Belgian chocolate truffles (ganache pralines)

The pinnacle of European confectionery: a smooth, intensely flavoured ganache centre in a thin dark chocolate shell, hand-rolled and dusted with cocoa

Origin: Brussels, Belgium

From the journey of Cocoa.

Belgium's status as a world centre of chocolate artisanship traces to 1912, when Jean Neuhaus II, a confectioner in Brussels's Royal Galeries Saint-Hubert, invented the praline (a thin chocolate shell filled with a soft ganache or cream centre. Until then, Belgian chocolates were simply solid confections; Neuhaus created something entirely new: the filled chocolate. His wife, Louise Agostini, responded to the immediate demand by inventing the ballotin, the signature cardboard box still used to package Belgian chocolates today. The Galeries Saint-Hubert itself, opened in 1847, was one of Europe's first covered shopping arcades) the perfect aristocratic setting for a new kind of luxury food. Belgian chocolate became governed by strict craft standards: minimum 35% cocoa solids, fresh cream fillings, no vegetable fat substitutes. Today Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and Antwerp are pilgrimage destinations for chocolate lovers, home to artisan chocolatiers, Neuhaus, Godiva (founded Brussels 1926), Wittamer, and Pierre Marcolini, who define the global benchmark.

Ingredients

ganache

  • 200 ml double cream (heavy cream)
  • 250 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), very finely chopped
  • 30 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes
  • 2 tbsp cognac, Grand Marnier, or dark rum (optional)
  • 1 pinch fleur de sel

coating

  • 300 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), finely chopped: for coating
  • 50 g Dutch-process cocoa powder, for dusting

Method

  1. Make the ganache: heat the cream in a small saucepan to just below boiling. Pour over the 250g of finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let stand for 2 minutes, then stir slowly from the centre outwards until perfectly smooth.
  2. Add the butter cubes a few at a time, stirring until each is incorporated. Add the liqueur if using and the fleur de sel. The ganache should be glossy and smooth.
  3. Cover with cling film pressed directly onto the surface of the ganache. Refrigerate for 2 hours until firm enough to scoop.
  4. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Using a melon baller or two teaspoons, scoop portions of ganache (about 12g each) and quickly roll into rough balls between your palms. Place on the lined tray. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  5. Temper the coating chocolate: melt two thirds of the chopped coating chocolate in a bain-marie to 50°C (122°F), then remove from heat and stir in the remaining third until the temperature drops to 28°C (82°F). Gently rewarm to 31–32°C (88°F). This is the simplest tempering method (tabling).
  6. Dip each ganache ball into the tempered chocolate using a dipping fork or two forks. Lift out, tap off excess chocolate, and place on baking paper. Work quickly before the coating sets.
  7. Before the coating fully sets, roll each truffle in cocoa powder to coat generously. Shake off any excess. Leave to set fully at cool room temperature (not in the fridge, which dulls the chocolate).

Notes

Belgian truffles keep at cool room temperature (16–18°C) for up to 5 days. The refrigerator is the enemy of good chocolate: it causes 'bloom' (a whitish film from cocoa butter crystallisation) and mutes the flavour. Store in a sealed box away from strong odours. Flavour variations: infuse the cream with lavender, Earl Grey tea, or fresh mint before making the ganache.

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