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OK, here goes - for those not interested in truffle making, apologies as this is gonna take up some space.....
Maenad's Vegan Brandy Truffles
Ingredients:
1 carton soya cream (it only comes in one size, Granose or Provamil, same difference)
450g vegan chocolate (at least 70% cocoa, and preferably fair trade. Green and Blacks now 20% owned by Cadbury so I'd go for one like Cocoaid)
300g chocolate (for coating truffles)
120g vegan marg (avoid ones high in soya as they smell/taste funny, I use Biona organic)
6-8 teaspoons brandy (have tried various liquors but concensus amongst truffle-heads is that brandy works best, though Cointreau and Maya Gold is pretty darn effective)
stage one
OK - chocolate in double layer of plastic baggage, rolling pin/heavy object. Exorcise all festive fury on chocolate, reducing to shards. Heavy based pan (a la Le Creuset). Empty soya cream and all chocolate into pan, melt on medium/low heat 'till all chocolate runny, add marg, keep on heat 'till marg all melty too. Remove from heat, leave to cool to room temp. Add booze and stir in (if you can use a whippy blender device to get really smooooth consistency). Put ganache in fridge overnight/24 hours.
stage two
have bowl of hot soapy water handy for when phone rings, and some baking trays/large plates covered with grease proof paper. For this stage you'll need the other 300g of choc, bashed to bits, and ready for melting. Basically shape ganache into little balls, dip into melted chocolate, leave to set on grease proof paper.
Top Tips: if you can stand it, hold your hands under cold tap (then dry) before rolling truffles into balls (mixture melts slower that way), also, for every truffle you put in the runny chocolate, the chocolate looses a bit of its glossy smoothness, so melt in 100g batches and (groan) wash bowl between goes. Also, best way to melt choc is in a bowl over a pan of hot water (stops it getting too hot and crystalising). People with microwaves may have a few top melting tips of their own.
Put truffles in fridge, they'll be ready to pleasure you in an hour or so.....
And final tip, in bid not to 'waste' any leftover runny chocolate I keep some brazil nuts, dried fruit, whatever handy and make a big knobbly fruit and nut bar at the end....
Lastly, this recipe makes a lot of truffles, (from memory I'd say about 80-100 big ones), so you may want to cut quantites to save time and money....and if anyone wants any quality testing done....... |
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