Every school holidays, we have many many children walk through our doors for our ‘Relish Mama’ school holiday cooking classes. Wow they are busy but oh so beautiful. So many of these kids come back each term break and after three years, many of us know each other quite well. We have a lovely chat & ‘catch up’ about all the things that have gone on since we last saw each other. These school holidays, the children had all sorts to share. Trophies were bought in to show, news on karate belt advancements, aprons that had been made by ‘grandma’, very sad news of family pets who had ‘moved on’ as well as what they have been enjoying to eat and trying out in the kitchen. Whilst we are chatting, Gina and I are gently guiding and offering lots of tips and techniques for the delicious dishes and treats we will soon share together at the table. It is such a lovely way to cook!

These past school holidays, the kids were busy and cooked some dishes and learnt some techniques that even we adults may still struggle with. On the menu was my bolognese, a perfectly seasoned bechamel sauce, lasagna, a ‘real’ hot chcolate as well as some very simple chocolate truffles. The truffles were a great ‘finale’ and a fabulous reminder that to enjoy good food and good flavours, quality ingredients and simplicity are the key. These chocolate truffles are simply really good quality chocolate with cream. No preservatives, nothing fancy but they are loads of fun to make and pure joy to eat.

Enjoy!

Chocolate truffles

These contain cream and there are no preservatives, which is fab, so they are best stored in fridge and eaten within a week (not that they last that long here!).

150g Good quality dark chocolate – it is worth grabbing yourself a really good quality dark chocolate for this recipe and one that has at least 70% cocoa solids.
1 heaped teaspoon caster sugar
250g thickened cream
Cocoa powder

Break the chocolate into squares and then chop it in to fairly small chips. Set aside.

Pour the cream and sugar in to the saucepan and place on the stove top over a low heat. Heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the cream is just about to boil. Switch off the heat and remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the chocolate chips to the hot cream and stir until the chocolate melts into the cream and you have a thick and shiny mixture. Transfer to a bowl and place the bowl in the fridge until the truffle mixture sets firm enough to handle – approximately 3 hours.

Line a baking tray with non stick baking paper and sift some cocoa into a small bowl, ready to dust the truffles.

Take teaspoons of the mixture and drop them in to the cocoa powder, pushing them off the spoon with another teaspoon. Turn them over and over with the spoons until they are well covered in cocoa. They will look rough and certainly not perfect – just like a real truffle that grows in the woods. Drop each truffle on to the baking paper. Leave them to set in a cool place. What is not eaten straight away, should be kept in the fridge.