Someone I hold near and dear recently commented that I talk about some, well, strange food combinations on this blog, and I know he's sitting out there somewhere looking at the title of this recipe and shaking his head. Because it is not every day that you run into a combination of chocolate and merlot in the same truffle, not to mention the tarragon. I'll get to the tarragon in a sec, but this gives me yet another opportunity to mention my favorite merlot...Red Bicyclette.
It's a little hard to track down, but if you ever spot it and you are a merlot-lover like me, give it a try. Yum. Meanwhile, back at the tarragon...I know you might be thinking, why on earth would I toss some herbs into a mixture of perfectly good chocolate? Merlot maybe, but tarragon? But be brave and do it...tarragon gives these babies just a teeny hint of that anise flavor that cuts the sweetness just the right amount. That and rolling the truffles in a nice coating of unsweetened cocoa powder.
I'm pretty much in love with this recipe, and I think it has all kinds of possibilities. Next time (and there WILL be a next time) I might swap out the tarragon for a little bit of cayenne pepper to get a sweet and spicy thing going on.
Fun fact: this recipe was created by Giada de Laurentiis, who made them for Prince William and his new bride when they visited the States. I'm guessing that once they had a bite of these, they started planning their return trip. :)
Chocolate Merlot Tarragon Truffles, from Giada de Laurentiis
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips, such as Ghirardelli
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves
- 3 tablespoons Merlot wine
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place the cream and chocolate in a medium bowl and place over a panof barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted and themixture is smooth, which takes about six minutes.
Stir in the tarragon, wine and salt until smooth.
Refrigerate for two hours until firm. Let the mixture stand at room temperature until moldable, which takes about 45 minutes.
Using a melon scoop, scoop level amounts of the truffle mixture on to the prepared baking sheet. Roll into 1/2-inch balls.
Place the cocoa powder in a small bowl. Roll the truffles in the cocoa powder until coated.
Arrange on a platter and serve or refrigerate in an airtight container.
Place the cream and chocolate in a medium bowl and place over a panof barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted and themixture is smooth, which takes about six minutes.
Stir in the tarragon, wine and salt until smooth.
Refrigerate for two hours until firm. Let the mixture stand at room temperature until moldable, which takes about 45 minutes.
Using a melon scoop, scoop level amounts of the truffle mixture on to the prepared baking sheet. Roll into 1/2-inch balls.
Place the cocoa powder in a small bowl. Roll the truffles in the cocoa powder until coated.
Arrange on a platter and serve or refrigerate in an airtight container.
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