Earl Grey Truffles
pursuits of happiness
In a rare event, I got home today while the sun was still shining, so much so that I broke out a new pair of running shorts, bounded through the lobby of my apartment building, and took off toward Prospect Park. The trees finally look refreshed after what seemed like an interminable winter, and Grand Army Plaza was a splendid sight at dusk. It was a happy run, even after I encountered the ultra-intense, angry-looking pack of cheetah runners. Where were they going, who were they about to eat, and why not me?
The glee ended about a quarter mile from home, as the last remaining bits of sunlight faded to nothing. I really am a tunnel-visioned runner who, when she forgets to wear her glasses at night, has a depth of vision of about 8ft. Thankfully, la policia have sirens on their cars, and given the number of their vehicles arriving at the scene, they were noticeable. Also, the groups of people trying to leave the area were floating the word “shooting” around, which was another audible cue that there’s no place like home, and being home would be much better than idiotically turning around and around at the corner. Dummy.
Finally, I got my act together and hauled ass across what appeared to be the less crazy side of the intersection, and found my way home. What waited at the finish line? A couple of doors, a dimly-lit studio, and a higher level of perceived safety. And behind my freezer door, more than a couple Earl Grey Truffles, and some happiness, again.
Earl Grey Truffles
Yield: about 40 truffles
Ingredients
½pound bittersweet (70%) chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
½tbsp unsalted butter, softened
5 Earl Grey tea bags
½cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼pound bittersweet (70%) chocolate chips
Instructions:
1. Put chocolate chips into a large bowl. If not using chocolate chips, chop up the chocolate into small pieces.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, scald the heavy cream and immerse the tea bags. Cover, and steep for 15 minutes. Remove tea bags, squeezing out the liquid, and scald the cream again.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips, and wait 5 minutes. Stir the chocolate and cream mixture until all of the chocolate is melted. Mix in the butter, and stir until completely smooth.
4. Refrigerate the bowl of chocolate until it is firm enough to scoop, yet soft enough to shape, which should take at least 2 hours.
5. Scoop out teaspoon-sized balls of the chocolate, and quickly roll them between (gloved) hands. Place on parchment paper and refrigerate to harden, about 30 minutes.
6. Melt the remaining quarter pound of chocolate in a bowl at 30 second intervals in the microwave, or on a double-boiler. Roll each truffle in the melted chocolate, forming a very thin layer of chocolate that will quickly harden. Before it hardens, toss the truffle into a shallow dish with the cocoa powder and move them around until they’re covered.
Serve at room temperature. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, or freeze.
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um….how did i miss these?