming away excess chocolate from the bases using the back of a knife if desired.

CHOCOLATE CAYENNE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Melt chocolate, butter and cayenne in a double boiler, or a bowl in the microwave. Stir well.
• Remove from heat. Mix in cream and 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar. Stir well. (The sugar will stick together in small lumps if you aren't vigorous about it.).
• Cover, and chill overnight.
• Create a mixture of 1/3 cup powdered sugar, the cocoa powder, ginger, and cinnamon.
• Scoop out the chocolate, one tablespoon at a time. Mold it into balls. (this is messy; get used to it.) Roll the balls in the powder mixture to coat them.
• Put them back in the fridge, until serving time.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• For ganache, break chocolate into small pieces in a large aluminum bowl.
• Bring cream slowly to a light boil in a small saucepan over low heat.
• Pour boiling cream over chocolate and keep stirring until all the chocolate has melted and the batter is homogeneous. It is very important that there are no pieces of chocolate left here and that the batter is very smooth.
• Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until ganache is just thick enough to easily form truffle balls.
• Form even round balls and place on waxed paper, slightly flattening bottom.
• For coating, melt the chocolate in a double-boiler. If you don't have a double boiler, heat 2 inches of water in a small saucepan. Break chocolate into small pieces in a small aluminum bowl. Turn off heat and place bowl on top of saucepan with hot water. Let chocolate melt and stir until smooth. Place bowl of melted chocolate on a dry towel.
• Sift together cocoa powder and icing sugar.
• Dip each ball in the melted chocolate (slightly cooled, but not hardened); place back on waxed paper to let chocolate harden slightly.
• When chocolate is hardened enough so that it doesn't rub off on your finger, roll in cocoa mixture. Store truffles in covered container at room temperature in a slightly cool place away from heat.
• Here are a few variations. If coating in cocoa powder, sift first with a little icing sugar or it will be too bitter.
• White Chocolate Truffles: Using high quality white chocolate, follow the same recipe as above.
• Coconut Truffles: Make a white chocolate ganache, sprinkle in shredded coconut when ganache is still warm, and roll in shredded coconut instead of cocoa powder.
• Rum Raisin: Make a dark chocolate ganache, soak raisins in rum and drain, add raisins to warm ganache.
• Orange Grand Marnier: Make a dark chocolate ganache, soak small cubes of orange rind in Grand Marnier and drain, stir in orange cubes when ganache is still warm.
• Hazelnut: Make a milk chocolate ganache, stir in tiny pieces of hazelnut, and roll in chopped hazelnuts and/or cocoa powder.
• Pistachio: Make a dark chocolate ganache, crush unsalted pistachio's and stir into warm ganache, roll in crushed pistachios and/or cocoa powder.
• Coffee Truffles: Roll in coffee powder instead of cocoa.