20 Min
80 Mins (Chill time)
Around 24 Truffles
Confiserie / Petit four
Gluten-free • Vegetarian
Introduction
Black-skinned, violet-fragrant peppers meets 70 per cent couverture in a restrained take on the classic spicy truffle.
Steeping Poivre Bleu in hot cream, a technique echoed in chocolate truffles from Guittard, Gewürzhaus, and other craft chocolatiers, clears the capsicums of harshness and releases quiet floral warmth that lingers long after the cocoa dissolves.
Ingredients
Ganache
200 g high-quality dark chocolate (70 % or up, to your taste), finely chopped
120 ml heavy cream
20 g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp Poivre Bleu, coarsely crushed
½ vanilla bean, split (optional)
Pinch fine sea salt
Coating
3 Tbsp alkalised cocoa powder
¼ tsp Poivre Bleu, finely ground
Directions
Infuse the cream
Warm the cream, Poivre Bleu, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan until steam curls at the edge. Remove from heat, cover, and steep ten minutes for full pepper bloom.
Make the ganache
Rewarm the cream to just below a simmer, then strain directly onto the chopped chocolate. Rest one minute; stir from centre outward until glossy and homogeneous. Fold in the butter until the ganache shines.
Set
Pour the mixture into a shallow dish, press cling film onto the surface, and chill about one hour until firm yet scoopable.
Shape
Scoop heaped teaspoons of ganache and roll quickly between cool palms into 2 cm spheres. Return to the refrigerator twenty minutes to stabilise.
Finish
Blend cocoa powder with finely ground Poivre Bleu. Roll the chilled truffles in the coating, working in small batches to prevent melting. Tap off excess and store airtight in the refrigerator.
Why It Works
Following the proven ratio of roughly 1 part cream to 1.7 parts chocolate used in professional pepper truffles keeps the centres silk-firm yet melting.
Infusing rather than grinding coarsely into finished ganache prevents gritty texture and lets Poivre Bleu’s floral top-notes ride the dairy fat, mirroring techniques seen in craft chocolate houses.
Butter folds in late for extra sheen and a slower melt, while the dusting of cocoa plus micro-ground pepper reiterates aroma without oversaturating heat.
