It’s been an interesting few months. I’m still trying to adjust to “the new normal” brought about by the pandemic, so I apologize for not posting anything in a while.
July is normally Mango Madness, but my mango supply was fairly limited due to quarantine. This was one of the things that I made with the supply of mangoes that I did get, and it was so perfectly refreshing for the hot Florida summer.
Mango Passion Fruit Sorbet
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups mango puree
1 cup seedless passion fruit pulp
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
Directions
In a small saucepan, combine the passion fruit pulp and sugar. Bring to a boil, then boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Add the passion fruit syrup to the mango puree. Stir in the lime juice. Refrigerate until very cold.
Freeze the sorbet mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions. Transfer the sorbet to a freezer-safe container and freeze until firm.
For Latinos, guava and cream cheese go together like milk and cookies. One of my mother’s favorite after-dinner treats was eating canned guava shells over a slice of cream cheese. We also grew up eating guava paste over sliced cheese as a snack. So, I’m not sure why it never occurred to me until now to make guava cheesecake.
I used crushed Maria cookies for the crust, but you can also use graham crackers if you are unable to find Maria cookies in your area.
Melt the guava paste in the microwave with a little bit of rum (or water). I like to do this right before I start making the cheesecake batter. This way, it has a few minutes to cool so that you’re not adding bubbling hot guava paste to your batter.
As usual, I prefer to make my cheesecake batter in the blender. I have heard people say that this adds too many air bubbles and ruins the texture. That has never been my experience. Just be careful not to overmix.
After the batter is done, it’s 20 minutes of High Pressure and then 15 minutes of Natural Release to have a delicious guava cheesecake on your hands!
The addition of the guava gives the cheesecake a nice mauve color. My taste testers agreed that the guava flavor was noticeable in each bite. I call that a win!
Like with most cheesecakes, it is best to make the guava cheesecake at least one day before serving for best flavor.
Pressure Cooker Guava Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
1 cup crushed Maria cookies (or graham cracker crumbs)
3 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp sugar
For the Cheesecake:
1lb of cream cheese, softened
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
7oz guava paste
1 tablespoon rum (or water)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Mix the cookie crumbs, butter, and sugar in a small bowl until all of the crumbs are moistened. Press onto the bottom of a greased 7in springform pan. Set aside, or pre-bake the crust if desired.
In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the guava paste and the rum in the microwave in 20-second intervals on High until the paste has melted and resembles jam. Set aside.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender and blend on until just combined. Add the melted guava paste and blend until no streaks of guava remain. Be careful not to overmix. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan.
Pour 1 cup of water in the liner of your electric pressure cooker. Place the springform pan on a trivet in the pressure cooker. Cover, seal, and cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes. When the cooking time is done, allow the pressure to release naturally for an additional 15 minutes before you release any remaining pressure.
Remove the cheesecake from the pressure cooker and use paper towel to blot any excess moisture that collected on the cheesecake. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before unmolding and serving.
Commercial petit fours can be very hit or miss. In my experience, they are often too cloying. That, or they are filled with things that I don’t like (almond extract, anyone)? It’s a shame, because they are absolutely adorable. They also have to pack a lot of flavor into a small package. That was the goal when I made these Strawberries and Champagne Petit Fours.
For the uninitiated, a petit four (French for “little oven”) is the name given to a small confection (usually a cake) that is typically served after a meal. They are always bite sized. This is a good thing, because they tend to be very rich and/or sweet. My strawberries and champagne petit fours use a champagne pound cake, strawberry frosting, and poured fondant icing flavored with champagne.
Petit fours are a bit time-consuming to make, so it is best to plan ahead. Sometimes, I bake and frost my cakes one day, then cut and glaze the next.
I used sparkling Rose for my petit fours, mainly because I thought it would be cute to make pink ones for Valentine’s Day. But, you are welcome to use regular sparkling wine or champagne. Use the driest kind that you can find. There is already plenty of sugar in these, so there is no need to use a sweet champagne.
1/2 batch of strawberry frosting (I used this recipe)
For the Poured Fondant (Adapted from this recipe):
4 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup champagne reduction (see *NOTE)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 drops of sparkling wine flavoring
Pink food coloring if desired
Directions
Make the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8 x 8 inch square pan with nonstick cooking spray (the kind with flour) or grease and flour it.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the melted butter, sugar, and sour cream. Stir in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla and sparkling wine flavoring (if using).
