CHOCOLATE!
Belgium Chocolate and Fresh Cream Truffles
for
“We Should Cocoa”
Short of popping over the Bruges or Brussels, or anywhere else in Belgium for that matter, here is a great celebration recipe for Belgium chocolate truffles at home. It is also special as it’s my chocolate offering for the “We Should Cocoa” September challenge over at The Chocolate Teapot……where the criteria was to come up with something to celebrate their first year’s birthday of hosting the event. Well, what better then a box of chocolates as a birthday gift ~ and not just any chocolates, but M & S Belgium chocolates with fresh cream……
These truffles are dead easy to make and if you want to adorn and embellish them with crystallised flowers, candied fruit or chopped nuts then I say go for it…….I had no time to play at decorating them, sadly! Pop them into a pretty box with reams of tissue paper and away you go ~ a gift in a box for a chocoholic, or in my case, for a friend who is celebrating her big Five~Oh!
P Chocolate makes for interesting reading too, as well as tasting jolly delicious! Just have a wee peep at these dark and indulgent facts and figures:
- 17,000 people in Belgium – that’s 1 in every 200 workers – are involved in the making, selling and promotion of chocolate.
- One chocolate chip provides enough food energy for an adult to walk 150 feet. Therefore, it takes about 35 chocolate chips to walk a mile or 875,000 to get you around the world.
- It takes the whole of one year’s crop from one tree to make half a kilo of cocoa.
- USA army rations include 3 x 40g chocolate bars.
- Terrys of York will produce more than 350 million segments of chocolate orange a year.
- 66,000 Crème Eggs are made every hour.
- During the Aztec reign, a slave could be bought for 100 cocoa beans.
- 1 in 7 15-24 year olds claim life without chocolate is not worth living.
- Joseph Fry of Bristol, England, made the first eating chocolate in 1848.
- 28,000 Terrys Chocolate Oranges are made from 5 tonnes of chocolate.
- The biggest chocolate sculpture ever made was a 4,484 lb, 10 foot high Easter egg, constructed in Melbourne, Australia.(These interesting facts are courtesy of The Chocolate Emporium.)
There is money in chocolate in other areas too ~ many gift shops and poster companies make a mint chocolate out of chocolate sayings and funny little phrases to stick on your fridge or wall…..here are few I found on-line!
Okay, that is enough of that for now! I have to own up now, I am a bit worried about doing it so late in this post after luring all of you chocolate lovers into a false sense of security, mainly in to thinking that I am an addict ~ I’m not! I DO like the odd bar of chocolate now and then, and home~made chocolate cake is a favourite tea~time treat of mine, but I can sometimes, and brace yourselves for this, take it or leave it! Shock, horror I know…….however, and there is always an however, I DO love a flake bar, bag of maltesers, galaxy bar or a handful of chocolate eggs when I am in the mood, and I LOVE good dark chocolate, the darker the better such as 85% cocoa solids……..and, I LOVE home~made chocolate truffles too.
These truffles are particularly nice as they have a drop of fresh cream in them as well as a slug of the hard stuff ~ you pick, it can be brandy, rum or Baileys……Dawn French has it sussed though, only she could come out with a quote like this…….I LOVE it!!Dawn French…..“I never do any television without chocolate. That’s my motto and I live by it. Quite often I write the scripts and I make sure there are chocolate scenes. Actually I’m a bit of a chocolate tart and will eat anything. It’s amazing I’m so slim.”
Anyway, time to share the recipe with you, and a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the We Should Cocoa challenge, what a fun group to be part of and I hope you like my birthday offering for you! See you tomorrow, when I may be in a more sedate mood……you never know! Karen
Belgium Chocolate and Fresh Cream Truffles
No need to buy chocolates for “We Should Cocoa” birthday event, these truffles are SO much better than most commercial varieties and are fun to make! Imagine the look on your friend’s faces when they realise that these are artisan truffles made by your own fair hands! Pack them in a pretty box with tissue paper and remind your lucky recipient that they need to be stored in the fridge. Makes about 36 truffles. Not suitable for freezing.
