sMOKED HARAKEKE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Makes 50 truffles

Chocolate truffle recipe:
  • 125g unsalted butter
  • 125g dark chocolate
  • 125g caster sugar
  • 125g eggs
Truffle dip recipe:
  • 50g toasted and ground harakeke seeds
  • 200g dark chocolate
Special equipment:
  • Fine mānuka chips
  • Smoking gun
  1. Heat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease a rectangle loaf tin then line it with baking paper. 
  2. Melt the butter, sugar and chocolate together in a bowl over a double-boiler. Stir with a spatula as the ingredients are melting to ensure no large pieces remain unmelted.
  3. While the chocolate mixture is melting, whisk the eggs until they are very smooth. 
  4. Whisk the eggs into the chocolate mixture. Continue whisking until the mixture is well combined, thick and glossy. 
  5. Pour the chocolate truffle mixture into the prepared tin. Place the tin inside a larger, deeper baking dish. Pour boiling water into the larger dish until there is enough water to come one-third of the way up the side of the loaf tin. Cover the larger dish with foil and transfer to the oven. 
  6. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes. The chocolate truffle mix should be set around the edges with a slight jiggle in the middle. Remove the chocolate from the larger baking dish and leave it to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before being transferred to the fridge overnight.
  7. The next day, break the chocolate truffle mix into small pieces and place them into a food processor. Set up the smoking gun with mānuka wood chips. Position the smoking tip just above the processor bowl lid. Start blending the chocolate truffle mix on slow speed. Light the smoking gun and smoke the chocolate truffle mixture while the processor is running.
  8. Transfer the smoked chocolate truffle mix to a piping bag. Pipe small balls of chocolate truffle mix onto a baking tray. Freeze for at least 3-4 hours before moving on to dipping and rolling.
To dip and roll the smoked chocolate truffles:
  1. Melt the dark chocolate over a double-boiler. 
  2. Using a skewer, lightly dip the smoked chocolate truffles into the melted dark chocolate one at a time. 
  3. Roll the dipped truffles into the ground harakeke seeds until they are lighlt coated. Place the dipped and rolled smoked harakeke chocolate truffles onto a baking tray. When they’re all dipped and rolled, place the tray in the fridge for an hour to allow them to fully set. 
  4. After an hour transfer the smoked harakeke chocolate truffles into a container and keep in the fridge until ready to eat.