Add the dry ingredients alternately with the champagne, beating until just combined with each addition. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 27-32 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean (mine took 30 minutes). Place the cake (still in the pan) on a wire rack. Use a toothpick to poke holes over the surface of the cake, then slowly pour the champagne soaking syrup over the hot cake. Let the cake finish cooling completely before frosting.
To make the soaking syrup:
Heat the sugar and champagne in a small saucepan over medium heat until it boils. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
Prepare the strawberry frosting before assembling.
Assembly:
Remove the cooled cake from the pan. If the cake has a dome, trim off the dome using a cake leveler or a bread knife.
Torte the cake into two even halves. Spread strawberry frosting over one of the halves, then top with the second half. Spread additional strawberry frosting over this half, then place in the freezer until the frosting is firm and no longer sticks to your fingers when touched. This took about 2 hours for me.
Remove the cake from the freezer. Trim off the dry edges of the cake, then cut the cake into even pieces. You can cut it into squares using a knife, or you can use a cookie or biscuit cutter to cut out shapes.
Place the cut cake bites in the freezer while you make the poured fondant.
Make the Poured Fondant Icing:
Prepare a double boiler over medium heat; bring 2 inches of water in the lower pot to a simmer. Sift confectioners’ sugar and salt into the top of the boiler. Add corn syrup and champagne reduction; whisk until well blended. Stir with a spatula until icing is completely smooth and an instant-read thermometer registers no higher than 105 degrees F (40 degrees C), about 5 minutes.
Stir in the champagne flavoring and vanilla extract into the icing. Keep stirring until icing takes on a glossy sheen and flows easily off of the spatula, about 2 minutes. Add food coloring, if using. Reduce heat to low to keep the fondant the proper consistency while you glaze. Glaze your strawberries and champagne petit fours using your preferred method. For best results, take only a few out of the freezer at a time while you dip so that the rest remain firm for dipping.
*NOTE: To make champagne reduction, bring 1 cup of champagne to a boil in a small saucepan. Continue to boil until the champagne darkens in color and is reduced to about 1/4 cup.
In the US, most of us think of cheese when we hear the word “curd.” However, curds made of fruit are popular in other parts of the world. They are eaten as a spread or as a dessert topping. My first introduction to fruit curd was the lemon kind, but lemon has never been my first choice. I figured that it would also work with passion fruit, due to the high acidity. The passion fruit curd is now the only curd that I ever make.
You can use curd in a lot of ways. I have personally used it as a filling for cakes or sweet rolls, yogurt topping, pie/tart filling, and macaron filling.
Pressure Cooker Passion Fruit Curd
Ingredients
1/3 cup seedless passion fruit pulp
3/8 cup sugar
2 large eggs (or 3 yolks)
3 tbsp butter, cubed
Directions
Combine the passion fruit pulp, sugar, and eggs in a blender. Pour into a 16oz mason jar. Cover the mason jar, but do not screw on the ring.
Add 1 cup of water to the liner of your electric pressure cooker. Place the covered mason jar on a trivet in the pressure cooker. Cover, seal, and cook on High Pressure for 10 minutes. When the timer is up, let the pressure release naturally for an additional 10 minutes before releasing any remaining pressure.
Carefully remove the jar from the pressure cooker and uncover. Add the cubed butter and whisk vigorously until all of the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Let the passion fruit curd cool completely before refrigerating.
My family will eat just about anything if it’s made with passion fruit. Last year, when the local Latino grocery store chain had a massive sale on fresh passion fruits, I tried my hand at making a passion fruit tart. I used a store-bought refrigerated pie crust and baked it in a tart pan. It was good, but not great.
Working with dough is not my forte, but I knew that making my own tart crust would make a huge difference in the end result. I wound up finding a great recipe that came together on the first try. After that, it was just a few tweaks to get the right amount of filling to fit a 9-inch tart crust without wasting filling. What I ended up with was a tart that has been a hit with everyone who has tasted it. And so, I am passing the recipe on to my readers.
You can make this tart dairy-free by using vegan butter in the tart crust and replacing the heavy cream with coconut milk. Make sure that you use the full fat coconut milk. You need that creamy richness to balance out the tartness of the passion fruit.
1/2 cup seedless passion fruit puree (I used frozen, but you can use fresh)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream (or full-fat coconut milk)
Directions
Prepare the tart crust according to the recipe directions for partially baking the crust.
While the crust is baking, combine the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth.
