Lemon and Thyme White Chocolate Truffles
White chocolate can be very temperamental, so you need to treat it with respect. Using good quality white chocolate with a higher cocoa fat percentage (so-called couverture) will make your life a lot easier, and your truffles will be done in no time. The truffle recipe was adapted from The Way the Cooke Crumbles. If you want your truffles to be really special, dip them into tempered white chocolate. Chocolate that has been tempered is smooth, with a shiny finish and a toothsome snap, and doesn't sweat or melt at room temperature. For this, you will need a chocolate thermometer and some patience. If you're feeling adventurous like me or don't own a thermometer, you can also do it by feel. Check the temperature of melted chocolate by dipping a rubber spatula into it and gently pressing it just below your lower lip to determine its temperature.
Category: Petit fours & candies
Recipe in PDF format (print friendly)
- Yields 30 truffles
- Prep time: 1h + chilling time
- Cook time: 10min
- Total time: 1h 10min
- Difficulty: Intermediate
For the lemon and thyme white chocolate truffles:
Ingredients
- 70ml heavy cream
- zest of 2 large lemons
- 8 thyme sprigs
- 200g chopped white chocolate
- pinch of salt
- 40g butter
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Directions
In a small saucepan, combine heavy cream, lemon zest, and thyme sprigs. Heat on medium heat until cream comes to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to steep for 20 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, combine white chocolate, salt, and butter in a medium heatproof bowl. After 20 minutes, remove the cover and reheat the cream mixture over medium heat until it reaches a simmer again. Strain the cream through a fine-meshed strainer into the white chocolate mixture. Press down on the lemon zest and thyme sprigs left in the strainer to extract all of the liquid from it. Set the chocolate mixture over a saucepan of almost-simmering water, frequently stirring, until it's just over half-melted. Remove from double boiler and continue stirring until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Stir in lemon juice and chill for at least 4 hours. Using a teaspoon, form balls from the cold truffle base and then dip them in tempered white chocolate.
For the white chocolate glaze:
Ingredients
- 230g chopped white chocolate
- thyme flowers for garnish
Directions
Place 2/3 of your chocolate in the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water. Using a rubber spatula, stir gently but steadily as the chocolate melts and heats up. Bring the chocolate to 43°C and do not allow it to exceed this temperature. When it's at the right temperature, remove the bowl from the heat. Add the remaining chunks of chocolate and stir gently to incorporate. The warm chocolate will melt the chopped chocolate, and the newly added chocolate will bring down the temperature of the warm chocolate. Once the chocolate gets below 29°C, remove any remaining chunks that didn't melt. Place the bowl over a double boiler for 5-10 seconds, remove it and stir. Repeat until the temperature reaches 30°C. Your chocolate should now be tempered! To make sure it has been done properly, do a spot test: spread a spoonful thinly over a small piece of waxed paper and allow it to cool for a couple of minutes at room temperature. If the chocolate is shiny and smooth, it is properly tempered. If it is dull or streaky, it has not been tempered correctly. To use tempered chocolate, you must keep it warm but not hot. You can keep it over a pan of warm (but not simmering) water, but it's important to stir often so that the chocolate remains at a uniform temperature throughout. Dip the white chocolate balls into the tempered chocolate one at a time, letting the excess chocolate drip off. Place the truffles on a parchment-lined baking sheet, garnish with thyme flowers and refrigerate until set. Remove the truffles from the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before serving.
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