Day 4 - Champagne Truffles
Champagne has got to be one of my favorite things in life. It's the international celebratory beverage, but personally, it's always stirred a bit of magic in my heart. A beverage to drink when one is happy, needs some cheering up, when one is in love, celebrating or just wants a sip of luxury, champagne will always be a classic go to. As the erroneous myth tells, Dom Perignon yelled "come quick, I am drinking stars" when he discovered the bubbly beverage on accident, even though this is not true, I like to hold on to the story for it captures the essence of bubbly, drinking stars. To note, sparkling wine is believed to be invented by Christopher Merret, who was a scientist. Marlyn Monroe, another one of my favorites, had a very public love affair with pink champagne, another little tid bit that has always added so much more glamor to the beverage in my eyes. Drinking champagne aside, mixing it with dark chocolate is about the fastest way to add special sparkle to any tasting experience. I will be completely honest, in my early 20's I developed a secret, bad, very bad day cure. As embarrassing as this can be, I will share. On the absolute worst of worst days, which are far and few between, I use to go to Godiva, buy one of their fantastic champagne truffles, tuck it in to my purse and go to any high end store and try on the most boldly hued Herve Leger dress. My favorite thing would be to slowly savor every flavor of the champagne truffle while tucked away in the silence of the dressing room in the absolutely stupendous and luxurious dress. Yes, something about doing this would entertain me and tickle me to a degree that any woe would be far from my heart. I guess it was the perfect way to play grown up dress up and escape for a minute. Clearly, little champagne truffles have always been a very special treat for me, even better when paired with a glass of champagne. A classy and elegant morsel for any event, these seem to sparkle brighter around the holidays when shared with loved ones.
This recipe is rich, easy to make and can be made ahead of time. I like to make a big pot of the ganache and store it in the refrigerator, for the month of December. They are perfect for any last minute gestures that may have slipped your mind around this time. Just roll several and you have a last minute holiday gift. They are also just about the most perfect treat for entertaining. Cin Cin!
Champagne Truffles
16 oz of high quality, dark chocolate - broken into pieces
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup of champagne
Heat cream in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stir and be careful not to scorch the cream, bring to a boil. Place chocolate in a medium bowl and pour cream over chocolate, stir until smooth, add champagne, mix. Let chocolate firm several hours. Roll in to balls, coat with raw sugar. Enjoy!
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