Sous Vide Some Truffles for Valentine’s Day
As much as I try to act like I’m immune to the aggressively annoying nature of February 14th, I’m actually sort of digging for Valentine’s Day. Maybe it’s because my particular concern is mitigated by a bright and visually uniform grocery storefront, but it probably has something to do with my love of candy, especially chocolate.
I originally planned to write a guide to tempering chocolate with an immersion circulator, but it got quite a lot of coverage and I didn’t have anything new or interesting to say on this topic. However, I had something to say about truffles.
Cooking truffles has never been difficult. In fact, they are as easy to make as tempered chocolate is easy to spoil . But done in the traditional way, they’re a little sloppy. Melting the chocolate in heavy cream, pouring the mixture into another container for cooling, then scooping and rolling into small balls will inevitably cause the chocolate to be smeared all over my counters, stove, and (somewhat inexplicably) my cat. I may be a dirty bitch, but I live for drama , not real physical disorder that I need to clean up.
Sous vide-ing truffles store everything neatly in a bag while you melt, stir and pipe. There are no pots, pans or stirring tools to wash, just a freezer bag and parchment to throw away. The only mess comes from rolling and cocoa powder, but this can be dealt with with a simple hand wash and possibly plate rinse. As with any sous video project, precise temperature control means there is never a danger of chocolate or dairy scorching on fire. Sous vide truffles are an easy and stress-free treat for your Valentine, your kids (if you have one) or yourself. To make about ten of them, you will need:
- 4 ounces of high quality dark chocolate (at least 60%)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 large pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
Set the sous-vide bath temperature to 115 ℉. Coarsely chop the chocolate into homogeneous pieces, then put in a bag with cream and salt. Place the bag in heated water for 10-15 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so, until the chocolate is completely melted and you have a completely smooth mixture.
Lower the circulation pump to 81 ℉ while adding ice until the water reaches this temperature. Let the bag hang for ten minutes, stirring halfway, then take it out of the tub, shake it again, and push the chocolate to the bottom, running a flat-edged object along the outside of the bag to look like this:
If the chocolate feels hard enough to be wetted, cut off a corner and place it in a 1-inch mound on parchment paper (or a silicone baking mat). If it’s still a little runny, put it in the refrigerator for five minutes before cooking.
If the truffles look a little worse than optimal shape, don’t worry, they haven’t reached their final shape yet. Let them harden and then gently roll them into balls with your hands. Dip them in cocoa powder, put them in a (beautiful) airtight container and give them to your sweetheart.
You can also enjoy them as a dessert for a gourmet meal in private . These truffles can be kept at room temperature for a couple of weeks or several months in the refrigerator, but by then they must be consumed.