- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (3 fluid ounces) heavy cream
- ½ cup ground hazelnuts (from 2 ounces whole blanched nuts)
- 1 tablespoon grapefruit zest (from 1 grapefruit)
- 8 ounces white chocolate
- 1 tablespoon (½ ounce) butter, at room temperature
- 3 ounces white chocolate
- ¾ cup ground hazelnuts (from 3 ounces whole blanched nuts)
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Bain-marie
- Small melon baller, 7/8 inch or 22 millimeters in diameter
- Infuse the cream:
- In a small saucepan, combine the cream and zest and cook over medium heat to almost boiling. Remove from the heat and let steep for 10 minutes. Pass the cream through a strainer and discard the zest.
- Melt the white chocolate:
- In the bowl of a bain-marie, melt the white chocolate, stirring with a rubber spatula as it melts. Do not overheat the chocolate–it should never be so hot that you cannot stick the tip of your finger in it. (White chocolate has an even lower melting point than dark chocolate, and will lump up if overheated.)
- Emulsify the chocolate and the cream to make ganache:
- Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and slowly whisk in the infused cream. (At first the chocolate might seize up and separate–do not worry.) Continue to whisk until the mixture (now a ganache) is smooth, creamy, and holds the lines of a whisk. Slowly whisk in the butter until incorporated and then add the hazelnuts. Scrape the ganache into a small bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Scoop the truffles:
- Fill a glass with very hot tap water. Dip a small melon bailer into the hot water and tap on the counter to remove any excess water. Plunge the melon bailer into the chilled ganache Elr enough down so that it sits completely in the ganache. Rotate the melon bailer clockwise 360 degrees and remove from the ganache. Tap the melon bailer to release the ball onto a plate or tray. Repeat this process until all the ganache has been scooped into balls. Transfer the plate to the refrigerator and chill.
- Make the truffle coating and dip the truffles:
- In the bowl of a bain-marie, melt the white chocolate, stirring with a rubber spatula as it melts. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes.
- Set up an assembly line on your counter. From left to right, place the chilled ganache balls, the bowl of melted chocolate, a tray with the ground hazelnuts, and a container to hold your finished truffles.
- With your left hand, pick up 2 ganache balls and dip them quickly into the melted chocolate and roll them around until coated. Drop the balls with your left hand into the ground hazelnuts. With your right hand roll the balls until completely enrobed. Pick up the finished candies with your right hand and place them in the container.
- Serving Suggestions:
- Serve these truffles at room temperature on a tray with coffee for dessert.