Advertisement

Praline-covered truffles

Time 30 minutes
Yields Makes about 40 truffles
Praline-covered truffles
Share via
Print RecipePrint Recipe

The typical Passover Seder meal is a minefield of familial politics. Jackie Mason could base a stand-up routine on it: “I want the soup but no chicken in it; matzo balls but soft, not hard, ones; tzimmes but no prunes; brisket but just a little and just a thin slice; some potato kugel but not touching the brisket gravy; salad with the light dressing in a separate container; and I want fish but after the soup and before the meat. And I want it on the side!”

This is a Big Meal, an important meal and one wherein it is not unusual to feature a couple of different examples of a similar dish from several different contributors. Choose one dish over another, express a preference at this one’s brisket (‘so moist and not fatty!’) and you stand to gain or lose a relative. No one keeps a written record, but count on it-people remember who ate what. Passover begins at sundown April 7.

Real stand-offs occur when there are two of the same thing but done differently-like a traditional kugel and a tofu one, or gefilte fish from a kosher deli and a hopeful, from-scratch edition, undertaken when someone (usually plucky and 30-something), in a bold and whimsical pre-Passover moment, takes a chance and tries his hand at gefilte fish and fresh horseradish. This settled, the dispute continues to the chicken soup and matzo ball issue. And so it goes.

Until dessert. For dessert, it is not so much “who brought, who bought?’-it’s a matter of what is good. And what is always good, always welcome, especially at Passover, is chocolate.

The happy news for those who swoon at chocolate in its many guises on any occasion is that it is an exceptionally good choice at Passover. Richly flavored, pure in taste, chocolate-based Passover cakes, squares and confections deliver a good hit of dessert pleasure, bringing sweet but unmistakable closure to the Seder meal. Fresh fruit is refreshing, but no matter what people tell you about being “so full,” they still want a great, traditional dessert.

While we tend to be tolerant of Passover desserts because of the difficult criteria they must meet (no leavenings, usually no butter or other dairy products, no liquid vanilla or other alcohol-based extracts and, most of all, no wheat flour), everyone raves when you hit pay dirt with an exceptional creation. “Are you sure it’s a Passover cake?” is the highest accolade a Passover dessert can elicit.

The easiest way to achieve this is to give in to the inevitable chocolate conclusion. Chocolate does Passover better than any other ingredient, so showcase it-in brownies, truffles, tortes and cakes, and an outstanding, luscious chocolate buttercream roll. No excuses need be served with these treats--they are welcome on any table, at any time of year.

Read More Read Less
Advertisement

Matzo praline crumbs

1

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet completely with foil. Cover the bottom of the pan with parchment paper-on top of the foil. This is very important as the mixture becomes sticky during baking. Line the bottom of the pan evenly with matzo boards, cutting it to fit.

2

Combine the butter or margarine and brown sugar in a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue cooking 3 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and pour over the matzo.

3

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes, checking every few minutes to make sure the mixture is not burning (if it seems to be browning too quickly, remove it from the oven, reduce the heat to 325 degrees, and replace).

4

Remove the pan from the oven and stack the matzo boards on a plate. Place them in the freezer to chill 1 hour. When very chilled, break up the matzo boards and grind them to a medium coarse meal in a food processor. Set aside.

Assembly

1

Heat the coffee to a gentle boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the chocolate. Reduce the heat and whisk on low until the chocolate is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes. Pour the chocolate into a heat-proof bowl and cool about 20 minutes. Cover lightly and freeze or refrigerate several hours or over night.

2

Using a melon-baller, miniature ice-cream scoop or a teaspoon, dig out about a teaspoon of truffle mixture and roll it into a ball about 3/4 inch around. Toss or coat in Matzo Praline Crumbs. Repeat until all of the chocolate mixture is used up. Place the truffles in candy cups and store them in a covered container in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve. The truffles must stay cold.

Variations:
Cocoa powder dusted truffles: toss truffles in cocoa powder instead of matzo praline crumbs. (Or do some in each, for eye appeal.)

Double dipped truffles: coat the truffles once in matzo praline crumbs. Chill well. Dip each truffle into room temperature melted semisweet chocolate. Leave as is or recoat in matzo praline crumbs.
The truffles will be very soft, so serve them in miniature paper candy or chocolate cups (available at candy-making supply stores or gourmet kitchen supplies).