Champagne Truffle Squares Recipes

CHAMPAGNE WHITE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Place the chopped white chocolate in a medium heat-safe bowl.
• Pour 1/2 cup of champagne into a small saucepan, and gently heat it over medium heat until it simmers. Let it simmer until it is reduced by half (so you end up with 1/4 cup), about 10 minutes. One you have 1/4 cup of concentrated champagne, remove it from the heat and pour it into a bowl.
• Pour the heavy cream into the same small saucepan and heat it over medium just until it starts to simmer. Once simmering, immediately pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate.
• Let the cream soften the chocolate for one minute, then whisk everything together until the chocolate is melted. The mixture will be very thick.
• Pour the reduced champagne into the white chocolate mixture and whisk until it is incorporated. Add the butter and salt, and whisk until smooth. Press a piece of plastic wrap on top of the white chocolate, and refrigerate until it is firm enough to scoop, about 1 hour.
• Once firm, use a candy scoop or a teaspoon to form small 1-inch balls. Dust your hands with powdered sugar, and roll the balls between your hands to get them perfectly round. Refrigerate the truffles until firm.
• Melt the white chocolate candy coating. Once completely melted and smooth, use a fork or dipping tools to dip each truffle in the white chocolate coating, and replace it on a parchment-covered baking sheet.
• Refrigerate the tray to set the white candy coating, for about 15 minutes.
• If you would like to decorate your truffles with edible gold leaf, anchor the gold leaf down with a small brush, and use a sharp knife to tear a small piece of gold leaf from the larger sheet. Transfer the piece of gold leaf on the tip of the knife to the truffle, and use the brush to gently brush/press it on the outer surface. Repeat with a few more small pieces of gold leaf until the truffle is decorated, then repeat with the rest of the candies.
• Store Champagne Truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. For the best taste and texture, let them sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.

CHAMPAGNE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Using a ladle, fill 2 cork molds with chocolate. When they are full, empty the excess back into the bowl of chocolate. The inside of the molds should be evenly coated with chocolate. Wipe the lip of the molds clean and place them upside down on a wire rack over a baking sheet to drain. Once the chocolate starts to harden, about 5 minutes, use a wide pastry scraper to clean the edges of each cavity clean. This is important because when the chocolate sets, it shrinks or retracts from the sides of the mold. A clean edge will keep it from sticking and cracking as it shrinks. You can place the mold in the refrigerator for several minutes to help the chocolate to harden.
• Place the champagne and cream into a small saucepan and heat the mixture to a boil. Pour the hot champagne mixture over the chopped chocolate and corn syrup and blend until smooth with an immersion hand blender. Add the marc du champagne and the butter and blend until smooth with an immersion hand blender. Allow the mixture to cool until it has a thick consistency (thick enough to pipe). Place the mixture in a piping bag and pipe it into the chocolate filled molds. Let set overnight. Close the bottom of one mold by apply chocolate with an offset spatula. Scrape clean then press the two molds together evenly. Allow to set. When the chocolate has set, remove the whole "corks" from the molds.
• How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres):
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.

CHAMPAGNE TRUFFLE SQUARES

Steps:

• Line a 23x12cm (9x5in) dish or tin with clingfilm and set aside. Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl.
• Heat the cream in a pan until gently bubbling, then pour half over the chocolate, leave for 1 minute to melt a little, then mix with an electric whisk. Add the remaining cream and continue mixing until smooth and glossy. (Adding the cream in two parts prevents the mixture from splitting; if it does separate, whisk in a splash of cold cream to bring it back together). Stir in the fizz and vanilla.
• Pour the truffle mixture into the prepared tin. Smooth the top, then chill for at least 4 hours (or overnight) to set.
• Using a hot knife (dip in hot water then dry with kitchen towel), cut the truffles into bite-sized sqares. Chill until ready to eat. If you like, dust with cocoa powder, to prevent them from sticking, before arranging in mini cupcake cases.