When the crust is ready, pour the passion fruit mixture into the prepared crust. Return the filled tart pan to the oven.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake the tart for 30 minutes, or until the filling is set. Remove the tart from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before removing from the tart pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Right after Halloween, a good friend of mine gave me a bunch of her leftover Halloween candy. She had a condition, though. I was only allowed to take the candy if I agreed to use it for baking, NOT if I was just going to eat it or fill my candy jar at work. When I was throwing around ideas of what to make, her eyes lit up at the thought of a Twix Cheesecake.
Challenge accepted.
I used my Snickers Cheesecake as the blueprint for this cheesecake, and just made a few adjustments to make it more Twix-like. There are Twix pieces in the cheesecake batter, so you enjoy the goodness of Twix in almost every bite.
I used an Oreo crust for mine, but using a shortbread crust would make it even more reminiscent of Twix. There is a layer of caramel sandwiched between the cheesecake and the crust, and it’s topped with a satiny chocolate ganache.
Pressure Cooker Twix Cheesecake
Ingredients
1 cup crushed Oreo cookie crumbs (can substitute with shortbread crumbs)
1 tbsp butter (increase to 2 if using shortbread crumbs)
16oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup chopped Twix pieces (I used about 12 Twix minis)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup caramel sauce (I used homemade)
2 1/2 oz chopped semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup heavy cream
Additional Twix for garnish, if desired
Directions
In a bowl, combine melted butter and cookie crumbs until moistened through. Press cookie crumbs firmly on the bottom of a greased 7in cheesecake pan. If you’d like, bake at 350° for 6-7 minutes before preparing the batter. Pour the caramel sauce over the crust and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, and beat until just combined. Fold in the chopped Twix pieces.
Add 1 cup of water to the liner of your electric pressure cooker and set to Saute/Brown setting. Let the water come to a simmer.
Pour batter into prepared cheesecake pan, then set the pan in your pressure cooker on a trivet over the simmering water (add a little bit more water if too much has evaporated). Hit cancel, then seal the pressure cooker and cook on Manual (High pressure) for 20-25 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally, which should take 10-15 minutes. Remove the cheesecake from the pressure cooker and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight, before removing from the pan.
Melt the chopped semisweet chocolate and the heavy cream together in the microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring after each burst until most of the chocolate has melted. Continue stirring until all of the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour over the cooled Twix cheesecake. Allow the ganache to set before serving, then garnish with additional Twix pieces.
While the rest of the country is enjoying the changing colors of autumn, we South Floridians have to make do with palm trees and sun. That doesn’t mean that we can’t get into the spirit of fall with some great fall spices, though! And, since October is the month for Halloween candy, I thought it would be fun to celebrate with homemade candy. Chocolate covered apple cider caramels, to be exact.
I originally stumbled across these while I was looking for a way to infuse apple flavor in caramel. It seemed like it had already been done before by adding apple cider syrup to the caramel mixture. You can buy premade apple cider syrup and save yourself a lot of time and trouble, but you can also make your own by buying a quart of cider and boiling it down on your own. And, I made them extra decadent by covering them in chocolate.
One thing that I noticed about the apple cider caramels is that they need to be cooked to a higher temperature than traditional caramel recipes. I was squeamish on my first attempt and cooked my caramel to 249 degrees. I wound up eating that caramel with a spoon. For these, I cooked my caramel to 253 degrees and they still needed to be kept in the refrigerator to stay firm enough to dip. I recommend using compound chocolate or chocolate melting wafers instead of chocolate that needs to be tempered for dipping the caramels. Otherwise, your cold caramel squares will ruin your temper during the dipping process.
1/2 cup boiled cider (see *NOTE at the end of this recipe)
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup (optional, but will help with crystallization)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Dark chocolate melting wafers (I used about 12oz)
Directions
Line the bottom and sides of an 8in square baking dish with parchment paper. Alternately, you can use silicone molds. I used silicone mini brownie molds.
In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the cider, butter, sugars, cream, corn syrup, and salt. Cook over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 253 degrees or until the mixture reaches the firm ball stage. Remove from heat and quickly stir in the cinnamon.
Pour the mixture into your prepared pan (or molds). Let the caramel cool completely, at least 2 hours. Remove caramel from pan and cut into small squares. If caramel is too soft to cut easily, refrigerate it to firm it up.
