My roommate sent me the recipe for Penguin truffles, which she found at "2 Stews," a cooking blog by a former flight attendant. They were too cute--not to mention, too delicious--to resist: a chocolate truffle sculpted to look like a penguin, dipped in white chocolate, and finished with a coat of dark chocolate.
I made two batches of these little critters this week (and that's enough for one year). Just a warning: these truffles are both time-consuming and labor-intensive so don't try to make them in a rush.
Sure they're tricky, but, hey, it's Christmas and these are sure worth the effort for the "oohs and ahs" and the delicious result.
Being a child at heart and having an excuse to play with food, I posed my penguins in various situations: attacking the Christmas tree, staring at the Christmas turkey, huddling around a chocolate egg, and marching in the snow...
The Recipe:
For the ganache:
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
Break the chocolate into small pieces and process in a food processor until very fine. Heat the cream in a medium saucepan until just boiling and pour through the food processor feed tube in a steady stream, with the motor running. (If you don't have a food processor, you can chop the chocolate in a coffee-bean grinder, and just mix it into the cream in the saucepan.) Process (or mix) until smooth, just a few seconds. Transfer to a bowl to firm. This should take a few hours at room temperature. You may also put it in the refrigerator.
Rolling and dipping:
2 tbsps powdered sugar (for rolling)
12 ounces good quality white chocolate* (for dipping)
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate* (for dipping)
*Use couverture chocolate or tempered chocolate. Click here for video on tempering chocolate. You will need a candy thermometer for this step.
For the flippers:
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Using a teaspoon, scoop out balls of ganache and place on a parchment lined tray. Place in refrigerator to firm, about 30 minutes. Once firm, dust hands with powdered sugar and roll ball between your hands to smooth. Then continue rolling while pulling and shaping the top to resemble a small head with a drooped, thin pointy end (the beak). This can be frustrating, especially when the chocolate starts to melt. Take a deep breath, put them in the fridge, and have some cocoa.
To insert the slivered almonds for the flippers, take a knife and insert it about 1/2 inch deep at the placement and angle you want the flippers. Gently insert a slivered almond into the slit, rounded end facing out. You should have about 25-30 penguins. Return to tray and put in refrigerator to chill.
In the meantime, melt the white chocolate by breaking it into a medium bowl placed over a pot of hot water. The bowl must not touch the water and the water must not simmer, but just remain hot. Stir until melted and then take off of heat and cool until it is about 84 degrees or dab a small amount on your upper lip. It should feel slightly cool. Resting a penguin on a forks tines and holding over bowl of melted white chocolate, spoon the chocolate over the penguin to coat. Let excess drip off. Place on parchment to cool and harden. Continue coating all penguins.
Break the bittersweet chocolate into a medium bowl and place over hot water to melt in the same manner as the white chocolate. Once cool to 84 degrees, pick up penguins in the back behind the flippers, so as not to touch the tummy, and place on the tines of a fork. Holding over the bowl of bittersweet chocolate, gently spoon the chocolate down the back top and sides of the penguin. Carefully spoon a little down over the beak to form a point. Keep the tummy white and don't touch it or you'll get fingerprints on it. Let excess chocolate drip off and place on clean parchment to harden.
You're a champion.
Makes 25-30 Penguin Truffles. Lasts up to 2 weeks at cool room temperature.
