Ten

Time really flies... I have taken up 10 Daring Cook and 10 Daring Baker Challenges. Admittedly, they were hiccups and chaos happening at the time I baked or cooked following the challenge recipes. And at certain points I just thought of skipping one or two, like taking a daring break... Especially when there were work problems at the office, project deadlines, or worse, work stress… or specific ingredients were no where to be found like the artichokes and Marsala wine.



But funny enough, I didn’t quit any of the challenges just yet. I guess I did enjoy a certain level of chaos afterall, a steady sailing life is boring, right? So at times rocking boat is the ride that suits me. And thanks to all support from peer bloggers and DBers, I seemed to get by, one challenge after another.



Clicking through my posts, I was delighted that I had experienced all those challenges. Simply because they took me to different countries of the world (felt like so….) and tasted food and dessert I might not have known or heard of. And most importantly, making friends and discovered better techniques and recipes. What else could I hope for?



A while ago before I was involved with Tiramisu challenge I stumbled into Sweet Paul and ever since I have seen blogging in a new light. And so here I like to present Truffles I have prepared following his recipe. The same Truffles I have made for the previous Tiramisu Challenge.

COINTREAU TRUFFLES
Adapted from Sweet Paul’s Amaretto Truffles
Makes twenty 1.25 inch/3 cm diameter truffles



Ingredients:
- Whipping cream > 1 cup
- Dark chocolate – chop into smaller pieces > 500 grams
- Cointreau orange liquor > 2 tablespoons
- Passionfruit curd > 250 grams (for recipe click here)
- Cocoa powder > 150 grams



Method:
- Fill a deep plate with cocoa powder for dusting and coating truffles. Set aside.
- Chill a big flat-based plate or tray.
- Place chopped chocolate and cointreau in a big bowl.
- Heat whipping cream in a saucepan until just boiled.
- Instantly pour hot cream over chocolate. Leave for 5 minutes for chocolate to melt.
- Stir with spatula and leave to cool.
- Refrigerate for half an hour or until chocolate mixture is thickened (but still pliable). Remove from refrigerator.



- Scoop a tablespoon of mixture into palm and roll with hands into balls with diameter 1.25 inch or 3 cm. Do it quickly as palm generates heat that melts the mixture. Balls are not expected to be perfect since there will be another round of rolling. Feel free to rechill the mixture if it is too sticky. Remove chilled plate or tray from fridge and set the balls on it after every roll. Keep rolling until it is done.
- Fill passionfruit curd in a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle. Hold the ball gently with one hand, inject the nozzle into the center of truffles and pipe an adequate amount of filling with another hand. Reroll balls.
- Immediately land rolled truffles on the cocoa plate. Roll with fork to coat thoroughly.
- Refrigerate overnight.