It’s Hanukkah, but this is not fried food. Nor is this a Hanukkah post, so let’s just move on.
Truffles should not be made while your house is at a cool 52 degrees. No, truffles should be made in a temperature-controlled room set to some yet-to-be-determined number. When I figure it out, I’ll let you know.
You see, my house isreally cold. Like, so cold that in the winter my roommates and I hide in our rooms, all of which are adorned with space heaters. If we’re really bored, we may bundle up and watch Gossip Girl for an hour in the living room. Then we scamper back to bed.
This was not a problem when I lived with my parents. I’ve had to learn to adjust.
These truffles forced me to adjust.
Honestly, I should have just left the ganache on the counter overnight. When I took it out of the fridge, it was fine. When I left it on the counter for 20 minutes, it was not. I couldn’t roll it, so I had to use a knife to cut it into squares. Those squares were then placed in a glass dish.
That glass dish went on a heating pad. Yeah, I used to a heating pad to warm my ganache.
I then tried to roll the ganache, but it resisted. I persisted. It resisted even more. You have no idea how thankful I was to have bought plastic gloves for this task. My gloves were covered in wasted chocolate.
Apparently, body heat melts chocolate – but just the topmost layer.Sigh.
I eventually got my
truffles rolled, which allowed me to proceed to the final task —
dipping. My melted chocolate didn’t want to stay melted. No, it wanted
to become a fudgy mess. It was tasty,
sure, but there are only so many times you can put the same chocolate in
the microwave.
The house wasso lucky I didn’t
burn that chocolate. So lucky. I don’t know what I would have
done, but it wouldn’t have been pretty. I would have had to hire someone
to clean it up.
Needless to say, my panko chocolate
truffles were a big fat pain in the ass. They’re delicious, but damn. If
you plan to make them – which you should – make sure your house is
heated to above 52F.
Panko Chocolate Truffles
with Sea Salt
Makes ~45 Truffles
Ganache
16 oz. 60%-70% chocolate
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 stick butter
3/4 cup Panko
Coating
6 oz. chocolate
2 Tablespoons vegetable shortening
sea salt
Ingredient Notes: (1) High quality chocolate is key, but go ahead and use a mixture. I used half 60% and half 70% — Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Bars are a good option. (2) If you can temper chocolate, go ahead and do so when it’s time to coat the truffles. Shortening is for those of us who lack the skills. (3) Kosher salt works, too. (4) Gluten-free people should try rice cereal instead of Panko.
To Make Ganache Centers:
Heat cream in sauce pan until simmering. Add butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until smooth.
Let stand for 15 minutes and then fold in Panko. Then place in a lined dish and refrigerate for 2 hours or until the ganache has set into a moldable paste.
Use a melon baller or teaspoon to scoop up ganache and roll into 45 .5 oz. balls. If you have plastic gloves, use them! Then set in fridge while you make coating.
To Coat Truffles:
In the microwave, slowly melt chocolate and vegetable shortening. The mixture should be easy to drizzle. If too thick, add a little more shortening. If too thin, add more chocolate. You may need to readjust as you dip.
Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment, then dip the bottom of each ball in the coating. Set the balls coating-down on the parchment so that they form feet. Cool for 10 minutes or until set.
Remove truffles and place a wire rack over the parchment paper. Place truffles on the rack feet-down. Then using a ladle, spoon a thin layer of coating over each truffle, ensuring that all sides are covered. When hardened, drizzle with remaining chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt.
