At least once in our lives we want to push the boat out and buy an elegant gift for a friend or lover. Perhaps their birthday, a celebration, or just because. There is little more decadent than champagne chocolate truffles. However, they sound expensive but they are within everyone's budget if you know where to look. The only decision you need to make is white, milk or dark.
For the majority of us, a trip to the supermarket is the limit of our budget, but that is fine. Tesco has a great box for about seven pounds for 140 grams of both white and dark choccies, all with champagne at the centre. Hmmm tasty!. For those able to splash out a little more, why not visit Harrods in Knightsbridge. Don't worry it won't break the bank. For fourteen pounds, you can get 125 g of truffles made of smooth ganache covered in icing sugar. Oh my!
For those on a bigger budget, or if it is an extra special gift, or huge apology, then Fortnum and Mason's is the place to go. This store was opened in 1707 and in 1738 rather surprisingly invented scotch eggs. The truffle hamper is what you are after however. For the sum of sixty pounds, you receive two boxes of 165 g truffles and a bottle of bubbly. If you are lucky the recipient of this hamper will want to share it with you.
For those who hate store-bought gifts, if you have a little patience in the kitchen, champagne truffles are not that difficult to make yourself. They are fiddly and a little messy but forty balls of choclatey goodness is so worth it.
For the truffles you will need 250 g of dark and 200 g of milk chocolate, 100 ml double cream, 65 g butter, 500 g icing sugar (I didn't say they were low calorie!), and 100 ml of pink champagne and 4 tsp of brandy. For the dip a further 750 g of dark chocolate is required.
This recipe is in two parts; you melt 750 g dark chocolate in a bowl placed over boiling water in a saucepan. Be extra careful not to let it burn or to let water splash into the bowl. It is best to do this bit last.
For truffles add all the chopped chocolate into a bowl. Then, add cream and butter to a pan and when it boils pour over the chopped chocolate. After thirty seconds mix it until it is a silky ganache (See, you can get Harrod's chocs at home).
Spread this mixture over a rectangular pan to enable it to cool evenly. When it is a consistency to be piped put it in an icing bag and pipe some little lozenges onto a baking sheet, each approximately a quarter of a centimetre. Pop them in the refrigerator until they can be moulded into balls. Then stick them back in the fridge.
Get ready for the messy bit. Take the balls and dip them into the melted chocolate before rolling them in the icing sugar. They are then left in the icing sugar until they are set firm. Now, taste a couple of them (just to make sure), then pack them into the gift box you prepared for the occasion.
For the majority of us, a trip to the supermarket is the limit of our budget, but that is fine. Tesco has a great box for about seven pounds for 140 grams of both white and dark choccies, all with champagne at the centre. Hmmm tasty!. For those able to splash out a little more, why not visit Harrods in Knightsbridge. Don't worry it won't break the bank. For fourteen pounds, you can get 125 g of truffles made of smooth ganache covered in icing sugar. Oh my!
For those on a bigger budget, or if it is an extra special gift, or huge apology, then Fortnum and Mason's is the place to go. This store was opened in 1707 and in 1738 rather surprisingly invented scotch eggs. The truffle hamper is what you are after however. For the sum of sixty pounds, you receive two boxes of 165 g truffles and a bottle of bubbly. If you are lucky the recipient of this hamper will want to share it with you.
For those who hate store-bought gifts, if you have a little patience in the kitchen, champagne truffles are not that difficult to make yourself. They are fiddly and a little messy but forty balls of choclatey goodness is so worth it.
For the truffles you will need 250 g of dark and 200 g of milk chocolate, 100 ml double cream, 65 g butter, 500 g icing sugar (I didn't say they were low calorie!), and 100 ml of pink champagne and 4 tsp of brandy. For the dip a further 750 g of dark chocolate is required.
This recipe is in two parts; you melt 750 g dark chocolate in a bowl placed over boiling water in a saucepan. Be extra careful not to let it burn or to let water splash into the bowl. It is best to do this bit last.
For truffles add all the chopped chocolate into a bowl. Then, add cream and butter to a pan and when it boils pour over the chopped chocolate. After thirty seconds mix it until it is a silky ganache (See, you can get Harrod's chocs at home).
Spread this mixture over a rectangular pan to enable it to cool evenly. When it is a consistency to be piped put it in an icing bag and pipe some little lozenges onto a baking sheet, each approximately a quarter of a centimetre. Pop them in the refrigerator until they can be moulded into balls. Then stick them back in the fridge.
Get ready for the messy bit. Take the balls and dip them into the melted chocolate before rolling them in the icing sugar. They are then left in the icing sugar until they are set firm. Now, taste a couple of them (just to make sure), then pack them into the gift box you prepared for the occasion.
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