008: How to Make Chocolate Truffles for Valentine’s Day with Kee’s Chocolates – The House of Lee NYC

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In Episode 8, The House of Lee NYC takes listeners to Kee’s Chocolates in midtown Manhattan. There, owner Kee Ling Tong – known for her fresh, handmade, and unadulterated chocolates – tells us how to make ganache filling for truffles. Kee’s Chocolate is frequently listed as one of the best places in New York City for gourmet chocolates.

Tong also gives listeners tips on how to shop at a grocery store for chocolate and shares the popularity of her chocolate passionfruit pieces that are a near sell-out during Valentine’s Day season.

Lee, who is not big into chocolate, is offered one piece of the chocolate passionfruit speciality, and she shares her reaction.

Store regulars, Stuart Kohn and a gentleman named Ed, also weigh in on Kee’s Chocolates. Stuart also shares his tips for Valentine’s Day.

Below, you will find a basic outline for a recipe for truffles.

Kee’s Chocolates: 315 W. 39th Street (between 8th and 9th avenues), New York, NY; Tel. (212) 967-8088. www.keeschocolates.com; @keeschocolates.

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Truffles Recipe
1 cup fresh heavy whipping cream
1 cup your favorite solid and good-quality chocolate, chopped into small bits
Natural flavor extracts and/or ingredients such as chopped nuts, cocoa powder, or coconut
***Make sure NO water gets into contact with the chocolate. It will create an awful mess and a wasted shopping trip.***

Heat-proof bowl, pot and stove or microwave, melon baller or small scoop

A). Traditional Method: boil the whipping cream with out burning, then add to a bowl with the chopped chocolate, stirring until melted and combined.
B). Microwave Method: to melt the chocolate, set the time for 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each round. The whipping cream will still need to be heated up.

1. Pour your cream into a pot and heat to a light boil.
2. Add the hot cream very slowly while stirring it into the chocolate. If the chocolate gets too hot, it will be an oily, useless mess. Hmm, how do I know this? LOL. (Well, actually, it will still set and harden, but the separated fat and chocolate solids will be present, making it ugly and less smooth. But honestly, I still ate my failed batch. LOL.)
3. Add your desired flavor into the cream before adding it to the chocolate.
4. Once cream and chocolate are combined and mixed, refrigerate for at least one hour but as long as 24 hours. (Once the mixture has set and is quite firm, you can then call it ganache!)
5. Scoop or spoon the ganache into small balls as pictured above.
6. Coat in desired ingredients, such as coconut, cocoa powder, or nuts.
   Enjoy!

—UPDATE: February 13, 2018, 10:30AM—
I went out in search of passion fruit this morning. And after an unsuccessful trip to Citarella, I found it at Fairway, 2 for $5. Please see my photo of it below. Hope that helps 🙂