Pavé means ‘pavement’ or ‘cobblestone’, and a box of these truffles really does look like its namesake, a small cobbled street. Traditionally, these come as tiny squares, often served in a box barely bigger than a matchbox, with a little skewer to help you eat them. The small size also makes it far too easy to eat a lot! I have made these a little larger than the classic size, but you can form them into whatever size or shape you wish.
Makes 30 truffles
Ingredients
175g dark chocolate (60–70 per cent cocoa solids), finely chopped
175ml whipping cream
10g light brown sugar cocoa powder, for coating (see Tip)
Line a 23 x 13cm loaf tin with a large piece of clingfilm. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Put the cream and sugar in a small pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate. Leave for 2 minutes before stirring together to form a silky-smooth ganache. (If you find that the ganache splits, a great way to bring it back is to use a stick blender, which will emulsify the ganache brilliantly.)
Pour the ganache into the prepared loaf tin, spreading it level, then leave it to cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Transfer the ganache to the fridge to set completely.
To finish the truffles, remove the ganache from the tin, transfer to a chopping board and use a thin, sharp knife to cut it into cubes. Coat the cubes in a little cocoa powder, gently shaking the truffles in a fine sieve afterwards to remove the excess.
As with all ganache-based recipes, these truffles are best served at room temperature, to ensure the perfect texture, but if you are storing them for more than a few days, keep them in the fridge and remove them a few hours before serving. Store in an airtight container.
Tip
If you want to give these truffles a different flavour, a great way to do this is to try coating them in freeze-dried fruit powder instead of dusting them with cocoa (See resources, page 188). Passion fruit is one of my favourites.
Recipe taken from Patisserie Made Simple by Edd Kimber, published by Kyle Books.
Photography by Laura Edwards.
