Nama Chocolate
Here's a recreation of Royce's famous Nama Chocolate truffles. Somewhere between a liquid and a solid, they're silky, salaciously smooth squares of chocolate ganache dusted with a blizzard of cocoa powder. It's a bold statement, but I haven't had a better truffle to date.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions:
- Line a 10x10-inch baking pan (or anything with a similar surface area) with parchment paper. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
- In a pot, add the cream and butter and heat until it starts to steam significantly (about 176°F/80°C). Pour the hot cream and butter over the chocolate, and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Add the Kahlúa or brandy and give it a quick mix.
- Pour the chocolate paste into the prepared pan. Spread evenly, keeping the surface as smooth as possible. Freeze 2 to 3 hours to harden the chocolate.
- Now onto the slicing. Take the block of chocolate out of the freezer and mark 1x1-inch squares with a knife; that's 10 lines across both ways, i.e. 100 squares (I used a ruler to get perfect squares, but if you’re not fussed, it’s totally fine to do this by eye). Then, using a hot knife (you can dip the knife in hot water, then wipe it off with a kitchen towel), cut the chocolate into squares.
- Using a fine sieve, liberally dust cocoa powder over the chocolate squares.
- To store, keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I found that the cocoa powder will get slightly wet and clump up a little after 3 to 4 days, so if you can, add a pack of silica gel to your container to absorb any excess moisture.
- Roll the dough about an inch thick and use a 2.5″ cutter to cut about 7 circles. Re-roll the scraps and cut out another 2.
- Place the scones onto a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet and brush the tops with the reserved egg wash.
- Bake the scones for 13-15 minutes, until about tripled in height, and golden brown on the tops and bottoms. Enjoy!
Notes:
If making this recipe by hand, whisk to combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and mix in the butter with a hand mixer. Proceed with the recipe as instructed. If possible, weigh the flour instead of measuring it. The dough should be somewhat sticky as you can see in my process shots and notes above. If it is unworkably sticky, add a small amount of flour, just enough to make it workable, but know that any flour you add will make the scones denser. Or, you can chill the dough in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes to firm the butter slightly. Storing leftovers: Keep in an airtight container for a few days at room temperature or in the fridge for a couple weeks. Freezing: Wrap tightly and store in an airtight container to prevent drying out, then freeze for up to 3 months. Reheating: Bake in a 300F oven for 5-10 minutes, until warmed through. You can also cut them in half and toast them. Add a few extra minutes if reheating from frozen.
Recipe from Food52