Melt the dark chocolate using your preferred method of melting. Dip the caramel squares into the melted chocolate, one at a time. Set on a parchment-lined baking sheet to allow the chocolate to cool and harden. Store candies in an airtight container.
*NOTE: If you cannot find boiled cider, you can make your own by boiling 1 quart of cider and reducing it until you have about 1/2 cup of liquid left.
I’m really not sure why, after many years of endless mangoes, it took this long for me to try to make mango cupcakes. But, 2019 was the year, and they were LONG overdue. The combination of a vanilla bean cupcake with mango filling and frosting was absolute magic.
My first attempt at these cupcakes was just the vanilla cupcake and the mango frosting. It was very good, but I really wanted to try to find a way to shove more mango flavor in there. A creamy mango curd fit the bill for me, but you could also use a mango jam if you prefer.
Add all of the curd ingredients (except butter) in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until it reaches a pudding-like consistency. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, then stir in the cubed butter until it’s all melted and the mixture is smooth.
At this point, your curd is ready to use, but you can also store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days until you’re ready to use it.
The frosting is similar to what most people call “boiled icing” or “heritage frosting.” That is, it’s made with a cooked flour paste that is mixed with butter and sugar.
Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a small saucepan, then whisk in your flour until smooth. When the flour starts to sizzle a little, add the mango puree and a little bit of lemon juice. Cook this until it turns into a soft dough-like consistency. Transfer to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it cool completely. You can speed this up by putting it in the refrigerator while you make the cupcakes.
Meanwhile, make the cupcakes. Sift your dry ingredients and set them aside. Using a whisk attachment, beat the eggs until they’re foamy first, then add the sugar, oil, and vanilla bean paste. Mix in your dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, mixing until just combined.
Line your cupcake tin with cupcake liners. Divide the batter evenly among your cupcake liners. The recipe normally makes about 15 cupcakes for me, so I also fill 3 cavities of a 6-cup cupcake tin. Bake them for about 12-14 minutes, then let them cool completely on a wire rack.
When the cupcakes are cool, you can fill them with the mango curd. I like to use a piping bag fitted with a Bismark tip to do this, but you can also cut a hole in the middle of each cupcake with a paring knife or apple corer and spoon some filling in. Here is a great guide for methods of filling a cupcake.
To finish the mango frosting, take 1/2 cup of softened butter and add the cooled mango flour paste and 2/3 cup of sugar. Using the paddle attachment, beat the ingredients until the mixture is smooth and you can’t feel the sugar grains. Frost the cupcakes in your preferred fashion. I used a piping bag and a 1M pastry tip.
You should store the cupcakes in the refrigerator, but they taste best if you bring them to room temperature before you eat them.
Mango Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the mango filling:
1/2 cup fresh mango puree
1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp cornstarch
a pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
For the cupcakes:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
For the mango frosting:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup mango puree
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
Directions
Make the mango filling:
Combine all of the curd ingredients (except the butter) in a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer mixture to a small saucepan and cook over medium to medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens to a pudding like consistency.
Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, one cube at a time, until fully incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to cool. You can strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps, if you wish.
(Curd can be made in advance. Store in refrigerator until ready to use, then bring to room temperature.)
Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
Sift your dry ingredients into a medium bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat your eggs with the whisk attachment on medium speed. Add your sugar and continue mixing until the egg and sugar mixture starts to turn light in color. Add your vanilla and oil and beat for about 1 minute, until well combined.
Add your flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Pour into the prepared muffin pan, filling each cavity about 1/2 full.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan.
Make the frosting: In a saucepan, melt ¼ cup of butter. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the fruit puree and lemon juice and bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk. Simmer gently for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Pour into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap directly on the mixture and let cool to room temperature.
Add the sugar, the remaining butter, and the cooled mango flour paste to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes or until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
Assembly:
Fill the cupcakes with the mango filling using your preferred method. Frost the top of each cupcake with mango frosting. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then bring to room temperature.
Creme brulee is one of my absolute favorite desserts. It is also one of my go-to desserts for when I have egg yolks or heavy cream lying around that I need to use up in a hurry. This Irish Cream creme brulee always gets rave reviews whenever I make it. And, making it in my Instant Pot has made it so much easier.
I find that you don’t need as many egg yolks when you make it in the Instant Pot to get the smooth, silky finished custard. And, it’s done in a fraction of the time!
Creme brulee tastes best if you let it refrigerate at least overnight to develop the flavor. So, make sure to plan ahead!
