I Give You:

The Truffle. In all its magnificence. One summer, a long time ago, I was a scoop girl at Baskin Robbins. It was not a good summer for my waistline but it was for my palate. It was there I first experienced the luscious combination of chocolate and raspberry. Chocolate raspberry truffle ice cream seared itself into my consciousness and my waistline. My mouth waters when I think about it. My jeans shake with fear when I get that hankering. . .

Our neighbor babysat for us the other night so we could "trip the light fantastic" (as my dad would say). I knew she'd poo poo if we offered money so I decided to make a batch of candy because who doesn't like candy?

In the past I've really enjoyed Lindsor Truffles but there's something about homemade candy that's just very different from the mass produced variety. I guess the difference is just that--it's homemade. Who would want a Nabisco chocolate chip when you can have a homemade one? It's a no brainer for me.

I have a candy cookbook and have been dying to try this recipe and was really pleased with how it turned out. We had plenty left over and given the look on Tom's face when he bit into one, I knew I had a big hit on my hands. I wouldn't say it's hard to make a good truffle but it is time consuming. Lots of melting and in and out of the refrigerator. But it's not rocket science.

Basically you melt a 16 ounce bag of chocolate chips (I only had a 12 ounce bag so I added a little bit more), whipping cream, and a pat of butter in the microwave being careful not to overheat. Give it a rest and heat some raspberry jam (seedless). Whisk the two together until smooth and put in the fridge for about 2 hours--this is a ganache. Then you use an ice cream scooper to make small balls and finish with a roll in your hands. You can stop here and coat them with cocoa powder (a traditional truffle) or throw them back in the fridge until they firm up.

I chose to throw them in the fridge because I was dying to use my new chocolate melter. It's basically a fondue pot and I'm in love with it! No need to worry about overheating your chocolate (which makes it unworkable). Just throw it in there and melt away. I just received a batch of candy melts from Vermont Nut Free Chocolate and was excited to try it out. Candy melts are great because the melt really evenly and are a nice consistency to dip with. Finding "safe" melts for Grace is a mail order adventure since the Wilton Company, in their quest to have even another recall of their candy for not declaring milk as an ingredient, also does not declare their melts are produced in a facility where peanut melts are also produced.

So in went the truffles for their safe chocolate bath and they seemed delighted to do some laps around the pot. Grace was thrilled watching as well. She kept telling me to use more chocolate. A kid after my own heart;)

These babies are really rich. You can eat maybe two at a sitting--and I'm hard core. I LOVE my chocolate but eating too many is almost impossible. They're like a fine scotch or brandy: not to be eaten too quickly or carelessly. One should sit down with some good company with a truffle or two and savor the complexities of the flavors. I find a nice glass or red wine is the perfect compliment. Before I sound any more like I write for Gourmet Magazine, I'll end and simply share the magic:

I absolutely love white chocolate. A white chocolate truffle is definitely a real treat.

Here is a cross section so you can see the ganache
Here is what our neighbor got. How yummy do these look???