Ingredients

1 pound bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream

Finely chop the chocolate and place in a stainless steel bowl. Heat cream to a boil and pour over chocolate. Gently stir mixture until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is completely smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold and firm.
The ganache is ready to be formed into truffles at this point, or it may be stored, wrapped tightly and refrigerated for up to one week.

Directions

To make truffles:

Scoop the hard ganache onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and place in refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the ganache becomes firm again. Roll into smooth balls.

Refrigerate one more time to be sure the truffles are firm before rolling them in chopped nuts, cocoa powder or confectioners' sugar.

Truffles can also be coated with tempered chocolate (chocolate that has been through a process of gently heating and cooling to specific temperatures), to give them a glossy coating as well as a longer shelf life. Makes 1 1/2 pounds (48 half-ounce pieces).

Nutritional information per 1/2-ounce piece: 60 cal., 1 g pro., 6 g carbo., 5 g fat, 5 mg chol., 0 mg sodium. Recipe adapted from "The Professional Chef, Seventh Edition," John Wiley & Sons, 2001.