Do you want to ensure you’ll have a happy and prosperous year? In Indian culture, we start off all auspicious occasions with something sweet. And, seriously, what’s better than chocolate?
Homemade chocolate truffles are so easy. They are a little bite of rich deliciousness that both impresses everyone and makes them happy.
A few weeks ago, I was wandering around World Market looking for little goodies to give as gifts. I love that I can find delicious treats with a little ethnic flair there. I found these Indian Sweet Curry chocolate bars and bought one for a gift. I was about to check out and ran back to the aisle to get a second bar for myself.
I am so glad I did! I completely loved the slightly spicy and salty flavor. I was inspired by the chocolate bar to create my own truffles.
I used my standard garam masala and added in some sweeter spices but I’m sure any curry powder will work. I made this three times until I was completely happy with the proportions, texture and flavor. The first couple times I used a mix of milk and semisweet chocolate for the filling and used milk chocolate for the coating.
I preferred the flavor when I just used milk chocolate for the filling because it lets the caramel come through much better. The darker coating makes for a nice contrast.
When I used the milk chocolate coating, had some trouble with some lighter spots on the chocolate. I think the smaller salt crystals drew out the moisture causing the discoloration. The chocolate still tasted great. I didn’t really have that problem with the semisweet chocolate coating because I tried to only sprinkle on larger salt crystals. On the ones that did end up with powdered salt, I saw the discoloration.
Curry Caramel Truffles with Himalayan Pink Salt
Decadent chocolate truffles with curry and pink salt
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 6 oz milk chocolate
- 1/4 tsp garam masala or curry powder
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt plus more for sprinkling
- 8 oz semi sweet chocolate
Instructions
- Heat the milk chocolate in a double boiler until melted. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with 1 tablespoon of water. Heat over medium heat until the sugar turns nut brown. Add the cream and stir until all the sugar crystals are melted and a smooth caramel is formed. Turn off the heat.
- Pour the caramel into the melted milk chocolate, add the 1/4 tsp of garam masala and 1/4 tsp of Himalayan salt. Stir until well combined. Then cover and refrigerate at least two hours.
- Scoop out heaping teaspoons of the chocolate caramel mixture and roll into balls between your palms. Refrigerate the balls for about 30 more minutes.
- Melt 6 oz of the semi sweet chocolate in a double boiler. Remove melted chocolate from the heat and add in the remaining 2 oz of chocolate. Stir. The chocolate will melt from the residual heat in the already melted chocolate.
- Dip the chocolate caramel balls in the melted semi sweet chocolate. Place the dipped chocolate truffles on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with a little Himalayan pink salt.
- Let the chocolate set for about two hours.
Notes:
I created a spice blend by mixing 1 tsp of my garam masala with 1/4 tsp turmeric and 1/8 tsp each of cinnamon, fennel and cardamom. I then used only a 1/4 tsp of this blend in my recipe. Your store bought garam masala or curry powder will work just fine.
