CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE HEAVEN

If you're looking for the perfect 'look, I made this all myself' Valentine gift, how about whipping up some delicious chocolate truffles?

Theo Randall, the former River Café Head Chef who has just launched his own restaurant at London’s Intercontinental Hotel, has shared the secret recipe for his sublime chocolate truffles, which he serves in his restaurant and will sell exclusively at the forthcoming Italian lifestyle festival, La Dolce Vita, on 8-11 March.

These decadent treats make a thoughtful Valentines gift and the simple recipe is below.

Ingredients:

600g of 70% chocolate
100g of butter
300ml double cream
Double shot of whiskey

Prepare a bain-marie (a bowl suspended in a saucepan half-filled with water) and place 400g of chocolate and 100g of butter together in the bowl.

Once the chocolate and butter have melted, stir together and they should emulsify. 

Add warm cream and the whiskey and stir again until smooth.  Leave to cool, covered in the fridge for two hours.
Once cooled, scoop out round balls of truffle mix with a melon baller. 

Melt 200g of 70% chocolate and put the chocolate balls into the melted chocolate.

Drain any excess of chocolate off the truffles and place straight in a large bowl of cocoa powder. Then take the truffles out of the cocoa, shake excess cocoa powder and scoff as many of them as you can...