Avocado Chocolate Truffles

We tend to over-indulge at festive times of the year, but celebrity chef Peter Blakeway has come up with a novel way to enjoy a little ‘healthy decadence’ as part of the NZ Add An Avocado campaign.

Avocados are nature’s ‘super fruit’ and New Zealand is currently enjoying its biggest ever avocado season. And because there is such a plentiful supply, Blakeway felt inspired to create this unique recipe, which incorporates avocado.

The award-winning professional chef has almost 20 years experience working in Michelin-starred establishments around the world and has now settled in the Bay of Plenty – the heart of New Zealand’s avocado industry.

Avocado Chocolate Truffles.

“Chocolates that are really good for you. What could be better?”
Makes approx. 25

Ingredients:
250ml cream
275g real dark chocolate
75g fresh avocado butter (80% fresh avocado & 20% Grove Avocado Oil)
Good quality cocoa powder or tempered chocolate for enrobing

Method
With a hand blender, beat together the avocado and oil until soft and creamy, cover and place in fridge until needed. Chop the chocolate into chunks or break into squares.  Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and microwave on HIGH until barely melted.

Scald the cream in a pan – allow it to boil and rise up (be careful it doesn’t boil over.)  Pour about a tablespoon onto the chocolate and mix well.  Keep adding the cream, a spoonful at a time, mixing thoroughly to form an ‘emulsion’.

When all the cream has been mixed in, add the avocado butter.  The mixture should still be warm enough to absorb it, although it will take a few minutes to beat it in so there are no lumps left. When it has set to the consistency of butter icing, it is ready to be piped or spooned into truffle-sized pieces.

If piping, put the mixture into a piping bag and pipe blobs of mixture about the size of a large cherry onto a tray covered with greaseproof paper or cling film. Leave to cool for at least 2 hours, preferably 24.

To finish, drop into a tray of cocoa powder, roll briefly, shaking off excess and leave to set.  Alternatively, the chocolates can be enrobed with tempered chocolate and drizzled with melted white chocolate or topped with a pistachio or blanched almond.