Grand Marnier Chocolate Truffles With Pistachios Recipes

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.

GRAND MARNIER CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES WITH PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Chop the chocolate and put in a heatproof bowl. Bring the heavy cream, butter and salt to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat; pour over the chocolate and let sit until completely melted, about 10 minutes. Stir with a rubber spatula or whisk until smooth. (If necessary, microwave in 20-second intervals until the chocolate melts.)
• Whisk in the vanilla extract and the Grand Marnier. Stir until the ganache is smooth and shiny. Pour into a shallow baking dish and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Roll tablespoonfuls of the ganache into 18 to 24 balls, then roll in chopped pistachios. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight. (To make these in advance, roll into balls but do not coat; cover and freeze up to 2 weeks. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before uncovering, then roll in coating.)

GRAND MARNIER 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.

GRAND MARNIER TRUFFLES

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, chop chocolate into pea-sized chunks, and remove to a medium-sized metal bowl.
• In a small saucepan, combine cream, orange zest, and orange liquor and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat immediately. Pour cream mixture over chocolate, stir to combine. Add butter and salt. Stir until mixture is smooth and a ganache forms. Pour into a nonstick cake pan, an 8-inch round or a 12-by-6 inch rectangular pan, and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to three, until the ganache hardens.
• When the ganache is ready, use two spoons to begin to shape the ganache into balls. You do this so the truffles will be easier to roll into balls later. The size of the truffles is up to you. Mine are about a third of an ounce each. Place each measured-out truffle on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
• Refrigerate truffles for five to ten minutes, enough time to allow them to firm up again. Meanwhile, fill a large ziplock bag with ice. It's good to have ice nearby while you roll the truffles, to keep your hands cool and the truffles from melting. With the palms of your (iced) hands, roll each truffle into a smooth ball.
• You'll make a mess, but trust me: this is just about the tidiest method I've found, and I've tried it all. Remember: spoon, refrigerate, ice, roll. Pour about 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder into a bowl, and roll each truffle in it. This will smooth over any rough edges. You can stop here. They're done.
• Or you can get fancy. You can dip the truffles in more chocolate and top them with candied orange peels. Labor intensive, but never a bad idea. Here's what you do: In a double boiler, heat another 12 oz dark chocolate, stirring frequently, until just melted. Remove from heat. Add another 2 oz chopped dark chocolate, and stir until the fresh chips melt and the chocolate begins to cool and thicken.
• This is called tempering the chocolate. It produces a chocolate that will harden to be snappy and shiny, like all really good chocolate is at room temperature.
• If you're using a candy thermometer, once the chocolate reaches 88 degrees, it's ready.
• With a fork, lower the rolled truffles into the melted chocolate. Lift them out quickly, and allow some of the excess chocolate to drain off the truffle before removing to a baking sheet lined with wax paper.
• Sprinkle the dipped truffles with minced candied orange peels, or place a slivered orange peel on top. Your choice! Once the chocolate hardens, you can melt the rough edges down on a warm pan or plate.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Heat the heavy cream in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan. Make sure that you have chopped the chocolate as finely as possible to allow it to melt quickly and easily. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-size mixing bowl. Make a ganache by pouring about half of the hot cream over the chocolate and letting it sit for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Then slowly whisk until smooth and homogenous. Do not add all of the hot cream to the cold chocolate at once; the shock of the temperature extremes would cause the fat in the chocolate to separate. As the chocolate melts, you will see some elasticity if there is no fat separation. This means the chocolate still has an emulsion; the fat molecules are still holding together. If the ganache separates, it loses its elasticity, collapses, and becomes very liquid. I use a hand-held immersion blender to ensure a smooth ganache and to keep the emulsion of the chocolate. Add the remaining cream gradually and mix until all of the hot cream is incorporated and the ganache is smooth and homogenous.
• If the ganache separates, it is very easy to fix. Simply add a small amount of cold cream and whisk well. This will bring the ganache back together. The ganache should be thick, shiny, and smooth. Add the desired flavoring and mix until fully incorporated. Pour the ganache onto a plastic wrap-covered baking sheet and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and allow it to cool for at least 4 hours at room temperature. I usually make the ganache at the end of the day and let it cool overnight. As it cools, it will thicken and set.
• When the ganache has cooled to the consistency of toothpaste, scrape it into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Do not stir the ganache when you do this. Incorporating air by stirring will cause the ganache to harden. Pipe 1-inch-diameter mounds spaced 1 inch apart on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. To pipe the mounds, hold the pastry bag at a slight angle and allow the tip to touch the parchment as you begin to pipe. Once you have formed the mound, stop squeezing and lift the tip straight up, leaving a small tail on the top of each mound. You can also use a spoon and drop small mounds of ganache onto the baking sheet. Let the truffles harden at room temperature for a couple of hours (or in the refrigerator for 15 minutes), until they are hard enough to roll with your hands.
• When I roll the truffles, I usually wear surgical gloves. The gloves are not mandatory but if you do not use them, be sure your hands are very clean. To roll the mound into a ball, place a truffle between both palms, squeeze slightly, and roll between your hands. The truffles will look nicer if they are as round as possible. When all the truffles are rolled into balls, they are ready to be coated. If they have become too soft, place them in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours until they are firm enough to dip.
• You can use either a dipping fork or your hands to dip the truffles in chocolate. To use the fork, drop the truffle into the bowl of tempered chocolate and then retrieve it with the dipping fork. Hold the fork over the bowl for several seconds to allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Gently scrape the bottom of the fork against the side of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate and roll the dipped truffle in the desired garnish. Place on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. If you use your hands, dab some chocolate in the palm of one hand. Roll the truffle in that palm to completely coat it with chocolate. Place the enrobed truffle on the baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining truffles. This method is very quick but it can also be extremely messy.
• When all of the truffles have been coated once, repeat the enrobing procedure. This is necessary only when you enrobe the truffles by hand rather than with a fork. The truffles are usually more evenly coated when dipped with a fork. As soon as each truffle gets a second coating, immediately roll it in the desired garnish. You need to do this before the chocolate sets or the topping will not adhere. At this stage, it is good to have a friend help because it is hard to dip and roll at the same time. Place the truffles on a clean parchment paper-covered baking sheet and allow them to set, about 5 minutes.
• The truffles will keep for up to 2 weeks at room temperature, when stored in an airtight container.
• To toast coconut: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir to keep the sugar in the coconut from burning. Return to the oven and toast until golden brown, about 3 more minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
• To toast nuts: Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C). Spread the nuts evenly on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Toast for about 30 minutes, until they are golden brown. You will be able to smell the nuts when they are ready. A good test is to break a nut in half and check to see if it is light brown on the inside. Toasting nuts brings out their natural flavor. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack.

