Cardamom Truffles
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Cardamom Spiced Truffles

If you know me, or indeed if you’ve read a small percentage of this blog, then you’ll know that I’m obsessed with the flavour of cardamom. The elaichi obsession has gone a step further since experimenting with black cardamom more and more recently.

The black kind is fried over an open fire, giving it a smokey, heady aroma. Think of it as the rowdier, more attention-seeking cousin of the green cardamom. The combination of dark chocolate and musty spice is luxurious. These are the type of truffles that you’d be served in a cigar lounge, clad with chesterfield sofas and burgundy walls.

Spices, of course, are essential.

Marcus Samuelsson

Cardamom is widely used as a digestive aid and natural breath freshener, which is almost an excuse to eat these cardamom-spiced truffles after dinner with a coffee, or even better, a chai.

Cardamom Spiced Truffles

Cardamom Spiced Truffles

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Course: Dessert, Petit FourDifficulty: Medium
Servings

50

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

5

minutes

The combination of dark chocolate and musty spice is luxurious. These are the type of truffles that you’d be served in a cigar lounge, clad with chesterfield sofas and burgundy walls.

Ingredients

  • 1 black cardamom pod

  • 200 ml double cream

  • 300 g dark chocolate, chopped into small chips

  • Handful praline, chopped nuts or cocoa powder, to dust

Directions

  • Grind the whole cardamom in a mixer to fine powder. Pass the ground powder through a sieve to remove the outer skin. Place the ground spice in a saucepan with the cream and bring up to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, tip the chocolate into a large mixing bowl. Place a sieve over the bowl. Stir the cream and bring up to a full boil then immediately tip through the sieve and into the chocolate. Press as much cream as possible out of the cardamoms. Discard the cardamoms and stir the cream into the chocolate. If it hasn’t fully melted, set the bowl over a pan of water that has just boiled but it is off the heat. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Leave to cool at room temperature.
  • Once cold, beat with an electric whisk for about 10 minutes until thick and fluffy, then leave to set. This can take some time, depending on the temperature of your room, but allow a good 90 minutes. Don’t put in the fridge as the truffle mixture will set too firmly to roll.
  • Prepare a truffle tray by firmly taping some greaseproof paper on to a small flat baking tray. Once the chocolate mixture is firm, dust your hands with cocoa, take a teaspoon of the truffle mixture and roll into a ball between the palms of your hands. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Place on the tray and chill for about an hour or until very firm. To coat the chocolate truffles, melt the dark chocolate in a small bowl by placing it over a pan of just boiled water. (If you want dark and white truffles, melt plain chocolate in one bowl and white in another.) Allow to melt then remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Once tepid, stab a truffle with a cocktail stick and dip into the chocolate before placing on a clean tray. Use a second cocktail stick to slip it off the first. Repeat until all the truffles are coated. Set aside (at room temperature) and once the coating is set, roll in cocoa powder and serve at room temperature when ready.

Notes

  • Cool hands and a cool kitchen will make rolling your truffles a lot easier and less messy!

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