Durian Coconut Truffles

Rose Almond Truffles

For this week’s truffles, the theme is getting ur freak on. I decided to experiment with a couple of new flavor combinations involving aphrodisiacs: Durian and Rose. Hey, it’s spring time. Time to get freaky.

Durian-Coconut Truffles
Durian’s one of my favorite fruits from Southeast Asia. It’s a spikey fruit that can cause serious head injuries if it falls on you. Its smell is potent. Depending on who you talk to, it can be described as either fragrant and rich or overpowering and offensive. Due to its strong and penetrating smell, the fruit is banned in airplanes and finer hotels throughout Southeast Asia. I will be keeping these truffles in an airtight container.

According to Chinese Medicine, durian is a yang tonic with very warming qualities. The Javanese also believe it has aphrodisiac qualities. The fruit is high in vitamin C, potassium, and the serotonergic amino acid tryptophan, and is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

These durian coconut truffles are vegan. I used the actual fruit and not an extract. Made with organic coconut milk and rolled in toasted shredded coconut and unsweetened cocoa powder, the coconut helps take the edge off the strong flavor of the durian while keeping its smooth, rich and distinctive flavor. This is probably not going to be the hottest selling flavor but for durian fans, it’s going to be a treat.

Rose-Almond Truffles
I had a request for rose truffles and I thought I’d have some fun and give it a try this week. I made an initial batch using Rose Water but getting enough rose flavor in the truffle caused the truffle consistency to be too soft. So then I did some research and found therapeutic grade white rose otto essential oil which I diluted in vodka. I paired the rose with organic almond extract to add more depth to the flavor. For these truffles, I am using Valrhona’s 66% dark chocolate from Ecuador. These beans have delicate floral notes of jasmine and orange blossoms, yielding to a long finish of refined bitterness and woody flavors.