GRAND MARNIER TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Very finely chop 12 ounces semisweetchocolate, and sift to remove powderyresidue; set aside in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream, butter, and corn syrup to a full boil overmedium heat. Turn off heat. Add 1 poundchocolate; gently swirl pan to coverchocolate with cream, but do not stir. Let stand, undisturbed, 5 minutes. Stir Grand Marnier into theganache.
• Slowly whisk until combined. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; refrigerate,stirring every 15 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, mixture will thickenquickly, so stir every 3 to 5 minutes untilthick enough to scoop, 10 to 20 minutesmore. Using two spoons or a small ice-cream scoop, form into 1-inch balls; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Chill until firm, but not hard, about 10minutes. Remove from refrigerator; rollin palms to form a ball, and press gentlywith fingers to create irregular shapes.Chill until ready to dip, up to 1 week.Place remaining 12 ounces chocolate ina heatproof bowl over a pan of simmeringwater; stir occasionally until chocolatemelts. Remove from heat; cool slightly.
• Removecenters from refrigerator. Using onehand, dip one center into melted chocolate, then roll around in your hand tocoat evenly, letting excess drip back intopan. Place truffle in bowl of reserved choppedchocolate. With yourclean hand, cover truffle with chocolate. Letsit in bowl 20 seconds.
• Lift out, and set on a parchment-linedbaking sheet. Repeat with remainingtruffles. If your kitchen is warm, refrigerate 5 minutes to set. You can storetruffles in airtight containers up to 1week at a cool room temperature.