Before this year, I had only tried my hand at truffles once: they were (allegedly) Earl Grey flavoured and, frankly, a bit meh. Then your father gave me a terrific little book called Amaze Balls full of sweet and savoury recipes for round, bite-sized snacks. The strawberry truffles (or my raspberry variation) have proved a real hit at parties and they make great presents too.
Makes approximately 30 balls
Ingredients
For the truffles:
150 thick double cream
25g unsalted butter
2 tbsp strawberry or raspberry liqueur (Chambord is recommended)
150g dark chocolate (70-75 % cocoa)
1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
For the coating:
Raw cacao powder
Freeze-dried strawberry or raspberry pieces
Method
Put the cream, butter and liqueur in a small saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer.
Blitz the chocolate in a food process and, with it still running, slowly pour the cream mixture onto the chocolate and keep blending until the mixture is smooth. Add the Greek yoghurt and blend briefly to combine.
Transfer to a clean bowl and cover with cling film; it will be quite runny and will need to set in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.
Remove the truffle mixture from the fridge and dust your hands with cacao powder. Then take teaspoons of the mixture and roll them into balls before coating them with the freeze-dried strawberries. If you run out of the latter (easily done – as evident from the pictures above), just roll the balls in cacao powder: they’ll still look and taste great. Chill again for an hour before serving.
These will last for at least 7 days in the fridge.
Years of Practice 