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1
Melt 8 ounces of chocolate.
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2
Heat the butter and cream until the butter is melted and small bubbles form.
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3
Pour into a small bowl and stir in the chocolate.
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4
Whisk in the jam and lemon juice.
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5
cover and refrigerate 60-90 minutes.
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6
Line a baking sheet with parchment.
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7
Spoon the mixture into mounds (about 2 teaspoons each).
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8
Refrigerate 15 minutes or until firm.
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9
Use the cornstarch to dust your hands, and roll the mixture into balls.
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10
Refrigerate overnight.
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11
Remove centers from the refrigerator to warm to room temperature before the next steps.
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12
Melt 1 1/2 pounds of chopped chocolate and temper as follows.
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13
If the chocolate is dull, grainy, or blemished, heat to at least 115 degrees.
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14
When the chocolate is nearly melted, stir to complete the melt.
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15
Let the chocolate cool to 100 degrees.
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16
Look at the chunk of solid chocolate- it should be smooth, dark, and glossy, without dullness or streaking.
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17
Submerge the 6 ounces of solid chocolate in the melted chocolate and stir until the chocolate cools to 90 degrees.
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18
What this process does is isomerize the chocolate as it cools, so that the cooled shells will stay glossy and smooth, even in the refrigerator.
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19
If the solid chunk is dull, streaky, or grained, it will have the opposite effect.
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20
The taste will be the same, but tempering the chocolate makes the truffles much more attractive.
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21
When the chocolate has cooled to 90 degrees, remove the chunk and save it for the next time you temper chocolate.
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22
Smear a thin sample of the melted chocolate on wax paper and refrigerate for 2 minutes.
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23
The smear should cool glossy and smooth, and should break with a snap.
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24
Dip each truffle in chocolate; two forks seem to work the best for this (although I'd be interested in hearing anyone else's idea).
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25
Top the truffles with cocoa or nuts if desired; if you plan to do this, do each truffle as you dip them, because they solidify fairly quickly.
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26
Refrigerate until set.
