Back on December 9, 2020 I posted a blog about how chocolate is an integral part of celebrations for numerous people and cultural groups (click here to read). I also shared how the more I experimented with making chocolate items the more my mind was filled with ideas for making other chocolate creations. Surprisingly, experimenting with chocolate brought out the creativity in me that I didn’t really know existed.
Like many of you, my “To Do” list doesn’t seem to decrease in size. Regardless of how many items I check off a few new items get added. That is why for New Year’s Eve I wanted to keep things simple yet festive. An oxymoron? Perhaps. Still, I really wanted to make a special treat for the family. After all, it was not just any New Year’s Eve we were celebrating. How often do you get to close a chapter of life that included a global pandemic that brought the world to a halt?
After scouring through David Greenwood-Haigh’s extensive list of recipes on his website I found his Chocolate Safari Truffles Nailmaker recipe. Not only was it a seemingly “stress free” recipe, but I didn’t have to buy anything since I had all the supplies on hand. It didn’t even require cream. Can you believe it? (I will come back to that point in just a moment.)
However, to fully appreciate the beauty of truffles I would highly suggest that you read about their history on David’s website (click here to read it). It’s a great illustration of how mistakes can result in the most incredible discoveries. I obviously wouldn’t be writing about it if this “faux pas” didn’t occur, and the world would have missed out on such a deliciously revolutionary chocolate delicacy.
I have not made truffles without cream before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Nevertheless, I’ve been into experimenting with chocolate and wanted to give it a try. (Click here to check out the recipe and instructions.)
The recipe called for Nailmaker Chocolate Safari Imperial Stout. While it sounds impressively delicious, sadly it isn’t an item available to me locally. So I went with something we had that I thought would be a good substitute - an imperial stout called “Even More Jesus” that is described on their website as,
“thick fudge-like body, pitch black color, amazingly overwhelming aromas of chocolate, coffee, dark fruits and muscovado sugar”. In addition, the recipe called for 70% chocolate, but since I still had one pound of 85% chocolate I threw that into the mix.
Despite my substitutions and wondering how truffles without cream would turn out, all
of my doubts were erased the moment I tasted the mixture after pulling it out of the refrigerator. Once I finished rolling them into balls and dusting them with cocoa powder it was the moment of truth. And what do you know … They were decadently rich and flavorful and definitely worth coming back for seconds (or thirds)!
Thank you, David, for sharing a “non-stressful” recipe that brightened the night and made for a delightful end to 2020!
Make sure to check out David’s website Coeur de Xocolat it is full of incredible information and recipes: https://www.coeurdexocolat.com/
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