CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES


· 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
· 4 Tablespoons Green Butter*
· 1/4 cup superfine white granulated sugar
· 2 egg yolks, beaten
· 1 cup finely chopped blanched almonds
· 1/3 cup liqueur ( Kahlua or Gran Marnier, etc.)
· chocolate decorates, chopped blanched almonds, or sweetenedpowered cocoa to roll the truffles in.

To make Green Butter: take at least 4 oz. of shakeleaf ( a good place to use up those harvest trimmings) place it in a potwith approximately 8 cups of water. Bring this to the simmering boil andadd one pound of butter. Simmer this for at least 2 hours. Strain off liquid. Put a couple of cups of boiling water over the residual leaf to rinse more of the butter off the leaf: I use a potato ricer to squeeze the rest out of the leaf. Place all the liquid in wide bowl ( makes it easier to work with if a wide bowl). Allow this to cool then place in refrigerator. The butter will float to the top, and you can lift it off. Discard the remaining liquid. Use the Green Butter in recipes, or can eat on toast, etc., potent at this stage! You can freeze the Green Butter in a covered container for future use.

To make Truffles: Melt chocolate in double boiler, and gradually add in the butter. Add sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool as much as possible without letting it harden. Take about one to two tablespoons of the hot chocolate mixture and stir into the egg yolks to warm them before adding to the rest of the chocolate mixture, then stir in. Add almonds and mix well. Stir in liqueur. Allow this to cool and then put in the refrigerator to harden. When it firms up. use a spoon (I use a melon baller to scoop up enough to make a ball about one and a half inches in diameter. Roll the ball in your palms. to form a ball. Then roll the ball into the chocolate decorates or almonds or whatever. Place in little paper cups for presentation.

Tips: To make superfine granulated sugar ( if you don't want to buy it) place regular sugar in a blender and whiz it- but not too much or you'll end up with powered sugar.

Also, I try to make several flavored batches at a time and "match" the stuff I roll them in with the type of flavored liqueur.For example, with the Gran Marnier I use the choc. decorates; with Frangelico, almonds, and Kahlua, powdered cocoa sweetened with powdered sugar. I amsure there are a zillion combinations.

These make perfect holiday gifts for those 'special' friends. The Truffles freeze very well for storage.