Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Jacques Torres's Dessert Circus at Home. To read more about Torres and his chocolate factory, click here.
This is a candy everyone likes. Truffles are quite simple to make, and the process will be more fun if you have a friend to help you. Time is the biggest element in this recipe. It will be easier if you have the tempered chocolate ready and all the desired toppings spread out on parchment paper-covered baking sheets. Be sure to use a good bittersweet chocolate.
Once I was giving a class on truffles. Most places have the big professional immersion blenders available for me to use. I started making the ganache, and while it was mixing I pulled the mixer up a little too far, which caused the chocolate to be sprayed everywhere by the blade. I quickly dropped the blade back into the chocolate and looked down at my clothes. I was in my white chef's coat, but when I saw my clean coat, I started to smile. I like to be clean when I'm working. Then I looked at the audience in the front row. They were all licking themselves! Be careful when working with chocolate!
If you decide to roll the truffles by hand, it is important to make sure your hands are cold. A good trick is to dip your hands in ice water for a few seconds and then dry them. Do this immediately before rolling the truffles. If your hands are too warm and the truffles begin to melt while you are rolling them, redip your hands in the ice water, dry them, and proceed.
