Chile Pepper Truffles

These little balls of chocolate and fire were a huge hit at Ilan's bar-mitzvah. A lot of friends asked for them. We found them in the September 2011 issue of Kansas City's Tastebud Magazine. After they got such a great response, we contacted the magazine to say thanks, and it turned out that they hadn't even tried them yet. 


They are superb on their own, but add a cup of turkish coffee and your endorphine level will skyrocket.


IngredientsGanache
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 Tbsp ground ancho chile pepper
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp salt
1 pound semi-sweet dark chocolate chips


Coating
2 cups unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp ground ancho chile pepper


Directions

1. Combine the first five ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Cover and let stand to steep for 1 hour.
2. Reheat the mixture over medium heat until it just comes to a boil, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture over the chocolate chips in a bowl. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth.
3. Pour mixture into a shallow glass pie pan. Chill for 2 hours, until firm.
4. With a 1 inch scoop or tablespoon, scoop out chocolate and roll in the palm of your hand to a rough ball (30 balls). Shape and place on a sheet pan covered with wax paper. Chill for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. In a small bowl combine the coating ingredients. Roll balls in mixture until coated, place the truffles back on the sheet pan with wax paper. Chill until ready to serve. If chilled longer than 2 hours let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Storage: Place truffl es in a tightly covered container for up to 2 weeks


Chef Virginia Lopez-Hudson is a member of the Greater Kansas City Chefs’ Association and is a culinary instructor at Job Corps. She is also the author and creator of Hands-On Cooking: Mexican Basics on DVD. You can email Virginiawith questions or to purchase her DVD at theechefgirl-at-aol.com