Chocolate Lemon Truffles Recipes

Steps:

• Place 1 pound of the chocolate in a 2-quart mixing bowl. In a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the lemon verbena leaves, cover the pan, and steep for 15 minutes. Reheat the cream to a boil and strain it into the bowl with the chocolate. Let the mixture stand for 1 minute, then stir together with a rubber spatula, whisk, or immersion blender until thoroughly blended. Cover the truffle cream, let cool to room temperature, and chill in the refrigerator until thick but not stiff (3 to 4 hours). Or let the truffle cream sit at room temperature for several hours or overnight until completely set and thick.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Fit a 12-inch pastry bag with a large, plain round pastry tip with a 1/2-inch opening and fill partway with the truffle cream. Holding the pastry bag 1 inch above the paper, pipe out mounds 1 inch in diameter. Or use a small ice cream scoop to form the mounds. Cover the mounds with plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for 2 hours or in the refrigerator for 6 hours.
• Dust your hands with confectioners' sugar and roll the mounds into balls. These will be the truffle centers. Cover and chill the centers for another 2 hours in the freezer.
• Remove the truffle centers from the freezer and bring to cool-room temperature so the outer coating won't crack when they are dipped. Line 2 more baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Melt and temper the remaining 1 1/2 pounds chocolate (see pages 25-30). Place a truffle center into the tempered chocolate, coating it completely. With a dipper or fork, remove the center from the chocolate, carefully shake off the excess chocolate, and turn the truffle out onto the paper. After dipping the truffles, place 2 tablespoons of the tempered white chocolate in a paper pastry cone and snip off a tiny opening at the pointed end. Pipe the letter L on top of each truffle.
• Let the truffles set up at room temperature, or chill them in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes. When the truffles are set, place them in paper candy cups. In a tightly covered container wrapped in several layers of aluminum foil, the truffles will keep for 1 month in the refrigerator or 2 months in the freezer. The truffles are best served at room temperature.
• Lavender White Chocolate Truffles: Substitute 3 tablespoons finely minced dried lavender flowers for the lemon verbena leaves. Combine 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of the lavender flowers with the cream before heating to a boil. Once the cream reaches a boil, remove from the heat and immediately strain into the bowl with the chocolate. Also, rather than piping the letter L on top of each truffle, sprinkle with a pinch of the remaining lavender flowers.

Steps:

• Make the truffle base first, as it must be well-chilled before using. In small, heavy, non aluminum saucepan, combine double cream and lemon zest. Over low heat, heat until cream comes to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat. Cover tightly; allow to stand 20 minutes at room temperature.
• Shortly before cream standing period (20 minutes) is up, combine white chocolate, small pinch of salt, and butter pats in medium heatproof bowl.
• When cream has stood 20 minutes, remove cover.
• Reheat cream mixture over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a simmer again. Remove from heat.
• Strain through fine-meshed strainer into white chocolate mixture.
• Press down on the lemon zest left in the strainer to squeeze all the liquid from it.
• Place white chocolate mixture over warm water on low heat (water should not touch bottom of bowl).
• Stir frequently just until almost melted; (careful not to burn) remove from heat and hot water.
• Stir until melted and smooth. (Note: White chocolate, even of excellent quality, can be stubborn about melting. If there are small lumps of white chocolate in your truffle base, transfer the truffle base to a food processor fitted with a steel blade; process at high speed just until smooth.).
• Transfer truffle base to small bowl. Chill at least 4 hours (overnight is fine, too), covering tightly when cold.
• When base is chilled, prepare coating.
• For Coating:.
• Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate add lemon oil (if wish).
• To make truffles:.
• If desired, have ready 1 inch petit four cases for finished truffles.
• Using a teaspoon form balls of about 1 inch diameter from the cold truffle base.
• Drop into the melted white chocolate mixture using a fork to assist, dip and turn each ball in the chocolate. Then place on a lined baking tray to allow the chocolate to set. Place in the petit-four cases or storage container.
• Store truffles in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week; freeze for longer storage.
• To serve, remove from refrigerator 15 to 20 minutes prior to serving time. Let stand at room temperature, covered, until serving time.

Steps:

• Melt butter in a saucepan and mix with lemon zest and cognac.
• Finely crush biscuits and mix in a large bowl with sugar and cocoa.
• Warm up milk to lukewarm and add to bowl with dry ingredients.
• Immediately add the butter mixture and combine well.
• Allow to firm up for at least 4 hours, or place in deep freeze for 30 minutes.
• Roll into small balls and place on foil-lined tray. Keep cold.
• Melt chocolate in a double boiler and dip each ball in and allow chocolate to set.
• You can roll these in chocolate sprinkles, crushed walnuts, cocoa powder or whatever else you like.
• They last a week in the fridge in a sealed container.