Praline Truffles
Submitted by BrandonAdams
French-style praline truffles made with dark chocolate, egg yolks, butter, and hazelnut praline paste, rolled in grated chocolate. A classic Parisian chocolatier technique for silky, nut-scented truffles.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
2 hrsOld-school French chocolate truffle technique, closer to pastry chef work than modern ganache rolling. The chocolate melts slowly in water (counterintuitive but correct), then egg yolks go in and cook gently right in the chocolate, essentially poaching them into the base for richness and a glossy, silky set.
Praline paste is the flavor star: caramelized hazelnuts ground to a smooth paste that adds nutty, toasty depth to the dark chocolate. Once off the heat, butter whisks in for gloss and a creamy mouthfeel, and the mixture cools slowly.
The cooling is the patience test. It takes longer than it seems, and rushing (refrigerator, ice bath) grains the chocolate. Room temperature cooling with periodic stirring gives the smoothest, most workable consistency. Roll spoonfuls in grated chocolate for that rough, real-truffle look named after the fungus.
Pro Tips
- Use a good-quality 60 to 70 percent dark chocolate, the flavor carries the whole truffle.
- Whisk continuously when cooking the yolks in the chocolate, or they scramble into curds.
- Grate the coating chocolate with a Microplane or box grater for that classic irregular look.
- Work with slightly damp, cold hands when rolling to keep the truffles from melting.
Variations
- Swap praline paste for ¼ cup toasted ground hazelnuts and 2 tablespoons honey.
- Add 1 tablespoon of cognac, rum, or Grand Marnier to the cooling mixture for a boozy lift.
- Roll in cocoa powder, chopped nuts, or coconut flakes instead of grated chocolate.
Ingredients
Directions
Slowly melt the chocolate in the water, bring to a gentle boil, remove from the fire, and add the yolks, beating with a spatula, then replace on a low fire to poach the eggs in the chocolate.
Do not stop beating.
Remove from the fire and add the butter and the praline paste.
Let cool, beating from time to time (this cooling takes a rather long time).
When the mixture begins to solidify, take some with a spoon, place it in some grated chocolate (prepared in advance), and shape to resemble real truffles.
These truffles keep a week.
To keep a longer time, substitute vegetable shortening for the butter.
Comments
Eh? Chocolate truffles are made with chocolate, cream and butter. You can't mix chocolate with water, it will seize and form a disturbing grainy texture. You don't need eggs either. Just heat cream with a small amount of butter, pour boiling mixture over