French chocolate truffles - a must-have for Christmas!
Each year, every gourmet awaits the arrival of Christmas truffles with great impatience - their flavors, their unparalleled texture, but also the symbol that they represent, announcing the arrival of the holiday season, the most wonderful time of the year.
The origin of chocolate truffles
The story behind the invention of these wonderful delicacies is quite amusing: many years ago, in 1895, a confectioner named Louis Dufour in Chambéry, in the Savoie region of France, didn’t have all the ingredients for the recipe for his special Christmas chocolates. That was when he had the genius idea of making something with what he had available: heavy cream, cocoa and vanilla - no milk or butter! With this mixture, he had just created a ganache. He used it to make small balls, which he coated in melted chocolate and decided to roll in cocoa powder. Thus, the truffle was born!
These chocolates would become one of the most popular recipes for the holidays, especially in France, where they have become a quintessential part of the festive season for many families! Truffles are rooted in years of tradition, and at Maison RICHART, we never fail to respect tradition when it comes to chocolate.
The best recipe for chocolate truffles
A dark chocolate truffle is far more than a simple food product, it’s a true gastronomic delight. All experts and discerning gourmets will agree, the quality of a truffle is measured by a combination of very specific characteristics. At Maison RICHART, making chocolate truffles involves a long, meticulous process lasting many hours; a delicate, yet harmonious pairing between modernity and the great French chocolate-making tradition. With their hands, our master chocolatiers carefully shape and craft each truffle, made from whipped ganache. This produces a light, luscious, silky texture, with each flavor - which has extremely concentrated aromatic notes and low sugar content - blooming on the palate under a thin, crisp shell.
Just for you, we will share a few of the secrets behind making them…
Selecting aromatic cocoa beans
It all starts with a meticulous, careful selection of the cocoa, which is one of the key ingredients in our truffles. In our opinion, the most well-suited area of production for our truffle recipe is in the Dominican Republic. There, you will find ideal conditions to produce cocoa beans with delicate aromatic notes of yellow fruit and roasting, which are particularly delicious in these chocolates with warm flavors.
Contrasting textures in chocolate truffles
Upon tasting a truffle, the first moment of pleasure comes from the contrast between the slightly crisp outer layer, covered in chocolate, and the inside, which should be extra luscious and ultra-light on the palate. This comes from ensuring that the outer coating is the perfect thickness. For the inside, we add the ingredients (heavy cream and cocoa powder - no need for butter) to a bowl and combine the mixture well, then whip it. No heat is used in our recipe! Next, we roll the truffles in cocoa powder, so they are lightly coated - just enough to subtly enhance these little balls of happiness.
Whipped ganache for an airy truffle
In confectionery and baking, whipping a mixture means beating air into it. This step in the recipe will increase the volume of the mixture, turning it into a “whipped” ganache. This type of ganache offers a unique sensation of lightness on the palate, which will further develop the aromatic notes of dark chocolate, cream and vanilla (real vanilla - not from extract!). Thanks to this technique, the “contact surface” between the ingredients in the mixture and the sensors in our taste buds is increased, as there are more particles, smaller in size. It also preserves the typical yellow fruit and roasted notes of the cocoa beans from the Dominican Republic, used in this recipe.
Carefully coat your truffles for an unparalleled result
Each truffle is then dipped in single origin Dominican Republic dark chocolate, to enhance the aromas of the ganache (70% pure cocoa), then individually rolled in cocoa powder for extra intensity, without bitterness.
To best enjoy this luxury artisanal product, store the truffles in the least cold part of your fridge, but when it comes time to taste, let them come to room temperature. Enjoy them soon after receiving them, to ensure that the silky texture and rich aromatic flavors remain at optimal quality.
A great gourmet gift idea
As the holiday season approaches, choose a chocolate gift box from Maison RICHART. All our followers agree, it’s one of the greatest ways you can bring joy and delight to the ones you love. And you can’t put a price on that! RICHART gift boxes come in an elegant, immaculately white box, enclosing gourmet products made using meticulous artisanal recipes, dark, milk and white chocolates, macarons, glazed chestnuts and of course, chocolate truffles! Refined products with timeless flavors, beloved by our French clients as well as our followers around the world - the finest reward we could ask for.
Wherever you’re located, our truffles and other treats are sure to please whoever receives them! You can also personalize your delivered gift with a message printed on a lovely card. You can collect your order from our local shops in Paris, Lyon, or Saint-André de Corcy, if you’re located in France, or have it delivered via our website (free shipping under certain conditions). It’s never been so simple to fall in love with gourmet chocolate!
On behalf of the entire team at RICHART, we hope you enjoy your chocolate tasting experience.
Your opinion is precious to us: get in contact on social media to post a photo or share your experience of the purchase and shipping of your box of chocolate truffles with us and our followers. On our website, you can also send us a message or request and we will respond via email.
