Everyone loves a good chocolate truffle, but few people know how and why they taste as good as they do. The word truffle itself has several meanings in the world of confections. Like the word praline, you have to clarify what is being discussed. That’s because in different countries words mean different things. The original chocolate truffle, a French invention, was a ball of ganache made with chocolate and cream, often flavored and rolled in cocoa. It was named after the precious black truffle fungus because of its physical resemblance.
According to legend, the chocolate truffle was created in the kitchen of French culinary giant Auguste Escoffier during the 1920s. One day, as his stagiaire (apprentice) attempted to make pastry cream, he accidentally poured hot cream into a bowl of chocolate chunks rather than the bowl of sugared egg he should have aimed for. As the chocolate and cream mixture hardened, he found he could work the chocolate paste with his hands to form a bumpy, lopsided ball. After rolling the new creation in cocoa powder, he was struck by their resemblance to the luxurious truffles from the French Périgord region and the Piedmont area of Italy. As the concept developed, different truffle textures were created by rolling the ganache center in white confectioners sugar or finely chopped nuts, and the ganache was flavored with Champagne and liqueurs.
Today, the term "truffle" is often used in America to describe any filled chocolate, which becomes confusing. If you see a box labeled 'chocolate truffles' are you going to get round balls of ganache, ganache-filled chocolates, or a box of assorted cremes and other mixed chocolates? A box of chocolate is like life: Unless you have a set of guarantees you can rely on, you have no idea what you are going to get. Fortunately, at Legacy Chocolates, we have been making the same ganache and truffle recipes for over fourteen years. You definitely know what you are getting with us - fresh, preservative-free chocolate, cream, and flavor filled balls of bliss
