Chocolate truffles (トリュフチョコレート)are a French confection and are very popular in Japan too, especially around Valentine’s Day, which is deeply connected with the custom of giving chocolate gifts. Many people there create homemade concoctions in their own kitchens. Chocolate truffles usually consist of a soft filling (ganache) and a coating of chocolate (couverture) around the filling. It’s very easy to make if you’re not tempering chocolate to coat the ganache. Our recipe simply involves rolling the ganache into balls and coating them with cocoa powder, without any intricate skills needed. Mix two ingredients and chill them long enough, and most of your job is done! If you want to flavor them with some liqueur, go ahead. We used Grand Marnier, but rum or bourbon will work well too. If the chocolate feels too soft when you’re handling it, chill it in the fridge at any point, and that should help. Try making these easy but delicious Chocolate Truffles for your Valentine this year!
Valentine’s day in Japan is the day and the “only day” when a girl is allowed to tell a boy how she feels about him … with chocolate, a token of love. That was true at least when we were young. The custom has been gradually changing over the years, and some people today exchange chocolate among friends to celebrate their friendship, but the basic idea is still there. Valentine’s treats have to be chocolate (or chocolate related products like chocolate cakes, chocolate cookies) in Japan, no other candies or flowers are proper gifts. When we were young and innocent (!), it was hardly noticed, but it does sound like the whole thing is very much commercially driven by the chocolate industry, doesn’t it?