The back room stayed cool today, and the fans were running pretty hard. It’s a blessing, really, because the chocolate sets best when it’s not too warm. I was spending most of the afternoon stacking trays of Amaretto Chocolate Truffles - about twenty at a time - onto those waxed paper sheets. The air in here smells like cocoa powder and something faintly nutty, and the sound of the fans is a steady hum. We wrapped up the last of the batches, and I started boxing them up for the mail order. It’s always a bit of a race to get them out before the afternoon rush.
You know, I was reading something the other day about how these truffles were originally made - some Parisian pastry chef, Louis Dufour, apparently. He just needed something to fill a holiday order, and the ganache was a quick solution. It's interesting to think about how something like this started, but honestly, I just focus on getting the right texture. The key is a really thin shell, you know? It gives way pretty quickly once the center warms up a bit.
I just finished one. The shell was surprisingly crisp - a little snap when I broke into it - and then it just melted. The center was soft, really soft, and the flavor was intense. It's a slow melt, definitely, and the edges got a little sticky, but that’s fine. It’s a good, rich flavor, and it’s cool enough that it doesn’t run all over my fingers.