Rose-Kissed Chocolate Truffles for Your Valentine

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O my Luve's like a red, red rose

That's newly sprung in June;

O my Luve's like the melodie

That's sweetly play'd in tune!

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As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,

So deep in luve am I;

And I will luve thee still, my dear,

Till a' the seas gang dry—

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Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi' the sun;

I will luve thee still, my dear,

While the sands o' life shall run.

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And fare thee weel, my only Luve!

And fare thee weel awhile!

And I will come again, my Luve,

Tho' it were ten thousand mile.

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--Robert Burns
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Roses are one of the most popular symbols of love and affection between two people, especially on Valentine's Day. Ever wonder why? There is an interesting legend in Roman mythology of how this came to be. It is said that in Roman times, there was an exceptionally beautiful young woman named Rodanthe. Her beauty attracted many ardent suitors who pursued her relentlessly. Exhausted by their pursuit, Rodanthe was forced to take refuge in the temple of the goddess Diana. In their desperate attempts to win Rodanthe's favor, these suitors broke down the doors of the temple. This enraged Diana. In her fury, she turned Rodanthe into a flower and her suitors into thorns. Bummer!

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According to another popular legend, Cupid was once carrying a vase of sweet nectar to the Gods on Mount Olympus, and some of the nectar spilled on the ground. From the spot where the nectar fell grew the first rose. In Roman mythology, Cupid is known as the god of erotic love and sex.

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Another interesting tidbit to note is, that if you rearrange the letters of the word rose, you get Eros. Eros is the Greek counterpart of Cupid, again, the god of erotic love and sex. With all that symbolism for erotic love and sex going on, it's no wonder that roses are one of the most popular gifts between lovers on Valentine's Day!

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The color of the roses one chooses to give to his or her beloved is also important. While the red rose is considered to be the universal symbol of love and passion, different colored blooms have different meanings. Pink roses are given to a friend or sweetheart. White roses signify true love and purity of the mind. Yellow roses are for friendship and black roses mean farewell or death. So be very careful when selecting what color roses to give your Valentine. If you pick the wrong one, you could get yourself in a whole heap of trouble!

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Since Valentine's Day is just a few days away, I wanted to create a romantic little treat for you to share with the one (or ones) you love. (Who am I to judge!) In my mind, there is nothing so luxurious, so sensual, so gloriously and sinfully decadent as a silky, smooth, and rich dark chocolate truffle. Except, that is, a silky, smooth and rich dark chocolate truffle imbued with the essense of roses.

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The foundation for this recipe comes from Sherry Yard's, The Secrets of Baking. I used her basic recipe for Chocolate Truffles and tweaked it by adding rose flower water. The result was a marvelous little chocolate truffle with just the subtlest kiss of roses. Is that not genius? I mean, what could be more perfect for Valentine's Day than chocolate and roses all rolled into one neat little package?

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I would like to take an opportunity to thank all of you who voted for me in Culinate's Death by Chocolate contest. Even though I didn't win, I am really glad that I participated. I'd like to congratulate everyone who submitted such creative and inspired desserts, especially the winning blogger, Cathy, from Not Eating Out in New York, who is probably packing her bags for Napa as I write this.

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Rose-Kissed Chocolate Truffles

Adapted from The Secrets of Baking, by Sherry Yard

Printable Version

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Ingredients:

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8 oz good quality bitterweet chocolate, chopped and divided

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp light corn syrup

2 tbsp rose flower water

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For the coating:

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8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

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Method:

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Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set aside.

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Combine cream and corn syrup in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Heat until it comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and immediately pour over hot chocolate and butter. Let is sit for 1 minute. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in small circular motions until chocolate mixture is fully melted, aboput 2 minutes. Add the rose flower water and stir to combine.

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Allow the ganache to cool at room temperature until firm, at least 4 hours. You could also put it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. (This worked for me.)

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Once firm, form the ganache into small 1-inch balls. The easiest way to do this is to use a melon baller or small ice cream scoop. You may have to roll them a bit with your hands. It will be very messy. If the balls get too soft, put them back in the fridge for a while, until they firm up again.

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To coat the truffles:

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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

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Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Wait a few seconds and stir. If it isn't completely melted, microwave it again for 10 seconds. Repeat until the chocolate is all melted. Yard's recipe says to melt the chocolate in a bouble boiler, but I have always had good results by using the microwave. Just be careful not to overdo it. Put the cocoa powder into a small bowl.

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Drop each ganache ball into the melted chocolate, one at a time, and roll until fully coated. I used a toothpick for this. Tap off the excess and toss into the cocoa powder to coat. Transfer each truffle to the baking sheet to harden. I put my ganache balls in the freezer for about 30 minutes before I coated them to discourage melting. This seemed to help.

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Makes about 2 dozen 1-inch truffles.

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Enjoy!

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Want more? Here are some other great truffle recipes:

Concord Grape Jellies and Peanut Butter Truffles from French Laundry at Home

Chocolate Truffles Trio from 64 Sq. Ft. Kitchen

Candied Ginger Truffles from Zoe Bakes

Robert Linxe's Chocolate Truffles from Smitten Kitchen

Rafaella Coconut Truffles from Palachinka

Lemon Truffles from Technicolor Kitchen

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For more great ideas for Valentine treats, check out the Frantic Home Cook's list of 50 Incredible Chocolate Desserts for Your Valentine.