Recipes: Canebrake chef shares truffle secrets
BY JASON ASHLEY WRIGHT World Scene Writer
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
2/13/13 at 7:45 AM
It was a play date for chocoholics.
Sarah Leavell, the sous/pastry chef at The Canebrake, 33241 E. 732nd Road in Wagoner, led the "Chocolate Confections Class" this weekend at the resort.
Leavell guided her guests through cakes, icings, even a recipe for a jam made with chocolate and pears.
But, being so close to Valentine's Day, we were most interested in the chocolate truffles, which would make a great homemade gift for the platonic or romantic valentines in your life.
Chocolate truffles get their name from the famous rare fungus because the rustic look of the truffles resembles the fungi's appearance, Leavell explained.
She encourages being creative and experimenting with different types of fillings, varieties of chocolate and coatings.
CLASSIC CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
Makes 40
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 pound dark chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons soft butter
Dark chocolate, melted and tempered (for coating)
1. Bring cream and corn syrup to a boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow to sit, without stirring, for 2 minutes.
2. Gently stir the mixture using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until fully blended and smooth. If necessary, heat over a hot water bath to melt all of the chocolate. Add the butter and stir until melted and smooth.
3. Allow the ganache to set until it reaches room temperature, stirring occasionally until the ganache reaches a piping consistency.
4. Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a large round tip, with ganache. Pipe the truffles onto a paper-lined pan, then place pan in fridge to allow truffles to set. Remove truffles from fridge when they have hardened enough to work with.
5. Roll each truffle by hand until it is perfectly round. Depending on how warm your kitchen is, you may have to place the truffles back in the fridge to allow them to set up again. When rounded truffles are set, coat them in melted chocolate.
Following are some variations on the above recipe.
Just add any of the following into one entire recipe of the finished ganache for flavored truffles.
CARAMEL SEA SALT
1 cup butterscotch caramel sauce
1 tablespoon sea salt crystals
1. Add to finished ganache and roll as instructed in the main recipe.
2. Coat in plain tempered dark chocolate.
DRIED CHERRY BOURBON
3/4 cup dried cherries
3/4 cup bourbon (Leavell uses Maker's Mark)
Cocoa powder and powdered sugar, for rolling
1. Place cherries and bourbon in a sauce pan, and simmer until cherries are soft.
2. Place soft cherries into a food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. Add the cherries to finished ganache and roll as instructed in the main recipe.
3. Mix together even parts of cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Coat truffles in plain, tempered dark chocolate, then drop wet chocolate-coated truffles into the cocoa and sugar mixture and roll to coat evenly.
OKLAHOMA PECAN ORANGE
1 cup finely ground Oklahoma pecans
Zest from one orange
Finely ground Oklahoma pecans, for rolling
1. Add pecans and zest to finished ganache, and roll as instructed in the main recipe.
2. Coat truffles in plain, tempered dark chocolate, then drop wet chocolate-coated truffles into the ground pecans and roll to coat evenly.
And here's the recipe for that yummy jam we mentioned earlier. It's great on English muffins and biscuits, or as a quick filling for mini-tart shells.
CHOCOLATE PEAR JAM
Makes 1 quart
1 1/4 pounds ripe pear, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 lemon, juiced
1 vanilla bean, split open
4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1. Place the chopped pears in large saucepan; add sugar, lemon juice and vanilla bean. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring gently.
2. Boil rapidly until jam is set. To test if the jam is set, remove the pan from the heat and place a teaspoon of jam on a chilled saucer for two minutes. A skin will form on the surface of the jam if it is set.
3. Add the chocolate, and bring the mixture back to a boil until chocolate is melted.
4. Remove from heat. Place jam in heat-proof container, and allow it to completely cool in the refrigerator. Store jam in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Original Print Headline: Canebrake chef shares truffle secrets
Jason Ashley Wright 918-581-8483
jason.wright@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Chocolate truffles are the perfect treat for Valentine's Day. COURTESY / Canebrake
|
