Balsamic Ganache Truffles

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup steaming hot heavy cream
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 8 ounces best quality dark chocolate in chip form, or chopped
• 3 tablespoons dark or white balsamic – my favorite options for this are: coconut, raspberry, apricot, tangerine, strawberry, maple, espresso, lavender, or traditional
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder for rolling the truffles, or use 6 oz. tempered (melted chocolate) for coating the truffles

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-sized heatproof bowl. Heat the cream and salt in a heavy-bottom saucepan over low heat until it just begins to steam. Do not allow it to simmer or boil. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes without stirring. Stir the mixture gently until all the chocolate is melted. Add the balsamic and stir to combine well. Cool to room temperature and then place the bowl in the refrigerator, covered, until the ganache has become cold and can be scooped and formed into balls

Have a baking pan with a sheet of parchment ready that will fit into your fridge or freezer. Take 1 teaspoon of cold balsamic ganache and quickly roll it between your hands to form a ball. If you spend too much time trying to get the shape just right, you’ll begin to melt the ganache and it will be a mess! Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet and then place the sheet in the fridge or freezer to firm up the truffles when you’re done rolling all of them

Now you can roll the balls into cocoa powder or in tempered (melted) chocolate. However, these are best stored in single layers, separated by parchment or wax paper in a sealed container in the refrigerator. They can be taken out and served at room temperature. Makes approximately 30-40 truffles