With Valentines just around the corner, were supposed to share the love and what better way than to make these super easy and delicious chocolate beetroot cognac truffles for your significant other. The smooth silky chocolate, the earthiness of the beets and the clean finish of the cognac will guarantee you’ll be in the good books for the foreseeable future.
Makes 25
Ingredients:
–110g 70% dark chocolate
– 50g milk chocolate
– 100g single cream
– 1/2 tbsp golden syrup
– 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
– 60g cooked grated beetroot
– 2 tbsp cognac
– 100g beetroot powder
Method:
1. In a medium sized bowl, place the dark and milk chocolate, cream and golden syrup.
2. Put this over a pot of gently simmering water and stir until completely combined.
3. Once melted add the fresh beetroot and the cognac and stir.
4. Place this into the fridge and chill for a few hours until completely set.
5. Once set, using a teaspoon scoop out the truffles and roll between your hands.
6. Next, place them on a plate with the beetroot powder and roll until covered.
7. Return to the fridge and keep cool until served.
8. For the beetroot powder, you can buy in most health food stores or If you want to make the
beetroot powder, simply take some fresh beetroot, peel and slice very thinly. Place these slices on a lined tray and put in a preheated oven set at 80ºC and bake for 2 hours.
9. The beetroot slices will shrink. Allow to cool completely on the tray after baking and then blitz in a
spice/coffee grinder until a fine red powder is reached.
Shane Smith hails from Co Cavan and has been cooking his way around Ireland and further afield for the past 16 years, starting his training in Co. Donegal in Tourism College Killybegs and then extending his studies to Galway Mayo Institute of Technology graduating with a degree in Culinary Arts, specialising in Pastry.
Shane has been very fortunate to have worked in and ran the pastry sections in some of Ireland’s leading 5* hotels and restaurants. Shane can be spotted all over the country carrying out his fun, interactive demonstrations with some of Ireland’s leading chefs. In September 2015, Shane was honoured to be awarded the title of “Best Bakery Manager in Ireland” in conjunction with Shelflife magazine and most recently has landed a cookery slot on Sunday AM where he can been seen regularly bringing his natural flare and love for all things sweet from the TV3 studios into the nation’s homes.
Shane Smith Shane Smith