Every now and again we want to buy a special gift for a loved one, or for ourselves. Maybe it is a birthday, Mother's Day or just a pick-me-up day. What is more decadent than a box of champagne chocolate truffles? They do not need to break the bank with nearly all chocolate retailers selling them, in milk, dark and white chocolate.
For those on the lower end of the scale you can drop into Tesco and pick up a box of 140g for about 7 GBP which are described as "White and milk chocolate truffles with a Marc de Champagne centre dusted with icing sugar". Yummy!! For those with deeper wallets why not make a quick visit to Harrods, in Knightsbridge, where you can get "Harrods' own couverture chocolate with a delicious ganache and icing sugar dusting" in a 125 g box for about 14 GBP. Even this won't break the bank.
For those on a bigger budget, or if it is an extra special gift, or huge apology, then Fortnum and Mason's is the place to go. This store was opened in 1707 and in 1738 rather surprisingly invented scotch eggs. The truffle hamper is what you are after however. For the sum of sixty pounds, you receive two boxes of 165 g truffles and a bottle of bubbly. If you are lucky the recipient of this hamper will want to share it with you.
Even something as special as this is not enough for some and for those who are handy in the kitchen and want to make something personal, champagne truffles are not too difficult to make. With a little time and careful preparation you can provide forty or fifty truffles for a gift or for a tasty treat for yourself.
The basic ingredients are straight forward; 250 g dark and 200 g of dark chocolate both chopped up, 100 ml double cream, 65 g unsalted butter, 500 g icing sugar (don't think about the calories), and the best bit, pink champagne (100ml) and brandy (4tsp). If the urge occurs you can obviously finish the rest of the bottle of champagne! It will only go flat otherwise. An additional 750 g of dark chocolate is needed for dipping.
This recipe is in two parts; you melt 750 g dark chocolate in a bowl placed over boiling water in a saucepan. Be extra careful not to let it burn or to let water splash into the bowl. It is best to do this bit last.
For the main sweet put the chopped milk and dark chocolate in a bowl. Meanwhile boil the cream and butter in a saucepan. There pour this mixture over the chocolate. Let it rest for half a minute, add the champagne and brandy and mix to a ganache (just like the Harrod's truffles).
Spread this mixture over a baking tray allowing it to cool evenly until it is gloopy enough to pop into an icing bag. Then pipe 2.5 cm blobs of mixture onto a prepared baking tray and set them in the fridge. Take them out of the fridge when they are firm and roll them into little balls before putting them back into the fridge.
Get ready for the messy bit. Take the balls and dip them into the melted chocolate before rolling them in the icing sugar. They are then left in the icing sugar until they are set firm. Now, taste a couple of them (just to make sure), then pack them into the gift box you prepared for the occasion.
For those on the lower end of the scale you can drop into Tesco and pick up a box of 140g for about 7 GBP which are described as "White and milk chocolate truffles with a Marc de Champagne centre dusted with icing sugar". Yummy!! For those with deeper wallets why not make a quick visit to Harrods, in Knightsbridge, where you can get "Harrods' own couverture chocolate with a delicious ganache and icing sugar dusting" in a 125 g box for about 14 GBP. Even this won't break the bank.
For those on a bigger budget, or if it is an extra special gift, or huge apology, then Fortnum and Mason's is the place to go. This store was opened in 1707 and in 1738 rather surprisingly invented scotch eggs. The truffle hamper is what you are after however. For the sum of sixty pounds, you receive two boxes of 165 g truffles and a bottle of bubbly. If you are lucky the recipient of this hamper will want to share it with you.
Even something as special as this is not enough for some and for those who are handy in the kitchen and want to make something personal, champagne truffles are not too difficult to make. With a little time and careful preparation you can provide forty or fifty truffles for a gift or for a tasty treat for yourself.
The basic ingredients are straight forward; 250 g dark and 200 g of dark chocolate both chopped up, 100 ml double cream, 65 g unsalted butter, 500 g icing sugar (don't think about the calories), and the best bit, pink champagne (100ml) and brandy (4tsp). If the urge occurs you can obviously finish the rest of the bottle of champagne! It will only go flat otherwise. An additional 750 g of dark chocolate is needed for dipping.
This recipe is in two parts; you melt 750 g dark chocolate in a bowl placed over boiling water in a saucepan. Be extra careful not to let it burn or to let water splash into the bowl. It is best to do this bit last.
For the main sweet put the chopped milk and dark chocolate in a bowl. Meanwhile boil the cream and butter in a saucepan. There pour this mixture over the chocolate. Let it rest for half a minute, add the champagne and brandy and mix to a ganache (just like the Harrod's truffles).
Spread this mixture over a baking tray allowing it to cool evenly until it is gloopy enough to pop into an icing bag. Then pipe 2.5 cm blobs of mixture onto a prepared baking tray and set them in the fridge. Take them out of the fridge when they are firm and roll them into little balls before putting them back into the fridge.
Get ready for the messy bit. Take the balls and dip them into the melted chocolate before rolling them in the icing sugar. They are then left in the icing sugar until they are set firm. Now, taste a couple of them (just to make sure), then pack them into the gift box you prepared for the occasion.
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