Goat Cheese Truffles

My sister and I held a chocolate dinner party with a bunch of gals and we had such a great time!  The food was outstanding, and each dish included chocolate of some sort. (Except 2 side dishes – mashed potatoes and asparagus.)  My job was to bring to the party, the appetizers, which I shall happily blog for you soon, and the famous goat cheese truffles…

I grabbed the recipe from Food Network – George Duran, and I really wouldn’t change a thing on this recipe, except perhaps to coat the truffles with tempered chocolate.  That’s about it!  I went with his recipe, using cocoa to coat the ganache and it was outstanding!!  The most unique part of this truffle is the stages of flavor that ran in my mouth.  First the cocoa… I used Starbucks’ hot cocoa for the outside of the truffle, then the elegant dark chocolate flavor, and then the wonderful taste of goat cheese lingered afterward.  It was sweet heaven!

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 ounces fresh (mild) goat cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Directions:

In the top of a double boiler, or in a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water (make sure the water does not touch the bowl),melt the chocolate, stirring until it is smooth. Set the melted chocolate aside to cool for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a bowl whisk together the goat cheese, sugar, and vanilla until it is light and fluffy. Whisk in the melted chocolate until it is well combined. Chill, covered, until it is firm, at least 1 hour.

To form the truffles, take a heaping teaspoon of the chocolate/cheese mixture and lightly roll it into a ball with your hands. Roll the finished truffles in the sifted cocoa powder, set them onto a baking sheet lined with waxed paper, and chill until they are firm, about 30 minutes. The truffles can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

I really had to laugh about the 3 days storage time… who could really keep truffles like these stored that long???  We ate our batch!! Of course, I did have lots of help from the group of gals.  And my sweet family; they too enjoyed, no, SAVORED the taste of the truffle.