Chocolate-Port Truffles

Name: Chocolate-Port Truffles
Yield: makes 25 to 30 truffles
Ingredients: 1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream; 8 ounces (225 g) plus 5 ounces (140 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped; 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces/45 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces; 3 tablespoons (45 ml) ruby or tawny port; 3/4 cup (75 g) unsweetened natural or Dutch-process cocoa powder

December 9, 2011

I thought I knew all about chocolate truffles until I enrolled in an advanced course in chocolate making at a school for professionals next to the Valrhona factory in France’s Rhône Valley. I spent three very intense days there learning how to combine three simple ingredients—chocolate, cream, and butter—into silky smooth ganache. In the class were eight of the top chocolatiers in the world, plus a ninth person, who quickly realized that he had a lot more to learn about chocolate than he thought he did. Ganache seems simple, but chef Philippe Givre taught us how to whip these three ingredients into a velvety paste that needed several days of rest before it was ready to be tasted. (It’s worth the wait!) It would take a whole book to explain his technique and a professionally equipped kitchen attached to a chocolate factory to try it out, so for this recipe, I’ve shortened the process a bit. Of course, to make these truffles, it’s worth seeking out the best chocolate you can find, which, if you’re lucky like I was, might be right next door.

Recipe notes

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