I ♥ sweets - rum flavoured chocolate truffles

Even if is it now a bit late in the year, I could not resist sharing this recipe which I love and have been making for a very long time... Chocolate truffles are a traditional Christmas sweet in France, and even if store-bought versions can sometimes be surprisingly good (especially if you hit the likes of Maison du Chocolat), I have always liked to make my own, if only just to smell this wonderful aroma of warm melted chocolate that fills the house every time... and lick the bowl, obviously ;-)

Rum flavoured chocolate truffles

Truffles are a lot easier to make than one would think and do not require any particular cooking or pastry skills - just be careful with the temperature of the chocolate (which can be easily checked by dipping your pinkie into it - and licking it clean ... but no double-dipping!!).

 

Rum flavoured chocolate truffles

200gr chocolate (Valrhona 68% or Nestlé Dessert 55%)

100gr unsalted butter, at room temperature

60gr confectioner’s sugar, sifted

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp crème fraîche

1 tbsp extra old dark rum

Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

·       Chop the chocolate in small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Add the rum.

·       In a saucepan, melt the butter with the crème fraîche on very low heat; add to the chocolate.

·       In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, then carefully place the bowl with the chocolate and butter on top of the boiling water until it melts (this is called a “bain-marie” in French cuisine). Remove the bowl from the bain-marie as soon as the chocolate mixture is sufficiently melted (at this stage, you should still see quite a few chunks of chocolate in the bowl, they will melt as you keep stirring – the key point here is not to over-melt the chocolate) and keep stirring until it is about lukewarm, then add the sugar and egg yolk. Stir well and clean the edges of the bowl with a silicon spatula.

·       Leave to cool completely in the fridge for about 2 hours. Using 2 teaspoons, form small balls of the chocolate mixture and roll in cocoa. Place in paper cups.

·       The truffles will keep in the fridge for a maximum of 3 to 4 days and can also be frozen for up to a couple of months.

I normally use a specialty rum from the French Antilles for this recipe (“Rhum Negrita”) which is also great to make waffles and pancakes. If you cannot find it, any aged rum will do; cognac, whisky, armagnac or calvados can also be substituted.

Rhum Negrita - a big thank you to P. for bringing me this bottle all the way back from my home swamp :-)