The Swedish Chef: Dark Chocolate Truffles

Monday, February 6, 2012

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

½ c. heavy cream
8 oz. Baker's semi-sweet chocolate
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 c. cocoa powder, for dusting
¼ tsp. instant coffee

In a saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over low heat.

Chop the chocolate into small pieces, as pictured.

Pour the cream over the chocolate in a bowl, and let stand about 10 minutes to melt the chocolate.

Add vanilla and coffee; stir until smooth. Set aside to cool for 1 hour at room temperature.

Beat the chocolate at medium speed until thick and light colored. Spread over the bottom of a baking dish and smooth the top. Refrigerate for about 2 hours, until firm.

Pour the cocoa powder onto a deep plate or shallow bowl.

Use a melon baller or small ice cream scoop, to scoop out balls of chocolate. Place them on the plate with cocoa powder and roll between two forks to coat completely. Use the forks to carefully transfer them to a parchment or waxed paper lined baking sheet.

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Hi! My name is Randall Swanson, but I go by “Randy.” I am so excited to have you visit my website. I am 63 years old, a retired teacher, a father, and grandfather – and I have a passion for cooking. My father was a professional chef. My mother was a housewife, but an extremely great cook. I grew up having a home-cooked meal everyday.

I became interested in cooking as a young boy, watching my father or my mother preparing meals. I think this is what really influenced my love and appreciation for food. Although there were not many cooking programs on television, I remember, as a young boy, watching “The French Chef” with Julia Child. She spawned an interest for me in cooking. I began cooking at an early age, often helping my mother prepare the evening meal. This gave me the confidence to cook for other people. Over the years, I continued to watch as many cooking programs as I could. Many PBS chefs such as Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, and Jeff Smith were influences on me. Graham Kerr was also a major influence. I believe what I learned the most from the television chefs was technique, and it gave me the confidence to prepare various meals on my own.

I have appeared on WPSU-TV (State College, PA) several times giving cooking demonstrations in their “Alphabet” cooking series. Here in Warren, I have entered cooking competitions and have won the grand prize two years, and first prize in several categories. In 2008, one of my recipes was published in the Perkins Restaurant 50th anniversary cookbook. I have also done some small catering projects.

Although I prepare several Swedish recipes passed down from my father, my cuisine is very versatile. I love to modify and customize existing recipes, as well as creating my own versions of classic favorites. I hope that you will enjoy your visit to this website. I will be posting some of my favorite recipes and will try to show techniques through pictures. I would welcome your questions and comments. Let me know if you have made one of my dishes and what the results were. Once again, thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoy!

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