Chocolate Truffles

The centers are made from ganache, a chocolate confection made from chocolate and heavy cream melted together. The recipe I use calls for 1 cup of heavy cream to 8oz dark sweetened chocolate. These are melted together in a double boiler until smooth, then poured into a bowl and refrigerated overnight. It is extremely important to not allow any water or steam near chocolate while it is melting. It will cause the chocolate to seize up and become hard and brittle. This is true of both the ganache and the dipping chocolate. Once the ganache is prepared, you make 1 to 2 inch balls of it, using either two spoons or a candy scoop (like a miniature ice cream scoop). You can finish shaping with your fingers, but work fast because the ganache melts easily. Refrigerate the ganache balls (covered with wax paper) overnight on a baking sheet. *note* It is best to refrigerate for an hour or so uncovered, then cover, to keep the paper from sticking. Also, plastic will trap too much moisture and discolor the chocolates, so use waxpaper or tin foil. The next step is to cover the chocolates. Easiest is to roll the ganache in coconut or crushed cookies or even straight cocoa or powdered sugar. Hardest, but more traditional, is to coat them with chocolate. Easiest is to use "coating chocolate" from a candy-making supply. Regular chocolate has to be tempered before it can be used for dipping. You can heat the chocolate over a double boiler, though I prefer to use a hotplate or heating pad set on the lowest temperature that will get the chocolate to melt. Using a fork, lower each candy into the chocolate, then out again--quickly so as not to melt the ganache. Let the excess chocolate drain off, then either A) gently push the candy off the fork with a butter knife or B) quickly drop the candy off the fork as close to vertical as possible, swirling the chocolate on top for a very professional look. If you know someone who has made chocolates before, ask them to let you watch, or look it up in a book on candy making. It's hard to describe the exact movement. You can flavor the ganache with a couple of tablespoons of rum, bourbon, or other liquor, or with your favorite liqueur, or with tiny bits of grated orange zest or lemon zest or finely chopped nuts or a few tablespoons of very strong coffee (or instant) or some candied violet petals or... My favorites are plain, mint (use mint extract) and almond (with almond extract and a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped almonds. Be sure to decorate them so that the flavors are identifiable. Or don't and surprise yourself!