The tried and true Mother's Day present is out and about for Mother's Day brunch. Add a little something with a present of these homemade dark chocolate truffles. She'll look forward to them every year and you might finally win the title favorite child.
Dark Chocolate Truffles
Leave it to the French to have come up with candy that looks like one of the most expensive foods in the world: the freshly dug black truffle. But don't be fooled, these Easter candies aren't expensive and they can be made at home with these simple ingredients: bittersweet chocolate, cocoa, confectioner's sugar, and butter. Depth of flavor can be had by adding dark coffee and orangey Grand Marnier or any favorite liqueur.
Plus French truffles can be made to look not just like black truffles, but also cute, familiar Easter egg candy. But make them at home because they taste so irresistably much better than the kind you can get in a bag at the grocery store. Who knows how long those eggs have been sitting there?
Truffes Aux Chocolate
As always in matters of things elegant and French and chocolatey, it's best to consult Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking. This recipe, based on her 1970 original, calls for:
- 7 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (Baker's chocolate comes in ounce squares, easy to measure)
- 1 1/4 sticks of unsalted butter (be sure it's unsalted, it makes a huge difference in flavor)
- 1/4 cup coffee
- 1/4 cup orange liqueur
- cocoa for rolling the finished truffles in, for that "freshly dug" look
Melt the chocolates on top of a double-boiler, over low heat. Add the butter in pats until fully dissolved. Add the coffee and liqueur, stir until mixture is glossy. Allow to cool for several hours and then the fun part: the assembly. It is too easy, perfect for a child who wants to help out with Easter dinner preparations. Simply scoop out teaspoonfuls of the chocolate, then roll them in the cocoa.
Elegant Chocolate Mother's Day Gift
For elegant flair, add a single candied (or fresh) violet to the top and voila! Your mother will love you for being so sweet and giving her candy that she really wants to eat. No boring box of chocolates here! She can spend the day however she likes, but hopefully she'll spend it relaxing like a French maman, eating bon bons and relaxing and relishing a job well done.