Ingredients:
150ml (5flozs) fresh double cream
350g (12ozs) 70% cocoa solids Belgium chocolate, broken up into small pieces
30ml (2tbsp) liqueur, such as brandy, rum or Baileys
25g (1oz) unsalted butter
Cocoa powder for dusting
Crystallised flowers and chopped nuts for finishing
Method:
Heat cream in a small pan until boiling, remove from heat and add chocolate pieces, stirring until melted.
Stir in liqueur and butter, and mix until butter has melted. Pour into a bowl and place in the freezer for about half and hour or until the mixture is firm enough to hold its shape.
Using a melon ball scoop or a teaspoon, scoop out rounds and gently roll the truffles in cocoa powder.
Place in small paper cases and decorate with nuts or crystallised flowers of you wish.
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
From the Kitchen says
Hello Karen: I just met you over at Dom's blog. I'm having a coffee and enjoying exploring your posts.
Best,
Bonnie
Karen S Booth says
Hi right back Bonnie ~ lovely to meet you! Thanks so much for dropping by,I have a BIG pot of coffee on the go id you need a refill!
Karen
Working london mummy says
how lovely. I do love the box you have them in to. Yum. I must make truffles – maybe as Xmas presents! x
Inside a British Mum's Kitchen says
What beautiful truffles – and such fun chocolate facts! Love all your chocolate sayings 🙂
Mary
La Table De Nana says
So much to learn and see here:)
Thanks Karen..the're beautiful..
I am one of the few that bake w/ chocolate..love everything one does with it..but never craves it..and really never eats it:) My husband loves it.
Karen S Booth says
They are great as Christmas gifts Working london mummy! Thanks!
Karen S Booth says
Thanks Mary ~ I love Dawn French's saying, so funny!
Karen S Booth says
Thanks Monique, I am the same, I never have chocolate cravings as some others have!
Kentish Keg-Meg says
A wonderful post. Love the chocolate facts and adore the sayings as I love proverbs and sayings especially humorous ones. Then, of course , there is the recipe and I can taste those truffles Mmmmm
A Trifle Rushed says
Oh Lovely Karen! I love a good truffle!
I have tried to email you my contact details with no luck so will send my email address to your comment page.
Could you delete it once you've got the address.
Thanks Jude x
A Vintage Chic says
Love this, Karen–but then, I love ALL of your wonderful posts! You write so beautifully and I love all the facts and info you provide–as well as amazing-looking recipes! I'll definitely have to give these homemade truffles a try!
Hope your day is perfectly lovely, my friend…
Julie
Dom at Belleau Kitchen says
adorable!… such a lovely gift… home-made chocolate truffles are so delightful… I imagine more than a few went missing eh?
Gloria says
These look delicious I love them! gloria
Fabulicious Food says
Ooh how delicious. I bet you are a popular lady in SW France! Wish I could pop over for a chat and just a few of these.
All That I'm Eating says
That Dawn French thing is great. I love truffle recipes as they're all so different. I love that 1 in 200 Belgians is involved with chocolate!
Kate@whatkatebaked says
Ahhh, Karen, you've just wrote the perfect post for all your choc-o-holic readers! I loved all the Chocolate facts- I reckon I need to move to Belgium to work for a start! In the meantime I shall continue to drool (sorry, rather unpleasant a thought) over your delicious truffles. Did your friend enjoy them? A lovely celebratory treat!
Choclette says
Love your birthday offering Karen – it's a grand one. What could be better for a bunch of chocoholics. I'm particularly impressed as I'm rubbish at making truffles. And they look so good packaged up in that lovely box. I bet your friend was / will be happy. Thanks for joining the party.
Karen S Booth says
THANKS all for your wonderful comments! Chocks away……LOL!
Karen