Sunday, June 13, 2010

Coco Balsamic Truffles With a Wink of Cherry


Friday night a few friends of mine were gathering to celebrate my good friend Tracy's birthday. Tracy had asked me to make something which I was happy to do since any excuse for me to bake is a good one. She picked the restaurant Trece in Dallas, so I thought the obvious dessert would be truffles - Truffles for Tracy's birthday at Trece, hah. Since we were going to a restaurant it can be tricky when someone brings dessert from outside, most places aren't so welcome to the idea and it can be a little awkward. I thought truffles were a good option since they are small and can be easily passed around the table in a box, also it is more polite to the restaurant since you aren't leaving a big mess for them to clean up and you don't need to ask for any extra plates or silverware. I made the White Chocolate Lemon Truffles along with a new recipe for Coco Balsamic Truffles with a Wink of Cherry, this way I had a dark chocolate truffle and a white chocolate truffle. They were a big hit, and everyone loved the packaging. I hope you guys like it. The original recipe was one I found from Design Sponge by Kristine Sitko, however I did adapt it a bit... I am sure her recipe as she has it is amazing as well.


Ingredients:

  • 1 13oz bag of dark chocolate chips (the best you can find)
  • 1/4 cup of heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup of Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/2 cup of sifted powdered sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons of dried cherries
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder for dusting
Directions:
  1. Put the balsamic and cherries into a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 min. Remove cherries and set balsamic aside to cool.
  2. Melt chocolate and cream in a double boiler or a heat proof glass bowl over a pot filled with water, making sure the water is hot, not boiling. Place melted chocolate in a small bowl and add the cooled balsamic (you should have about 2 1/2 tablespoons of this to add, you can add a little more depending on your preference) add in the sifted powdered sugar - mix well. Cool in the fridge for about 1 hour. let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, until firm but moldable.
  3. Roll mixture into one inch balls and place on a parchment lined tray. Pour cocoa powder into a shallow dish and rolls balls to cover. Server immediately or store in an airtight container up to one week.

Balsamic and cherries simmering in a small pot together

Adding the powdered sugar

all done, ready for the fridge

I got a round box and a square box from Michaels Craft store along with mini treat liners to hold each truffle individually... easy and affordable.

I wrote the flavors of the two different types of truffles on normal paper tags and attached them using my wax "K" stamp that I have had for years.

I had a big stack of cake liners which worked perfectly to separate the layers of truffles. I was able to do 2 layers but depending on the size of your box you might be able to fit 3. If you don't have cake liners, just cut some parchment paper and place a sheet in between each layers so they don't collapse on each other.

I used normal hemp that you can find anywhere for the wrapping, that way it stayed rustic and chic without a whole bunch of fuss. Or you can separate the flavors into brown paper bags that I also found at the craft store and sealed them with colored masking tape, very cute.

4 comments:

  1. i mean...this might be my favorite post yet. pictures are amazing. love the grass! I've posted you to FB...hope you get a traffic lift!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Ashley! I have to shoot in the grass since the light is so terrible in my little house... thanks for supporting me on facebook!

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  3. Did you realize that the powdered sugar is omitted from the written instructions? Based on the pictures, it appears you add the powdered sugar, along with the vinegar, after the melted chocolate and cream mixture is removed from the stove.

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  4. I am so sorry! The post has been updated and is now clear. Thank you and happy baking!

    ReplyDelete

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