Pressure Cooker Irish Cream Creme Brulee
Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup Irish cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Additional sugar for the top
Directions
In a medium, heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, Irish cream, and vanilla. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat the cream and sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture starts to simmer. Do not let it come to a boil.
Remove from the heat. Gradually add the cream mixture to the egg mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, whisking constantly. When about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been incorporated, pour in the rest of the cream mixture and whisk until incorporated.
Divide the mixture evenly among 6 4oz ramekins. Cover each ramekin with foil.
Place a trivet in the liner of your electric pressure cooker and add 1 cup of water. Arrange the ramekins in 2 layers in the pressure cooker. Cover, seal, and cook on High Pressure for 1 minute. When the timer is up, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before releasing any remaining pressure.
Remove ramekins and cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
To serve: Add about a teaspoon of sugar to the top of the cold custard, tilting the ramekin around so the entire surface is coated with sugar. Use a kitchen torch to melt the sugar until caramelized and bubbly. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
I recently got into the idea of making truffles again after giving up on it for many years. It took one batch of hand-rolled truffles for me to decide to go online and find a better solution. I found a really neat truffle mold on Amazon, and have made more truffles in the last few weeks than I have made in the past YEAR. And, since it is Mango Season here in South Florida, there have been a lot of mango truffles.
Since my first batch of these truffles, I have made them 3 more times. These truffles are a bittersweet chocolate shell with a whie chocolate mango ganache filling. And, they are a hit each time. Because the white chocolate mango filling is not firm enough to hold a shape for rolling, it is good for molded truffles where you pipe the filing into each one.
These truffle molds make beautiful, bite-sized truffles. They are smaller than a traditional hand-rolled truffle, which means that they work great for fillings that don’t exactly hold their shape for dipping and still have enough filling without creating a big mess.
Make sure that your molds are clean and dry before you get started. I recommend working with the molds on a baking sheet lined with parchment. It will make cleaning up between steps a LOT easier.
Your ganache needs to be cold before you get started, so make that first. Just mix your white chocolate, mango pulp, and cream, then microwave in bursts until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Let it cool to room temperature, then cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate. I let it sit overnight in the fridge, or 1 hour in the freezer.
I’m using a chocolate melting pot from my local craft store. Since these truffles are best stored in the refrigerator, I didn’t see a need to temper the chocolate. If you want to temper your chocolate, feel free. Otherwise, melt the bittersweet chocolate using whatever method you like best.
When the chocolate is melted, fill each cavity of the truffle mold with chocolate.
If your chocolate is thin, let the filled molds sit for a few minutes before you continue. My chocolate is on the thick side, so I flip the molds upside down right away. Let the chocolate run out of the molds, then turn it back facing up and use an offset spatula to scrape off any excess. Let the chocolate sit in the mold until it starts to set. You can expedite this by popping the mold in the fridge around 10 minutes.
You can return the leftover chocolate back to the pot. I used a large angled spatula to scrape it off of the parchment and back into the pot.
Now, it’s time to fill your shells. Fill a piping bag with the white chocolate mango ganache. Pipe some of the ganache into each chocolate-lined cavity. Do not fill them all the way to the top. You will need to leave some room for the next step.
Cover the top of each filled cavity with more melted bittersweet chocolate. Take an offset spatula and smooth out the top of each filled cavity, scraping off the excess chocolate.
Let the assembled truffles set. Again, you can speed up this process by popping them in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
You can pop your truffles out of your truffle mold with some gentle coaxing after they have set.
So pretty!
Store your mango truffles in the refrigerator. Since the filling is softer than a traditional ganache, these are best served cold. They should keep for up to a week.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate with the mango puree and cream in bursts of 15-20 seconds until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
Melt the bittersweet chocolate using your preferred method. Fill each cavity of the truffle mold with melted chocolate. Turn the mold upside down and allow the excess chocolate to drip down. Turn mold right side up and scrape the excess chocolate off of the top of the molds.
Allow the chocolate to set in the molds. You can speed this up by refrigerating the molds for 7-10 minutes.
When the chocolate is set, spoon or pipe some of the ganache into each cavity, leaving space at the top to seal the truffles with chocolate.
Spoon some of the remaining melted chocolate on top of each filled cavity. Spread it evenly until it covers the ganache and seals the sides. Scrape off any excess chocolate.
Refrigerate for about 15 minutes or until set.
Once they are set, gently remove the truffles by turning the mold upside down and applying pressure to the bottom of each truffle cavity.
