RECIPE: Rum and raisin chocolate truffles
Sweet treats aren't just for children - here's a little adult something for mom and dad to try.
Ingredients
½ cup (125 ml) raisins or currants
4 Tbsp (60 ml) rum
350 g dark chocolate
½ cup (125 ml) cream
¾ cup (180 ml) icing sugar
¼ cup (60 ml) cocoa powder, sifted, for coating
The original recipe – I’m not sure where it came from – called for chocolate with at least 70 percent cocoa solids. That means risking making a mess with some of the world’s most expensive Swiss or Belgian chocolate. Forget that. South African-made dark chocolate at 39 percent cocoa solids is fine. On the other hand, don’t go totally cheapskate and use cooking chocolate or chocolate chips – you’ll spend all afternoon producing something that fails to hit the right note.
Method
Put the raisins in a bowl, pour over the rum and set aside to soak for at least an hour, preferably two. (I leave mine overnight.) Take the cream out of the fridge.
Place the chocolate, broken into pieces, in a bowl and melt in a microwave oven or over a pan of simmering water. (The latter is safer as you can see what is happening. If you try to melt chocolate too fast in the microwave, the sugar content can granulate very quickly and that stuffs up the whole process.)
Stir until smooth, then beat in the cream, the soaked raisins and any rum left in the bowl. If the cream is too cold, you have to beat really fast to stop the melted chocolate from setting. Sift the icing sugar into the chocolate and mix until smooth. Press a piece of clingfilm onto the surface of the mixture and place it in the fridge for about an hour, or until firm enough to handle.
Tip the cocoa powder onto a plate. Dig out spoonsful, each about the size of a large marble, of chocolate paste and roll quickly between your palms to form rough balls resembling real truffles. Place the balls on the plate of cocoa powder and roll them about so that they are well coated. When you’ve made all the balls, place them in a sieve or colander and shake gently to remove any excess cocoa powder. Cover and place in the fridge for two hours, or until firm.
The original recipe says these freeze very well but I’ve never had a chance to test the claim. They disappear like Scotch mist when the family finds them.
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