How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Truffles

It is my older sister's birthday today! Gëzuar Ditëlindjen, Jola! Happy Birthday! Love you.

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Last night at dusk I spotted the first few fireflies I have seen in a while. Two or three, or maybe it was a lonely, speedy one who tricked me into believing there were more than one. Who knows?

I called Bryan and Jack, who were wrestling and throwing each other on the big bed, making a mess, no doubt.

“Bryan, Jack, come see the fireflies.”
“What?” Bryan replies, voice breaking from a wee toddler jumping on him.
“Fireflies…come see.”

I hear rushed steps and Bryan walks into the kitchen really concerned. He thought I had said that there was some fire. Jack had though the same, so he rushes in the room, green light saber in hand, ready to get the fire. He is always thinking that he is about to save somebody or perform an amazing feat. Where does that come from?

Anyway, I had chocolate on my mind. Chocolate occupies my thoughts often and I am able to satiate the craving by eating a dark chocolate square (or three ;)). Jack also loves dark chocolate and it happens often that the two of us take an afternoon chocolate break. We sit at his little Nemo table and munch. It is a good time.



For the past two years I have made chocolate treats for Valentine’s Day. If you don’t know, for the past two years I have also been in grad school, so truffle-making should have been out of the question. It wasn’t.

What started it all was this little idea I had after watching Amadeus, where, in a particular scene, the villain offers another woman character some treats called Nipples of Venus. I mulled over them, I deliberated, and I decided to forget about my ten page paper that was soon to be due, and instead I made Nipples of Venus, well, my version of them.

I spent all evening and into the night, making ganache, piping, dipping, etc. The next day I had so many Nipples of Venus that I had to take them with me at school. It just so happened that that semester I was taking a course called Dangerous Texts (taught by my friend Camilla’s husband), where some of the texts that we read were subversive to say the least. I think we were on Fanny Hill when said Nipples were brought to class.

I did not anticipate all the jokes, but it was all good fun.

The next year I made truffles. No piping and dipping, just plain truffles with a few added flavors. They were divine, if I may say so myself. Perhaps just as good as the Nipples of Venus (recipe coming soon). They were not met with the chuckles and laughter of their predecessors, but with “mmm… and...ahhhh –s!”

So here they are, beautiful, rich, and satisfying. Eat them alone in your back yard or neighborhood park and keep your eye out for fireflies. They will make the moment even more magical.

Orange and Hazelnut Dark Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:
-2 cups of good 60% cocoa, baking chocolate chips
-1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
-6 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced thinly
-1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
-zest of 1 medium orange

Coating ingredients:

-1/3 cup natural cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
-3/4 cup, petite chopped roasted hazelnuts

-Pour cream in a medium saucepan and slowly bring to simmer.
-Add sugar and butter and stir until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted.
-Add the orange zest.
-Add chocolate chips and melt on medium low heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Melt until you have a smooth and shiny sauce (ganache).
-Pour the ganache in a bowl and chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours.

-Pour the cocoa powder and hazelnuts on separate shallow plates.
-When fully chilled, roll the ganache into 1 inch balls (scoop with a teaspoon), and roll the balls into the cocoa powder first and fully coat, and then roll them in the hazelnut plate, gently pressing the balls onto the hazelnut pieces.
-You need to work fast to prevent melting.
-Keep the truffles chilled.

Makes about 30 truffles.

Enjoy!
-E.