Last year, for reasons unknown, I decided I wanted to make a dessert for Thanksgiving. It had to have chocolate and it had to be a tad unusual. And it would help to be easy. It had to be truffles.
I’ve made orange chocolate truffles twice now and I hope to make them a Christmastime tradition. At one point in my family’s history, oranges were a Christmas tradition.
My great-grandmother Fern grew up in Illinois around 1915. Her father was a coal miner and her mother cleaned houses. Needless to say, they didn’t have a lot of money. As Christmas neared, children in her town would write letters to Santa, which would be printed in the newspaper. So she and her three young siblings submitted their wishlists. The man for whom her mother worked saw the letters in the paper and knew there was no way the family could afford the children’s wishes.
So on Christmas Eve, the man packed his horse-drawn sleigh, bedecked with jingle bells, and rode to her house. The children heard the bells and saw a man loaded with presents–an Illinois Santa. But the man also brought another special treat–an orange. In those days and in those parts, it was difficult to have oranges in summer, let alone winter. My great-grandmother said to have an orange was like gold.
And as long as she lived, the scent of oranges always reminded her of Christmas. And the years following, her mother would try to fill the kids’ stockings with oranges and, another item of decadence, walnuts. And while oranges are no longer an exotic treat, perhaps I can continue the tradition during Christmastime–with my own little spin of course!
In a saucepan, heat 1/2 cup heavy cream until hot. Chop 8 oz semisweet chocolate and 4 oz German sweet baking chocolate; add to cream. Whisk until chocolate begins to melt. Whisk in 3 Tbsp unsalted butter until melted; whisk in 1 Tbsp dark rum. For flavors, add about 2 tsp of it (orange peel zest, coffee grounds, peppermint pieces or syrup, etc.). Pour into bowl; cover. Chill 2 hours or overnight. Let mixture stand for a few minutes to soften. Scoop out mixture with a melon baller. Roll in hands, put into a bowl of the coating (I suggest powdered sugar, cocoa, chopped peppermint pieces, chopped nuts, etc.). Even if rolled quickly, the truffle mixture will melt and make hands sticky. So turn the heater off and wash hands frequently. It also may help to take breaks and put the mixture back into the refrigerator. Makes about 50 truffles, depending on the size.
*I got the recipe from a magazine cutout. I’d give credit if I knew which magazine it was… My mom’s guess is Redbook.
