New years, new decisions, new beginnings… In our minds, those changes represent a bright future full of opportunities. New beginings somehow give us hope, fill us with anticipation and optimism. We need new beginnings and the potential happiness and fulfillment they might bring. Most of the time, however, they are just bittersweet.

The 2013 has started rough for me and my family. We’ve had our share of bad news, followed by some more bad news. Sadness, fear and the feeling of helplessness followed me around as the rest of the world embraced the potential of yet another new and promising begining.

To make things more interesting, bad news were followed by overwhelmingly good news. It came as a complete surprise and left me speachless with a warm tickling sensation all around. I’m not going to tell you details yet. I will, however,  tell you that I have never felt this excited.

It’s all very confusing. The beginning of 2013 will be remembered by mixed emotions and a strange bittersweet aftertaste.

I have learned one thing, though. If life has a bittersweet aftertaste, it’s best to pair it with some good quality bittersweet chocolate. Most of the time, it really is the best thing you can do.

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Chocolate Hibiscus Truffles

Makes about 40 truffles
Prep time: 30min + chilling time
Cook time: 5min
Total time: 35min
Difficulty: Basic

Category: Petit fours & candies

These elegant looking truffles have a nice and crisp chocolate coating and a rich and creamy interior. The  richness of dark chocolate is wonderfully balanced with a slightly tangy and fruity flavor of hibiscus.

For the Chocolate hibiscus truffles:

Ingredients

260g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
180ml heavy cream
3 teaspoons dried hibiscus flowers
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon Grand Marnier

Directions

Place the chopped chocolate in a heat resistant bowl and set aside. In a small, heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the cream and hibiscus flowers. Bring the cream just to a boil and remove from heat. Cover with a lid and allow to steep for 30 minutes. The cream will be a rich red color and you should feel the aroma of hibiscus. Add the butter and bring the mixture to the boil again. Add Grand Marnier, strain and pour over chocolate pieces and let this sit for a few minutes, until the chocolate is melted. Using a whisk, gently stir the cream and the chocolate together until combined. You should get a thick and smooth ganache. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until completely set, about 2 hours.
Using a melon-baller or a teaspoon, scoop out chocolate balls from the chilled ganache. Roll the balls between the palms of your hands quickly and place them on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes, or until firm.

For the Chocolate glaze:

Ingredients

200g bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
4 tablespoons oil
dried hibiscus flowers, to garnish

Directions

Melt the chocolate and oil on a double boiler (bain-marie). Remove from heat, transfer to a small bowl and leave it to cool for couple of minutes. Dip the chocolate balls into the melted chocolate one at the time, letting the excess chocolate drip off. Place the truffles on a parchment-lined baking sheet and top each one with a dried hibiscus flower. Refrigerate until set. Remove the truffles from the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before serving.

Author: Monika Topolko

 

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