Deep Caramel Truffles with Sea Salt

Exciting news for Dirty Laundry Kitchen, aside from this fabulous recipe for Deep Caramel Truffles with Sea Salt! My sister is the head winemaker at MacRostie Winery and Vineyards in California and we are teaming up to bring you a recipe and wine pairing now and again. Heidi and I will cook and wine taste together and apart, then I write the recipe and she writes the wine notes. This month, MacRostie’s Pinot Noir is what is pouring. And it’s almost St. Valentine’s Day. Rather than buying some cheap, junky chocolate, I recommend that you make these wonderful Deep Caramel Truffles with Sea Salt and enjoy them with a delicious Pinot and forgo the traditional champagne. The truffles are surprisingly easy and best of all, you can do all of the chocolate steps in one bowl, so even though it looks a little complicated, you don’t need to dirty many dishes. Store these Deep Caramel Truffles with Sea Salt in the fridge, but serve them at room temperature. if they last long enough to need storage, that is.

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Deep Caramel Truffles with Sea Salt

Deep Caramel Truffles with Sea Salt and a lovely pinot noir wine to match make a fun Valentine's Day treat that's not just about champagne.

Prep Time3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time3 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Author: Barrett Bridenhagen

Ingredients

• 8 ounces 72% cacao chocolate broken into small to medium pieces*
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water and more, if necessary
• ¾ cup whipping cream start with ⅔ cup but increase as needed
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

covering

• 1 teaspoon espresso powder optional
• 4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder I like Scharffen Berger
• smoked maldon flakes but really any big flake salt will work- I think the smoke gives it a little something something

ganache

• 10 ounces or so 72% cacao chocolate

Instructions

• Break eight ounces of the chocolate into a medium bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (the bowl shouldn’t touch the water); stir until chocolate is smooth. Turn off the burner.
• To make the caramel**: combine sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a saucepan. Heat on medium until the sugar dissolves, occasionally brushing sides of pan with wet pastry brush (or pour a little water around the edge of the pan if you don’t have on or don’t want to wash it). This process takes awhile and is critical in the caramel making process.**
• Once the liquid is consistently syrupy, it’s time to increase the temperature to medium high. Cook until syrup is a dark amber color and it starts to smell a little burnt (4 minute neighborhood). I like mine to be very dark.
• Add the cream and don’t be alarmed that it sizzles, bubbles or even causes the sugar to harden. Be patient.
• Stir (it’s ok now) over low heat until caramel is smooth.
• Mix caramel and ½ teaspoon salt into the chocolate.
• Chill until truffle filling is firm, at least 3 hours.
• Using 1 tablespoon truffle filling for each truffle, roll into balls (a melon baller works well).
• Place cocoa powder and espresso powder in the now empty chocolate bowl and mix well. Roll the truffles in the cocoa. Arrange on baking sheet.
• Cover; chill overnight or for 20 minutes in the freezer (you don’t actually want them to freeze- but 20 minutes does the trick if you want to do the whole recipe in one day).
• Ganache: Place remaining 10 ounces of chocolate in the same medium bowl (you don't even need to discard the remaining cocoa and espresso powder- it'll mix into the chocolate) over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water); stir until chocolate is melted and smooth.
• Remove bowl from over the water. Working quickly, submerge a truffle into the chocolate. Using a fork, remove the truffle (let the excess drip off). Transfer truffle to prepared sheet.
• Sprinkle the truffle lightly with your sea salt flakes. I use large flakes for a dramatic appearance. Let the chocolate shell set (an hour or so).

Notes

*I like to use the big bars from Trader Joe’s- this recipe requires one whole one.
**On caramel generally: sugar crystals are cooked until brown and aromatic and then fat is added (cream in this recipe). Sugar tends to want to adhere to its crystalline structure (note the picture- don’t worry if it starts our crystalline, you can overcome it by adding water, heat, and time). To coax it along, make sure your pan is very clean. Be patient. Don’t stir. Stirring can encourage the sugar to crystalize.
Truffles can be kept in the fridge for a week or so, but serve at room temperature for best flavor and texture.