Chocolate Truffles | Easy dessert recipes | Healthy dinner ideas
By [http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Amy_Katherine/554814]Amy Katherine
Many people ask what chocolate truffles made from and while the obvious answer is chocolate, things get a little more complicated than that. The ingredients that go in to chocolate truffles are more than only ‘chocolate’ and include a laundry list of items depending on the variety of truffle you would like to make.
The tasty confection known as the chocolate truffle first appeared in Chambery, France in 1895 when they were created by Dufour. Truffles soon traveled to London in 1902 as the Dufour family set up a chocolate shop in the area distributing the sweet treats. As the sweet and succulent treat began to travel worldwide there became three variations of truffles. The European, American and Swiss truffle.
Every variety of truffle is slightly different from the other. The European chocolate truffle implements syrup and a base of milk powder, cocoa powder, and fats, which end in an oil-in-water emulsion. The American chocolate truffle is a mix of dark or milk chocolate with butterfat and on occasion hardened coconut oil. The Swiss chocolate truffle is created by pouring melted chocolate into a boiled mixture of cream and butter. When Swiss truffles are hardened they are sprinkled with cocoa powder instead of being covered with a hard shell of chocolate. Due to the use of fresh dairy ingredients Swiss truffles have a shorter shelf life as opposed to American and European truffle varieties.
The commonly used recipe for the chocolate truffle focuses on a round chocolate shell containing a custom made chocolate ganache. Occasionally the chocolate shell is replaced with cocoa powder (as in Swiss truffles) and with each variety of truffle the chocolate ganache can be replaced with an equally delicious but widely varied candy filling. In the basic chocolate truffle, the ganache within the center is a combination of chocolate and cream. The amounts of chocolate and cream and the quality of these ingredients vary by each truffle manufacturer and the variation of truffle.
Well, how is the ganache made? Ganache is created by warming heavy cream and pouring it over dark chocolate pieces at a ratio of 2:1 – two parts cream and one part dark chocolate. As the chocolate melts under the hot cream the mixture is stirred to combine ingredients and create the ganache which fills each truffle. Ganache is used for chocolate truffles as well as being frequently used to ice cakes and combine in other desert dishes.
Truffles are such a varying confection that they can be made with many dietary restrictions in mind including vegan diets, organic diets, and diabetic diets. The versatility of truffles does not just focus on dietary needs either, as personal tastes vary truffles can be made with a variety of luscious fillings including mint, hazelnut, lemon and many more!
Amy Katherine is a chocolate connoisseur who is always in search of new ways to redefine life as a chocoholic. Amy spends most of her time reviewing and recommending chocolate over at her blog: En Chocolat [http://www.enchocolat.com].
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?All-About-Chocolate-Truffles&id=3822580] Chocolate Truffles | Easy dessert recipes | Healthy dinner ideas
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