Chèvre Chocolate Truffles

Goat Cheese Chocolate Truffles
Gourmet | October 1993

Makes about 25 truffles.

ingredients

6 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) fresh goat cheese
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon pure lemon extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted, for coating the truffles

preparation

In a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt the chocolate, stirring until it is smooth, remove the bowl from the pan, and let the chocolate cool slightly. In a bowl whisk together the goat cheese, the confectioners' sugar, the vanilla, and the lemon extract until the mixture is light and fluffy, whisk in the chocolate until the mixture is combined well, and chill the mixture, covered, for 1 hour, or until it is firm. Form heaping teaspoons of the mixture into balls and roll the balls in the cocoa powder. Chill the truffles on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper for 30 minutes, or until they are firm. The truffles keep in an airtight container, chilled, for 3 days.

I used Callebaut 60% bittersweet chocolate and a small round of plain Haute Goat Creamery cheese. It's easier to (carefully) melt the chocolate in the microwave, heating and stirring it at 30-second intervals. I left out the lemon extract. For dusting the truffles, I used Dutch-process cocoa instead of unsweetened, and I added some cinnamon and chipotle powder to the cocoa. On a second batch I tried adding Kahlua before shaping and those truffles were delicious. It was also easier to incorporate the cheese and chocolate with a spatula instead of a whisk, since the mixture tends to get stuck in the whisk loops. There are dozens of ways to customize this recipe to your liking. Suggestions: use a flavored cheese, like fig, orange, or jalapeño, instead of plain. Change the ratio of cheese to chocolate and/or adjust powdered sugar to taste. Experiment with liqueurs, e.g., add Kahlua and roll the truffles in espresso powder; add Frangelico and roll them in toasted hazelnuts; add Kirsch and chopped dried cherries; add coconut extract or coconut rum and roll them in coconut.