TRADITIONAL CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES 1

Prep Time: 2 Hours
Yields: 32-36 Truffles

Comment:
Chocolate truffles are traditionally made with ganache shaped into rough spheres by hand and covered in cocoa powder.  The powdery coating and imperfect shaping of the confections make them appear similar to dirt-covered truffles – the famed culinary fungi.  Chocolate truffles are easy to prepare at home and make irresistible desserts. 

Ingredients:
1 pound dark chocolate, chopped fine
1 cup heavy whipping cream
cocoa powder (for coating)

Method:
Pour the chocolate pieces into a medium heat-resistant bowl.  In a small saucepan, bring the cup of heavy whipping cream just to a boil.  Pour the scalded heavy cream onto the chocolate and allow it to sit for five minutes.  Stir the melted chocolate with the cream.  Once this mixture cools, it will form a hard ganache that can be molded into shapes.  The melted ganache should be smooth in texture without lumps.  If not all the chocolate has melted, you can heat the ganache gently over a hot pot of water.  Stir until the chocolate melts and the ganache is smooth.  Let this mixture chill for about an hour in the refrigerator to harden.  Using a melon baller or small ice cream scoop, scoop out balls of hard ganache and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  It may be necessary to re-chill the ganache during this process as warmer ganache has a tendency to stick to the scooping device.  After forming all of the balls, chill the pan in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to allow the ganache to set.  Place cocoa powder in a small bowl.  Use a pair of spoons to pick up and roll each ganache ball in the cocoa powder until fully covered.