Baking with Less Sugar (11 page)

Truffles are simply tiny balls of ganache—that magic recipe of heavy cream and chocolate mixed together until smooth—that are coated in pure chocolate and then either pressed with a design (if you are a fancy chocolatier) or rolled in cocoa powder (the original way and much easier). Truffles actually get their name from their resemblance to the fungus truffle, which looks like a little piece of mud rolled around in dirt. You can finish these in two ways: The easiest is to simply roll them in cocoa powder and then they are done. Or you can dip them in chocolate before rolling in cocoa to give them a little bit more of a finished look and taste. I don't have you temper the chocolate if you go this route (tempering the chocolate makes it harden into a thin, snappy coating, but can be tricky to do), but you will still end up with a wonderful treat. If you are making truffles that aren't coated with chocolate, this recipe has about 88 grams (just under
¹
/
₂
cup) of sugar in total or around 4 grams per truffle. Coating each truffle in chocolate adds an additional 2 grams of sugar per truffle.

MAKES
20
TO
24
TRUFFLES

TRUFFLE FILLING

• 225 g/8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  
• 240 g/1 cup heavy cream
  
• 1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
  
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
• ¹
  /
  ₄
  tsp kosher salt
  

FINISHING THE TRUFFLES

• About 140 g/5 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (optional)
  
• About 120 g/1 cup cocoa powder
  

1. To make the filling:
Put the chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside. Heat the cream and orange zest in a small saucepan over medium heat until the cream is scalded—that is, there are small bubbles on the surface of the cream, and it almost, but not quite, comes to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the cream sit for at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours. After the cream has infused with the orange, reheat the cream over medium-high heat until it is piping hot again.

2.
Rest a fine-mesh strainer on the bowl of chocolate. Pour the cream through the strainer over the chocolate. Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon (not a whisk, which will introduce bubbles into your chocolate and make for a less-smooth truffle), slowly stir the chocolate and cream together using small circles in the middle of the bowl. You'll want to stir all around the bowl to try and get everything to mix together; resist that urge and just stay zen and the chocolate and cream will slowly start to come together. The more you stir, the more the chocolate will blend into the cream until finally all of the chocolate and cream will be one smooth mixture. When you take the time to stir the cream gently into the chocolate, you'll get a smoother, silkier final product.

3.
Once the chocolate and cream are well blended, stir in the butter and salt, again taking your time to stir-stir-stir until the butter is blended in. This is the base for the truffles, called ganache.

4.
Refrigerate the ganache in a covered container overnight until it firms up. The next day, with a small spoon, scoop out rounded 1-Tbsp-size balls of ganache and roll them around in your hands until they are round balls. Place on a platter and refrigerate for about 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, to finish the truffles:
If you want to coat your truffles in melted chocolate before you roll them around in cocoa, bring a saucepan filled partway with water to a very gentle simmer over medium-high heat. Place the bittersweet chocolate in a medium metal or glass bowl. Place the bowl over (not touching) the barely simmering water in the saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Alternatively, microwave the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth. Remove the truffles from the refrigerator and, one by one, dip them carefully in the chocolate by resting the truffle on the tines of a fork, lowering it into the chocolate, and using the fork to gently roll them around to fully coat. With the fork, lift up and remove the truffle from the melted chocolate and place back on the platter. Continue with all of the truffles until they are coated with a thin coating of chocolate. Place the cocoa powder in a bowl. When the chocolate on the truffles is no longer shiny (it takes about 30 seconds for the chocolate to start setting) and is matte, carefully pick up each truffle one by one with a fork, place in the cocoa powder, and roll it around until coated. Remove the truffle from the cocoa powder and place back on the platter. Let the chocolate and cocoa firm up and serve.

6.
Alternatively, you can skip the outer chocolate layer and simply place the truffles as they are directly in the cocoa powder and roll them around until coated. This variation is by far simpler and neater, and the results are still impressive and delicious.

7.
The truffles can be stored in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 3 days.

My first baking job was as a pastry cook for Rick Katz at Bentonwood Bakery in Newton Center (a suburb of Boston), who trained me on all of the basics of pastry in the year that I spent with him. He was a patient, strict teacher who drilled into me that the most important way I could improve as a pastry cook was to taste, taste, taste all the time. He didn't just mean to try as many desserts as possible every opportunity I could (although I did do that); he meant that as you are following a recipe, taste every part you can so you know what it is you are making. From him I learned the invaluable lesson of using the best chocolate, the freshest cream, the ripest fruit, and ground-to-order spices.

