Lavender Truffles

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I love dark chocolate. Always have, always will.

I love lavender. Always have, always will.

But only recently have I begun to consume lavender. 

To make up for 33 years of lost time, I'm now sneaking the aromatic herb into everything I can.

So when I signed up to be part of the Secret Recipe Club (find out more about it here),  received my blog assignment for August, and saw that my assignee had a Lavender Truffle recipe, you can understand why an audible gasp escaped me.

If you're imagining biting into a truffle and emerging with lavender blooms wedged between your front teeth, let me calm your fears.  With this recipe you will simply steep the culinary lavender in the simmering heavy cream.  Then you'll strain out the blooms and proceed with the recipe.  Brilliant!  

My Secret Recipe Blog assignment is The Novice Housewife.  Shumaila, the blog's author, modified the recipe a bit from Helene over at Tartlette.  (Helene, by the way, is my photography and food styling heroine.  She's the author of my nightstand's current tenant, "Plate to Pixel.")

I slightly modified the recipe from what Shumaila posted...she substituted part of the cream with hazelnut coffee creamer. I used a full 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, thus taking the recipe back to the original from Helene.

So, without further ado...

Here's what you'll need:

Dark chocolate, heavy cream, culinary lavender, and cocoa powder for rolling.

Place the cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.

Add in the lavender.

Hold on to the counter.  

Your knees may weaken from the glorious scent rising from the pot.

Remove pan from heat and let mixture stand for about 30 minutes.  

The longer is sits, the stronger the lavender flavor will be.

Strain out the lavender. 

Return the lavender-infused cream to the saucepan.  

Toss in the chopped chocolate.  

Let it soften for a few moments.

Then stir.  

Congratulations!  You just made ganache.

(A pretty French word for a smooth mixture of chocolate and heavy cream.)

Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until firm (for at least 2 hours*).

When you're ready to roll the truffles, 

use a melon baller or a teaspoon to scoop out the chocolate. 

Roll it in the palm of your hand.  

Don't feel pressured make them all perfect.  

Imperfection is part of the "artisan" appeal! :)

Return the truffles to the fridge for several hours or overnight.  

(This is an important step...don't skip it!)

Then roll the truffles in cocoa powder. 

Hello, little lovers. 

Lavender Truffles
Yields 30 to 35 truffles

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon culinary lavender buds
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
cocoa powder for rolling

In a small heavy saucepan placed over low heat, bring the cream to a simmer. Add the lavender.

Remove saucepan from heat and let stand 30 minutes. 

Strain out the lavender, return the cream to the pan, and bring it back to a simmer. Once it's hot, turn off the heat.  Add the chocolate and let it sit in the cream for a couple of minutes.  Stir until the ganache (a pretty French word for a smooth mixture of chocolate and heavy cream) is completely smooth. 

Let ganache cool to room temperature then refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. 

With a spoon or a melon baller, scoop out balls of ganache, roll them in between your palms fairly quickly and set them on a baking sheet. Refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours. Roll truffles in the cocoa powder and keep refrigerated until ready to use. 

*If you let the truffle mixture sit overnight in the fridge,like I did, you'll need to let it set out at room temperature for 15 minutes or so before it's "workable".  Of course, the amount of time all depends on the size of the bowl that you stored it in, the temperature of your kitchen, etc. 

Here's the blog-hop fun!




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