Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Matcha and Cardamom Centre Chocolate Truffles


I bought a matcha (green tea) powder some time ago with the intention to make or bake some sweets with it. However, it turned out that the beautiful green colour one can see in products made with matcha does not come from it, but from green food coloring instead. Very disappointing.
Matcha powder does colour foods, but much more delicately, and its flavour is so intense, that it is not advisable to use large quantities to achieve the green color.
However, I am against the use of (artificial) colouring both in food photography and cooking. I think the food should look and be as natural as possible. That's why you might not be able to see the centre of the truffles as green as you might have expected, but the green tea powder is in it.
Rich in antioxidants, matcha powder gives a hint of freshness to these truffles.
To combine the taste I used only finely crushed cardamom seeds for their aroma. I find the combination fascinating, though a simple one. :)

For the centre I used about 200 gr of good quality white chocolate melted in a dash of previously heated double cream. When the chocolate melted, I added the green tea powder and cardamom and set aside to cool, then put in a fridge for 24 hours.

I made balls from the mixture, rolled them in crushed hazelnuts and put on a wire rack. i had to work quick because the ganache mixture starts to melt because of the hands heat.
In the meantime I melted other 200 gr of good quality dark Belgian chocolate and put it aside to cool down a bit.
I covered the truffles using a simple spoon and then put to a fridge. Keep refrigerated.

They can make a nice treat for Easter.

2 comments:

Rico said...

A really beautiful desert with a beautiful display well done, I don't think many are aware of the flavour of cardamom in deserts by I assure you is really great, especially with chocolate. thx for sharing :)

Sneige said...

Yes, cardamom is not very common outside Asia, and I am not sure they combine it with chocolate traditionally, but it's nice :)

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