Harvest season is upon us fellow food lovers. There's no better time of year to indulge in the bounty of local produce. Today we're going to substitute a more traditional truffle filling for one that, at the very least, will get some dietary fibre into you and contains a serving of fruit.This is an advanced recipe, so strap on your aprons you intermediate cooks because it's time to graduate.
Apples are just coming into season as we head into Autumn and what better way to get your apple a day then wrapped in rich dark chocolate? I won't sugar coat this confection, it is time consuming and not for those looking for a quick sugar fix. If you have the time and dedication it's worth the reward.
Harvest Time Truffles:
3lbs of apples (whatever you can get in quantity)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 pint Raspberries
2 packages Raspberry gelatin
6 oz Dark chocolate
1/4 cup Cocoa powder
1/4 cup Icing sugar
3 cups Water
2 cups Corn Syrup
Peel and core the apples and place them in a large heavy bottomed pot. Wash the raspberries, then puree and strain off any seeds. Place the raspberry puree into the pot of apples with the water and lemon juice. Bring the entire contents to a boil and reduce to a simmer until the apples are mushy. Using whatever works best for you (I use an immersion blender for this) mash the apples until there are no discernible lumps.
Add the gelatin and corn syrup to the pot and continue simmering.
The cooking time is the most difficult element of this dish. The mixture will need to reduce on the stove until it is about 1/4 of its volume. The desire here is to turn the heat up and speed up your cooking time, but avoid this temptation. Due to the high sugar levels in this dish it can and will burn easily. The trick here is to heat the mixture just enough to continue evaporating the liquid without burning. My stove is very sub-par so I let my mixture cook (with minimal supervision) for approximately 12 hours. Stirring occasionally to prevent clumps and burning.
Your filling is ready when it is thick enough to hold shape. Test small amounts in the freezer if you are unsure.
Once properly reduced, allow the mixture to cool then roll into balls and place in the freezer. While your filling chills, place 6oz dark chocolate in a double boiler until melted. Mix together in a bowl the cocoa powder and icing sugar. Dip the chilled filling into the chocolate then roll in cocoa powder until dry enough to handle.
Store in an air tight container in the fridge or freezer for 1-2 weeks.
Eat and enjoy!
