Chocolate Star Anise Truffles Food

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Chop the chocolates finely with a sharp knife. Place them in a heat-proof mixing bowl.
• Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just boils. Turn off the heat and allow the cream to sit for 20 seconds. Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the bowl with chocolate. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the Grand Marnier, if using, coffee, and vanilla. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
• With 2 teaspoons, spoon round balls of the chocolate mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm. Roll each dollop of chocolate in your hands to roughly make a round ball. Roll in confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, or both. These will keep refrigerated for weeks, but serve at room temperature.

CHOCOLATE STAR ANISE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• line a 23cm square cake tin or similar with cling film allowing plenty of overhang at the sides.
• bring cream to boil in a nonstick saucpan. put choclate in a bowl and add into saucepan. tale of the heat.
• leave for a minute or two and then stir and leave to stand for another minute or two until chocolate has completely melted.
• grind star anise with pestle and mortar, dust through seive to remove fine woody bits. fold dust into choco cream mixture.
• pour truffle mix into half of the cake tin, before it spreads to fill the whole cake tin fold the cling film back over to create a deep rectangle approx 2 cm deep. smooth surface with your fingers tuck clingfilm ends under tin to keep the slab in place. chill overnight until set.
• turn truffle slab out onto a work surface and peel off clingfilm trim edges and cut into 2cm squares, dust with cocoa powder.

SOFT CHOCOLATE COOKIES WITH GRAPEFRUIT AND STAR ANISE

Steps:

• Combine chocolate and butter in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 10-second intervals until chocolate is almost melted; remove and stir until melted and smooth. Finely grind 1 teaspoon sugar and 3 star anise in spice mill or small coffee grinder. Transfer to small bowl; whisk in flour, cocoa, coarse salt, and baking powder.
• Beat remaining 1/4 cup sugar, eggs, honey, and grapefruit peel in large bowl until thick and smooth. Fold in chocolate, then dry ingredients. Cover bowl; chill batter until cold and firm, at least 45 minutes and up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing mounds 2 inches apart.
• Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, until dry-looking and tester comes out with moist crumbs still attached, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheet 3 minutes, then transfer to racks and cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper.
• Star anise is a brown, star-shaped seedpod. It's available in the spice section of some supermarkets and at specialty

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE STAR CAKE

Steps:

• The cake and stars are best made a day ahead (the cake is easier to slice and fill, and the stars have time to set). Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter and base-line a deep loaf tin (22 x 11 x 6cm). Put the chocolate and butter for the cake in a saucepan. Mix the coffee with 50ml water, then pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat, just to melt - be careful not to overheat.
• While the chocolate melts, mix both flours with the bicarbonate of soda, both sugars and the cocoa. Break down any lumps in the sugar with your fingers. Beat the eggs, then stir in the soured cream. Pour this and the melted chocolate over the flour mixture, then stir everything together - the mix will be very soft. Pour it into the tin, then bake for about 1½ hrs, or until firm on top. Let the cake cool in the tin (it may crack if you turn it out too soon), then loosen the sides and carefully turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the stars, line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Melt both chocolates separately. Pour and spread the white chocolate thinly into a rectangle on the parchment. Drizzle the dark chocolate off the end of a teaspoon in bold squiggles over the top. Leave in a cool, dry place (not the fridge) until almost set but not hard, then lightly press down with a star cutter, about 5.5cm across, to make at least 6 star outlines. (Make a few extra in case of breakages and wipe the cutter each time you press a star shape.) When completely set, cut through the star outlines with a small sharp knife, then carefully lift them off onto baking parchment.
• For the white chocolate icing, heat the cream just to boiling. Remove from the heat, tip in the chocolate and swirl so it starts to melt, then pour in the boiling water and stir to melt completely. Pour into a small bowl and chill in the fridge for about 1 hr to cool and thicken slightly. Beat with an electric hand mixer until thick and glossy.
• When the cake is completely cold, place it into the fridge to chill (this makes it easier to slice). Take the cake out of the fridge and turn it over so the flat base becomes the top of the cake. Slice the cake horizontally into three. Sandwich back together with the white chocolate icing, not quite up to the edges. (This can be done a day ahead and chilled.)
• For the dark chocolate icing, heat the cream with the sugar just to boiling. Remove from the heat, tip in the chocolate, then stir in the boiling water. Leave to cool and thicken a little. Put the cake on a wire rack with parchment paper underneath (to catch any drips). Pour and spread the icing all over the cake. Leave to set slightly, then arrange the truffles down the centre and prop 5 or 6 of your best stars against them.

CHOCOLATE STAR ANISE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Bring cream to a boil with star anise in a small heavy saucepan, then remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes.
• Finely grind bittersweet chocolate in a food processor and transfer to a bowl.
• Return cream to a simmer, then remove from heat and stir in Cognac. Sour cream mixture through a fine sieve onto chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth. Pour ganache into an 8- by 4-inch loaf pan lined with plastic wrap, smoothing top, and chill, uncovered, until firm, about 4 hours.
• Loosen edges of ganache with a sharp small knife and invert onto a cutting surface. Remove plastic wrap and cut ganache into 40 squares.
• Dust your palms with cocoa and roll each piece of ganache between them to form a ball. Drop ball into cocoa bowl and turn to cover completely. Lift truffle with a fork and transfer to a plate. Chill truffles, covered, until ready to serve.