Chocolate truffles reached their peak in the 80’s and 90’s, but are still loved today
Truffles (tartufi) are small sweet delicacies, well-known around the world for the intense and enveloping taste. They are ideal to offer to your guests or to present as an elegant gift, to serve after a romantic dinner or to accompany tea. You can find them in many different flavors: dark chocolate, coffee, coconut and white chocolate.
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
A little bit of history
The origin of the truffle dates back to 1895 in Chambery, specifically in the Dufour pastry shop were French, Italians, Swiss, Belgians and Spaniards confectioners worked. According to some people, the idea came from an Italian, Nadia Maria Petruccelli: the chocolate shop, suddenly run out of raw materials and so she created this dessert using leftover products. The irregular shape resembled the Piedmontese mushroom, and thus the name: truffle. Success will not be immediate. We will have to wait until 1902, when the Dufours moved to London and opened a chocolate shop near Piccadilly Circus. Then, the success of the truffle became international, and also in Italy this delicacy became very popular, in particular, in Piedmont, not far from Chambery.
In Italy Oscar Sebaste (1893 – 1976), from “Antica Torroneria Piemontese” invented and spread a new recipe based on Piedmont hazelnuts.
Variations
Since the invention of the truffle in Chambery, many chocolatiers have created new and different types of truffles, giving life to many varieties still famous today. The American truffle, for example, has an oval shape: it looks like an egg covered and filled with chocolate, sometimes with the addition of crackers in crumbs and peanut butter. The French truffle is made with fresh cream and melted chocolate, then wrapped in cocoa powder. In Switzerland truffle is combined with melted chocolate with hot cream and butter, using specific molds to obtain the desired shape.
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
How prepare delicious truffles
INGREDIENTS FOR 30 TRUFFLES
- 200ml Fresh liquid cream
- 100g dark chocolate
- 100g Gianduja chocolate
- 100g Hazelnuts
- 1tsp Grand Marnier
- Bitter cocoa powder
Let’s prepare together one of the most famous truffle version: truffle with dark chocolate, gianduja and toasted hazelnuts.
Start by toasting the hazelnuts on a dripping-pay with baking paper, in an oven for around 30 minutes (150°). Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate and gianduja in a bain-marie, stirring with a wooden spoon. When it has melted completely, pour in the fresh liquid cream and continue stirring.
Add the Grand Marnier liqueur, mix again, until the mixture is creamy, smooth and free of lumps. Then turn off the heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl; while it cools, take the toasted hazelnuts and place them in the mixer in order to finely chop them. Then add them to the chocolate mixture and mix the ingredients . Cover the dough with cling film and let it cool in the fridge for about 2-3 hours, until it is firm and compact .
At this point, take a teaspoon of the mixture at a time (about 10 g) and work the small balls with your hands to give them a more regular shape. Place the balls on a tray and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Finally, sprinkle the sifted bitter cocoa.
You can vary the ingredients to decorate the truffles, rolling them in chopped hazelnuts, coconut or white chocolate flakes instead of bitter cocoa!
Cover photo from Youtube