In this brilliantly simple and eggless mousse that Rick taught me, it's the chocolate that shines. Choose a chocolate that you cannot stop eating when you eat it straight and you will be rewarded with a creamy, deep-chocolate mousse made without any additional sugar whatsoever. Essentially a whipped cream flavored and sweetened with chocolate, the mousse has a touch of butter for richness, and salt and vanilla to highlight the fruitiness of the chocolate. This whole recipe contains about 55 grams (just over
¹
/
₄
cup) sugar in the chocolate, which is about a tablespoon of sugar per serving.

MAKES
4
TO
6
SERVINGS

• 140 g/5 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  
• 720 g/3 cups heavy cream
  
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
  
• ³
  /
  ₄
  tsp kosher salt
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  
• Approximately 3-in [8-cm] slab of bittersweet chocolate, at warm room temperature, for garnish
  

1.
Put the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is scalded—that is, small bubbles form on the edges of the cream and it almost, but not quite, comes to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for about 30 seconds. Using a whisk, slowly whisk the cream into the chocolate until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the butter bit by bit. Add the salt and vanilla and whisk until combined. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and refrigerate in a covered container overnight. Unwhipped mousse can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

2.
Just before serving, whip up the mousse either by hand with a whisk, with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed, or with an electric hand mixer until the mousse is creamy and holds a soft peak, 3 to 5 minutes. Don't overbeat or it will get grainy.

3.
To serve, scoop the mousse into bowls. Using the back of a paring knife or a vegetable peeler, scrape the chocolate block to make chocolate shavings and scatter the shavings evenly on top of each serving.

These are not for the (chocolate) faint of heart. Dark chocolate soft cookies are sandwiched with chocolate ganache, so you get a double chocolate whammy. One of my testers who is also a baker at Flour loved these so much that he turned them into homemade Devil Dogs with a whipped cream filling. For that variation, roll the cookie dough into oblong tube shapes, bake, and fill with lightly whipped cream when completely cooled. The sugar in the chocolate totals about 170 grams or just under 1 cup, which is about 17 grams per whoopie pie.

MAKES ABOUT
10
PIES

• 140 g/1 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1 tsp baking powder
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp baking soda
  
• ¹
  /
  ₂
  tsp kosher salt
  
• 280 g/10 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  
• 85 g/6 Tbsp unsalted butter
  
• 120 g/
  ¹
  /
  ₂
  cup crème fraîche
  (see page 24)
  
• 2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
  
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
  

CHOCOLATE FILLING

• 170 g/6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
  
• 180 g/
  ³
  /
  ₄
  cup heavy cream
  

1.
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F [165°C]. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3.
Bring a saucepan filled partway with water to a very gentle simmer over medium heat. Place the chocolate and butter in a metal or glass bowl. Place the bowl over (not touching) the barely simmering water in the saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Alternatively, microwave the chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted and smooth. Whisk in the crème fraîche until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla.

4.
Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture and, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, mix until well combined. Let the batter sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or until it firms up a bit. Using a small ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon, scoop balls that are about the size of golf balls, and place them on the prepared baking sheet 2 in [5 cm] apart to allow for a little spreading. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are just barely firm when touched in the center with your finger. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack.

5. To make the filling:
Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it is scalded—that is, small bubbles form on the edges of the cream and it almost, but not quite, comes to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 20 to 30 seconds. Using a whisk, slowly whisk the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Let the ganache sit at room temperature for at least 3 to 4 hours, or until it cools and thickens to a spreadable consistency.

6.
The whoopie pie filling can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; bring to room temperature for a few hours before using. If the filling is too soft, it will run down the sides of the pies, so make sure it's firmed up enough to scoop before assembling pies.

7.
When ready to assemble, spoon a small scoop of ganache about the size of a walnut on the flat sides of half of the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies, flat-side down, pressing together to make sure they stick, and serve.

8.
Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

I adore bittersweet chocolate. I love how it hits you deep and sharp on your tongue with little relief from the sweetness of sugar and how it lingers faintly smoky in your mouth. If you are a milk-chocolate or even semisweet-chocolate fan only, then this custard is not for you. It is rich and powerful and not for those who shy away from strong, assertive flavors. Be sure to select a fabulous eating chocolate as this recipe essentially turns the chocolate into a creamy, silky-smooth custard. Serve it to true chocolate aficionados or people who enjoy examining the various subtleties in coffee or wine—or both!—as you'll be able to taste all of the different flavors within the chocolate here. The salt is essential in this recipe; it keeps the custards from tasting flat and brings out all of the dark chocolate flavors. As with all of the recipes in this book, use kosher salt or half the amount of regular table salt, which is a lot finer. You'll need eight 6-oz [180-ml] ramekins along with a fine-mesh strainer for this recipe. With about 110 grams of sugar (just over
¹
/
₂
cup) in the chocolate in the whole recipe, each custard has just under 14 grams of sugar per serving.