Passion Fruit, Coconut and Cardamom Ganache

Dominique and Cindy Duby are award-winning chefs and chocolatiers who've written several cookbooks on working with chocolate. Their often wildly flavored and always delicious Wild Sweets chocolates, available online, have received international acclaim. In this recipe, they combine the zing of passion fruit with the sweetly fragrant flavors of finely ground coconut and cardamom.

By Dominique & Cindy Duby

Dominique & Cindy Duby | Chocolate: More than 50 Decadent Recipes| Whitecap, 2009

"As with wine pairing . . . we encourage you to experiment with chocolates from different manufacturers and artisan chocolate makers, and with various cocoa percentages and bean origins. Not only will this allow you to determine what you like best, but you'll also experience how much using different base chocolates can affect the end result of a dessert or confection. Keep in mind that even if you have the best recipe for the most delicious chocolate dessert, if it is made with an inferior chocolate, the dessert will never deliver its full sensory potential." - D. & C. Duby

Yield: 64

Ingredients

11.6 oz. (330g) oz. milk chocolate, finely chopped
Pinch of ground cardamom
1/2 cup (125ml) passion fruit juice
2 tbsps. (30g) corn syrup
5 tbsps. (75g) salted butter, softened
1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened coconut, toasted and finely ground
Tempered milk chocolate for enrobing (see instructions)

Recipe Instructions

Line an 8-inch square pan with plastic wrap. Place chocolate and ground cardamom in a bowl. Bring passion fruit juice and corn syrup to a boil in a saucepan and pour mixture over chocolate. For best results, blend using an immersion blender. Or using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir the mixture from the center out in a circular motion, trying not to incorporate any air. When chocolate and juice are well mixed, add butter and coconut and continue blending or stirring until mixture is smooth and shiny.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth the top using an offset spatula so that mixture is even. Let set for about 4 hours at room, or until firm (overnight is best).

Unmold ganache from pan, peel off plastic wrap, and cut into desired shapes using a knife or cookie cutter. Place ganache pieces on a tray lined with parchment paper to cure for 24 hours at room temperature. Using a fork, dip ganache pieces into tempered chocolate and slide onto another tray lined with a silicone mat. Optionally, while the chocolate is still wet, lightly dust some cocoa powder on a piece of plastic acetate and place on top of truffles.

Let set for about 4 hours, then peel off acetate (if using) and store truffles in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks.

Chocolate: More than 50 Decadent Recipes © 2009 Dominique & Cindy Duby. Photo © Whitecap Books. All rights reserved.

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Photography by Jessica Washburn, Bliss Chocolatier and Ecole Chocolat