When is the last time you threw a real party? For us it's been quite a while. Of course we've had friends over for summer campfires and we've had family at the house for small birthday parties. A small party doesn't need to be fussy - some wine, a simple, delicious dinner and dessert doesn't require that much planning or energy.
But I can't remember the last time we had a "50 of your closest friends, neighbors, and co-workers party". We've been busy moving and doing new house stuff and old house stuff and kids' school stuff... oh, and working. We're just too exhausted to do anything else.
But one of our new neighbors threw a party like that last weekend. It was a "wine, cheese, and chocolate" party. She hired a caterer for the savory stuff, bought the wine, made adorable fall themed wine glass charms and made up the cheese plates herself, and asked me to help with the chocolate portion. So I hope you don't mind if the next few posts revolve around bite-sized chocolate goodies. (I didn't think so!)
So, first up....Raspberry Truffles! My first attempt at tempering chocolate and my thermometer goes on the blitz...actually two of my thermometers went on the blitz during my chocolate week, but all turned out ok in the end.
These truffles are flavored with strained raspberry jam and chambord. Of all the chocolate goodies I made for the party, these were the most time consuming, but well worth it!
Chocolate Raspberry Truffles
7 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (I used Callebeaut semi-sweet)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons strained raspberry jam
1 tablespoon Chambord or other raspberry-flavored liqueur
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Tempered chocolate for dipping
Pink sugar crystals for garnish
Mini cupcake liners (these are made by Reynolds and can be found in the supermarket)
Bring the heavy cream just to a boil and pour it over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Whisk until shiny and chocolate has melted completely. Stir in the jam, Chambord, and vanilla. Cover the bowl and chill at least 45 minutes. With a small ice cream scoop, make rounds of chocolate and place them on a baking sheet. Chill for another 45 minutes or freeze until ready to dip. Dip in tempered chocolate and sprinkle on the sugar crystals before the chocolate sets. After the chocolate has set, then transfer the truffles to mini cupcake liners. Store in the refrigerator.
These look so perfect! I'm definately giving htem a go. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteMaggie
Lovely looking chocolates. I don't often comment, but I am a lurker and you have a great blog and I am a huge fan of Marzipan so of course I love your blog name. Joni
ReplyDeleteThese look wonderful and sound delish! Anything that someone makes with real chocolate (versus those candy melts) is a labor of love. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteYour first attempt at tempering looks like a resounding success. And the garnish of pink crystals is really pretty.
ReplyDeleteI can handle a few people over for dinner, but the thought of throwing a big party fills me with dread. I'd rather bring a dish to someone else's party :)
Yummy.Yum.Yum!!!!!!!!! Thanks again for all of the bite size cheesecake goodies last weekend too :)
ReplyDeletecallebeaut is best! your truffles look beautiful! I work at a chocolate shop and we use callebeaut too! It is so smooth and rich, with such a lovely mouthfeel and shines up so beautifully. As far as tempering your truffles, it looks like you were fairly successful. I bet those were as delicious as they look :)
ReplyDeleteJoni, thanks for coming out of your lurkdom!
ReplyDeleteStephanie - I'm with you about those candy melts. I actually bought some orange ones at Halloween and then never used them. The ingredients scare me...
Irina - once you get that new house all decked out, you'll have to have a blowout celebration!
TinyCook - I can't imagine the patience it takes to make chocolates all day long! I wouldn't mind trying other chocolates to compare, but callebeaut is available where I live and not outrageously expensive and it's delicious!