French Chocolate Truffles – An Easy Way To Bring Back Paris Memories

Parisians (along with most of the rest of us) adore dark chocolate so it's no wonder that French chocolate truffles capture the best of this wonderfully decadent ingredient. Many of our fave restaurants in Paris end the meal with a small offering of these chocolate delights. It's those little things about a meal that are long remembered.

Chez nous, we often offer our guests these chocolate truffles as a special treat at the end of a special meal, post-dessert. Heck, just add a checked tablecloth and your kitchen will feel like a Parisian bistro.

French Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Ingredients

• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 2 T Grand Marnier
• 9 oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 4 T butter
• sprinkle of Fleur de Sel
• Makes 2 dozen truffles

The Steps

In a small heavy-bottom pan, bring the cream to a boil and reduce to about 2 tablespoons. Remove from the heat and stir in the Grand Marnier and 6 ounces of the chocolate pieces, saving the remaining 3 ounces for tempering.

Return the pan to low heat until the chocolate melts, stirring continuously. Whisk in the butter. When the mixture is smooth, pour it into a shallow bowl and refrigerate until it's firm, about 1 hour.

Scoop out chocolate with a spoon or a small melon baller and shape each piece into a 1-inch balls. They shouldn't be too perfect! Place the truffles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and return to the refrigerator for another hour.

After they are cooled, the truffles are ready to be dipped into the tempered chocolate sauce.

How to Temper Chocolate

Tempering is a method of heating and cooling chocolate for coating or dipping. Once tempered the chocolate will have a glossy finish and won't instantly melt in your hands.

Grate or chop the remaining 3 ounces of chocolate. Place 2 ounces of the chocolate in the top pan of a double boiler. Melt it over hot, but not boiling, water, stirring constantly, until the chocolate reaches 115° F.

Remove the top pan with the melted chocolate from the heat and place it on a towel. Let it cool to 100° F, then add the remaining 1 ounce of grated chocolate to the pan, stirring until melted. The chocolate is now ready to be used for dipping.

Place each cooled truffle into the tempered chocolate. With a fork, quickly turn it over until the truffle is coated. Remove and place the French chocolate truffles back on the baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Chocolate Truffles Variation

When all the truffles have been dipped, garnish each one with a pinch of lemon zest, a few granules of Fleur de Sel, or a shelled pistachio.