Chocolate Truffles 3 Ways

Truffles make an indulgent yet affordable treat - perfect as a gift. This one base mixture can be finished 3 different ways to you can have a mixed selection of goodies to gift (be sure to keep at least some for yourself).

Ingredients

• 200ml cream
• 200g dark chocolate – I use Whittakers 62% broken into pieces
• 100g castor sugar
• 100g  blanched whole almonds or slivered almonds
• 50ml water

Almond Coating

• 200g melted dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp kremelta
• 200 g toasted sliced almonds

Cocoa Coating

• 200g melted dark chocolate
• 1 tbsp kremelta
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup cocoa

Dark Chocolate Coating

• 200g dark chocolate "melts"
• 1 tbsp kremelta

Method

To make the chocolate ganache base for the truffles heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stir continuously until the chocolate is completely melted and place in the fridge to cool.

To make the praline. Oil a pie dish or place an oiled sheet of foil in a shallow pan and set aside. In a heavy pan place the sugar in the water, heat until the sugar is dissolved, add the almonds and boil without stirring for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Pour into the prepared oiled pie dish and leave to set.

When set place in a sturdy plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin to crush the praline into shards, chunks and crumbs.

When the chocolate ganache is cooled but not fully set, stir in the praline and chill until set firm enough to roll – this will take several hours in the fridge.

When the mixture is firm, roll into truffle sized balls and set aside on a tray. When all the balls are rolled place them in the freezer to chill before dipping.
Almond Coating Heat the chocolate in a bowl placed over a pan of gently simmering water until just starting to melt then remove from the heat and allow to continue melting then stir in the Kremelta. Toast the almonds in a moderate oven until just turning golden then remove.
Place the toasted almonds in a shallow tray. Use a fork or dipping tool to dip the chilled truffles in the melted chocolate, tap the fork on the side of the bowl a couple of times to remove excess chocolate then quickly roll the truffle in the toasted almonds. Store coated truffles in the fridge in an airtight container until needed.
Cocoa Coating
Coat in melted chocolate as described for chocolate scrunch coating, place coated truffles on a sheet of non stick paper until set then roll in sifted cocoa and store in an airtight container in the fridge until needed.
Dark Chocolate Coating
This variation exchanges  the dark chocolate for dark chocolate melts (chocolate that hasn't been tempered will develop a whitish bloom when set; chocolate melts, while not as rich as true chocolate will set with a nice shine and look and taste great as a coating for the truffles).
Add 1 tablespoon of Kremelta to the melts to thin to a coating consistency. Dip each truffle, tap to remove excess and place on a tray to set. Store in an airtight container in the fridge till required.

Tips

These truffles are heat sensitive, they will need to be kept chilled to prevent melting in the heat of an Antipodean Christmas