Artisanal Chocolate Truffles and the Spices that Love Them, Part XII – Piper Nigrum
Piper Nigrum is the botanical name for black pepper. It comes from a flowering vine native to southern India. This spice has been used by humans for thousands of years, since long before recorded history, so the origins of its use have been lost to the mists of time. Today, the piper nigrum vine is grown in many countries, but Vietnam is by far the largest producer. The fruit of this vine is called a peppercorn, and that’s where the ubiquitous ground black pepper that you’ll find on almost every spice rack in the world comes from. In fact, it’s so common that, in terms of monetary value, black pepper, along with other types of peppers, accounts for 20-40% of the global spice trade. In many cultures, next to table salt, black pepper is the most popular seasoning for a wide variety of dishes, and while you’d never dream of putting it in chocolate, there are plenty of other dishes that just wouldn’t be the same. without it!
I’m sure there are other professional chocolatiers and pastry chefs reading this who cringe at the thought of adding black pepper to a chocolate truffle recipe, but the idea of adding this strong flavor profile to sweet desserts is without precedent. . After all, black pepper is just another seasoning spice, like any other, and it simply needs to balance out the overall truffle formula for it to work properly. However, I do admit that black pepper, if not used sparingly, will quickly overwhelm all the other components in the formula and render it inedible. So this is certainly a case where a little goes a long way.
Always start with freshly ground black peppercorns. If all you are going to do is use that old dried up stuff in the little tin then skip this and go buy a candy bar from the convenience store, it will taste better I assure you! So to start the formula, take about 5 or 6 whole black peppercorns and lightly crush them with a wooden mallet or in a mortar and pestle. Don’t crush them into a powder, just crush them a bit to release some of those wonderful volatile oils and aroma. Do this just before using it, as it quickly loses its special magic within a few minutes of breaking it. Next, chop about 200 grams of excellent quality white chocolate into very small pieces and set them aside in a bowl. Next, place about 80 grams of fresh heavy cream in a heavy bottomed sauce pot and add the cracked peppercorns to the cream. Now bring this to a boil and simmer for a minute to infuse the flavors of the spice into the cream. We now pass the pepper cream through a fine mesh strainer, to strain the peppercorns, and add it immediately, still very hot, on top of the chopped white chocolate. Let the chocolate sit for a minute, then start stirring it in small circles until smooth.
After all the white chocolate chunks are completely melted, add about 20 grams of good unsalted butter and stir the ganache until very smooth and glossy. Let it take the consistency of soft clay, for about 30 minutes. Then, with a teaspoon and clean hands wearing latex gloves, roll the ganache into small 15-gram balls. I usually never advise this, but for black pepper truffles I would recommend coating them in tempered white chocolate, for an eye-catching effect, but if you’re not sure how to properly temper the chocolate, just dust these truffles with powdered sugar to get an unusual effect. sweet, yet sophisticated, that will have your friends and family scratching their heads over how you made this surprisingly delicious confection.
No Comment