FESTIVE ORANGE-KISSED CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES + Thank-You

December 17, 2015

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Orange-Kissed Chocolate Truffles

These decadent truffles are the real deal. All the ingredients I have sourced from local producers.

Ingredients

• 100 ml cream - dairy-free use coconut cream
• 200 g quality chocolate, broken into squares - I used Hogarth Chocolate 70% Madagascar
• pinch of Marlborough sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon orange powder*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• For dusting:
• 1/2 teaspoon orange powder*
• 1 tablespoon cacao powder

Instructions

• In a small saucepan heat the cream until small bubbles appear around the sides. Remove from the heat (this is very important!) and drop in the chocolate squares. Add the salt, orange powder and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Chill the mix for at least 4 hours to set.
• Use a teaspoon to scoop the set chocolate mixture, then use your hands to roll into small walnut-sized balls. Combine the cacao and extra orange powder on a plate and roll the truffles to lightly dust. Store in the fridge in an airtight container, consume within 1 week.

Notes

*To make orange powder, thinly peel the zest of one orange into long strips. Arrange in a single layer on a lined baking tray. Dry the zest in a 40-50C oven set on fan bake until crisp. This takes about 2-3 hours. (Alternatively use a dehydrator). Grind the dried orange strips in a coffee grinder into a fine powder.

Today I share my last recipe for the year plus a special post to say…

Thank-you dear readers, for following along on my journey of living simply, growing food in our backyard, and eating predominately locally produced food. When I started this online space a little over 3 years ago initially I felt like I needed to keep up with the latest food trends to get noticed. However, the more I have stayed true to our own simple way of eating – in season, traditional, homegrown and local foods – the more I have enjoyed creating the recipes, stories and images to share with you here.

With the ever-increasing size of this online world I feel very honoured by the continued interest in my ‘homegrown kitchen’ at the bottom of the world. At times it can be a lonely job planning and creating content to be posted out into the online abyss. However, the comments and emails I receive truly make it worth it. I know my recipes are being used and enjoyed. So thank-you for following along.

And while I am on the subject I would also like to thank all of my lovely workshop attendees. Since I began teaching again 2 years ago (after a break to become a Mama to my gorgeous children), every single cooking workshop around the country has been sold out weeks in advance. I still have to pinch myself when this happens, do people really want to come and listen to what I have to say? Sharing my passion and knowledge this way brings me so much joy, especially as I get to communicate with real people – rather than a computer or phone! I am so grateful for your support.

Alrighty, that is enough thanks from me for one day. And I know you are really here for the chocolate, right?! I wanted my last recipe for the year to go out with a bang and of course, have a Christmas-y slant. As the year draws to an end I find our afternoons are spent in the kitchen baking biscuits and goodies (much to my children’s delight) to share at end-of-year events. Including a large batch of these festive truffles. For some years now as a whole family, we have chosen to focus on sharing a beautiful meal together on Christmas day rather than gifts. However, it is still nice to have something to give as thanks for those special people in our lives.

These truffles make the perfect edible gift. They are decadently rich with the most amazing silky smooth texture, and a little goes a long way! It is essential to use good quality chocolate, so splash out a bit here. I used locally made chocolate from Hogarth Craft Chocolate, which makes their chocolate from single-origin beans sourced directly from the grower. And the orange powder is the secret ingredient, do not skip this step! It really is the genius component using real orange zest dried until crisp then ground into a powder. Let me know what you think.

Happy holidays, and see you in the New Year with some summer harvest recipes 🙂

Thanks to my sister Ana Galloway Photography for the photos of the truffles.