Talisker whisky truffles

Makes about 20

Talisker whisky truffles (Jason Lowe)

I made these to go with coffee when I hosted a Talisker whisky evening at Fish House a couple of months ago. Chocolate and whisky are perfect partners and for the evening I made half of the truffles without the alcohol and the other half spiked with Talisker – and guess which ones got the thumbs up?

700g good-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped (reserve 250g for coating)
400ml double cream
200g unsalted, softened butter
100ml Talisker whisky (or other whisky)
60-80g good-quality cocoa powder

Bring the cream to the boil, remove from the heat and gradually stir in 500g of the dark chocolate with a whisk until it has melted and the mixture is smooth, then stir in the butter and whisky. Transfer the mixture into a bowl and leave to cool in the fridge (about 1-1 hours) until firm enough to spoon into rough shapes.

Line a tray with clingfilm and spoon the mixture into roughly shaped blobs on the clingfilm. Leave to set in the fridge for a couple of hours until firm. Then melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring every so often. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes. Sift the cocoa powder on to a tray and have a third clean tray ready for the finished truffle. Using a thin skewer or cocktail stick, dip them quickly into the melted chocolate, ensuring as much excess as possible drains off, then put them into the cocoa powder, shaking the tray so they become coated.

When you have about 10-12 coated truffles, shake off the excess cocoa with your hands and then transfer them to the clean tray. Store them in the fridge in a container lined with kitchen paper until they are required, and make sure that you bring them out of the fridge half an hour or so before serving. Don't keep them for more than a month.