Best Harold Mcgees Chocolate Cheese Truffles Recipes

CHOCOLATE-COVERED STRAWBERRY TRUFFLES

Steps:

• For the chocolate coating: Heat the dark chocolate and butter in a double boiler until completely melted and smooth. Pour into a small ramekin.
• Press a skewer or toothpick into the top end of each strawberry. Dip one strawberry into the chocolate, swirling it around until coated. Gently shake off the excess. Place the skewer on the edge of a table and weigh down the end of the skewer with a heavy object. Allow the excess chocolate to drip off onto the floor (place some parchment paper on the floor to catch the drips!). Repeat with the remaining strawberries. They should take about 15 minutes to set at room temperature. If it is a hot day, set up a little drip station in the fridge and allow them to cool in there!
• For the decorations: Once the chocolate has set, put the strawberries on a wire cooling rack. Melt the milk chocolate and white chocolate in separate bowls in the microwave until smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate to 2 separate piping bags and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
• Drizzle the melted chocolate over the strawberries to decorate. Spray a few with the gold luster dust spray to coat, if using. Place the strawberries in the fridge until the coating has set (about 5 minutes), then serve.

CHOCOLATE GOAT CHEESE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• In the top of a double boiler, or in a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water (make sure the water does not touch the bowl), melt the chocolate, stirring until it is smooth. Set the melted chocolate aside to cool for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• In a bowl whisk together the goat cheese, sugar, and vanilla until it is light and fluffy. Whisk in the melted chocolate until it is well combined. Chill, covered, until it is firm, at least 1 hour.
• To form the truffles, take a heaping teaspoon of the chocolate/cheese mixture and lightly roll it into a ball with your hands. Roll the finished truffles in the sifted cocoa powder, set them onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper, and chill until they are firm, about 30 minutes. The truffles can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Add chocolate chips to a heat-proof mixing bowl; add ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, salt, and cayenne. Heat cream over medium heat until it just starts to simmer. Immediately remove from heat and pour hot cream over chocolate. Shake bowl slightly to fully cover the chocolate; let sit for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk until well combined and a thick, glossy ganache forms.
• Cover ganache with plastic wrap and let cool to room temperature or until firm enough to scoop, about 15 minutes. Form about 2 teaspoons of the ganache into balls using a small sorbet scoop, or roll by hand. Place balls onto a baking sheet lined with silicone or parchment paper. Refrigerate until cold and firm, about 15 minutes, then re-roll as needed to smoothen.
• Place a heat-proof bowl over a pot of hot water on the lowest heat settling. Add most of the chocolate chips, reserving about 1/3 cup, to the bowl and let melt, about 5 minutes. In the meantime, break gingersnap in half and place on a plate next to a microplane. Stir the reserved chocolate chips into the melted chocolate until they disappear. Remove from heat.
• Dip truffles into the melted chocolate by hand or by holding each truffle with a fork and spooning the chocolate on top. Place truffles on the baking sheet and swirl the tops with your finger. Grate the gingersnap on top. Let truffles rest on the baking sheet until the coating dries and hardens completely, trimming away excess chocolate from the bases using the back of a knife if desired.

CHOCOLATE COCONUT TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Melt 1 pound of chocolate, slowly stirring, in a double boiler. Warm the cream in a large saucepan but do not scorch. Remove the chocolate from the heat, cool slightly, then combine with the heavy cream. Stir the butter into the chocolate cream mixture and refrigerate until firm but still pliable, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chocolate to a pastry bag fitted with a large straight tip and pipe into teaspoonsize mounds onto a waxed paper covered cookie sheet, or use a spoon to dole out teaspoonsize mounds. Refrigerate the entire pan until the chocolate is hard to the touch.
• When the chocolate is sufficiently firm (this can be done a day or 2 ahead) remove the chocolate from the refrigerator and, working quickly to prevent melting, roll the chocolate mounds into balls, then chill the balls again until firm.
• In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the coconut briefly to make it a little finer so that it will adhere better to the truffles. When firm, roll each truffle in the coconut, pressing firmly to make sure the coconut sticks. At this point you can refrigerate the truffles for as much as a day, until you are ready to dip them.
• Melt the remaining chocolate in the double boiler. Remove the double boiler from the heat and using a wire dipping spoon, or a regular teaspoon and your hands in latex gloves, dip each coconut covered truffle briefly into the melted chocolate. Place on a cake rack set over a cookie sheet until dry, and refrigerate until firm. You may scrape up any chocolate that has dripped on the cookie sheet and return it to the dipping pot for more dipping. The truffles will keep for several weeks if refrigerated in a covered container.