Caribbean Rum Truffles
by Michael Krug of L.A. Burdick Chocolates
for Rebecca Gray
from American Artisanal
(Rizzoli, 2008)
Makes about 150 small truffles

When I asked Larry and Paula Burdick to share one of their recipes, they turned me over to Burdick's production chef, Michael Krug. He sent the recipe below and said: "I wanted to make sure that the recipe that is used is not too complicated, but still thrilling in a culinary perspective." It is, indeed, thrilling!

When I tested the recipe I cut it in half and it worked perfectly. But as Chef Michael said, "why go to all that bother for only 75 truffles?" After tasting these luscious bonbons, I understood his point.

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1. Chop half of the chocolate into small pieces and place them in the bowl of a standing electric mixer. (A mixer will make it easier to combine the ganache than a mixing bowl with a hand whisk). Combine the honey, glucose, cream, orange zest, salt, and nutmeg in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Take the pan off the heat and let the cream steep for about 15 minutes.

2. Heat the cream mixture up again and pour hot, but not boiling, through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl with the chopped chocolate. Mix very well with the mixer or a whisk to a smooth ganache. Add the rum and butter and mix again.

3. Place two sheet pans upside down on a counter top and cover them tightly with plastic wrap. Pour half of the ganache on top of each pan and cover with another layer of plastic. Make supports for the ends of a rolling pin, one on either side of each sheet pan, using two books or magazines of the same height. Resting the ends of the rolling pin on the supports, roll the ganache to a uniform thickness of about 1/4 inch. Let the ganache rest for 36 hours or up to 72 hours in a cool but dry place.

4. After the ganache has rested, cut it with a knife into small, even pieces; the size is your preference. Wearing plastic gloves, roll the pieces into small round truffle-shaped bonbons.

5. Meanwhile, melt the remaining chocolate in a double boiler over steaming, but not boiling, water. (It is important that the melting of the chocolate is done gently and not at too hot a temperature, as chocolate can be burned if it is heated higher than 130°F (54°C) . Milk and white chocolate are even more sensitive and should not heat over 120°F (49°C).

6. Still wearing the gloves, place some of the warm melted chocolate in your palms and coat each truffle with a thin layer of chocolate. We like to roll our truffles with a chocolate that is 94 to 99°F (34 to 37°C). Place the coated truffles on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and let them rest in a cool room for 30 minutes.

7. Coat the truffles a second time with another thin layer of chocolate, then roll them in cocoa powder with a fork and let them rest in a cocoa powder for at least 2 hours in a cool area.

8. Take the truffles out of the cocoa powder and brush excess powder off with a pastry brush. (Do this gently, as cocoa powder is very light and could provide a thin layer of cocoa dust over your kitchen). Place the truffles on a tray and serve at room temperature. Truffles will stay fresh in a cool room for up to 14 days.