Very Tipsy Truffles for National Chocolate Week

Welcome to the fourth post in my Food In Fiction Series and some very tipsy truffles for National Chocolate Week.

I have noticed more and more the tie-in between food and fiction. As foodies, I am sure you love when food takes centre stage in a novel and when the author kindly includes some recipes, well that is just an added bonus.

The fourth title in my series is Wedding Tiers by Trisha Ashley.

I have long loved Trisha's books and there isn't one I have missed yet. I saved the latest two titles for going on holiday to Cyprus. This time my suitcase wasn't so heavy with books as I loaded my kindle up, so more room for new shoes, but that is another story.

There is a strong element of food running through Trisha's book and indeed some of her characters are foodies themselves, which leads me to suspect Trisha is a bit of a foodie too.

Several of Trisha's books are set in the neighbouring villages of Neatslake and Sticklepond in Lancashire and we often get to revisit some of the characters which is lovely and leads to a bit of anticipation when you start a new book.

Wedding Tiers by Trisha Ashley

Wedding Tiers is set in Neatslake and revolves around Josie Gray, who has moved into her late grandmother's cottage with her childhood sweetheart Ben.

On the surface their life is idyllic and they live the rural dream. Josie is as self-sufficient as she can be, growing her own fruit and veg, keeping hens and making ale and wine, while her boyfriend 'The Artist' works in his studio in between his ever increasing visits to London.

The wedding tiers of the title aludes to Josie's wedding cake business, where she makes weird and wonderful cakes for brides-to-be. Josie is sad that her boyfriend Ben has always been so against marriage, so she hasn't had a chance to be a bride herself, but as her childhood friend Lizzie arrives back in the village and starts planning for her own wedding, Josie gets caught up in the fun and soon the pair are setting up their own wedding business. As the story progresses secrets begin to immerge and Josie finds out why 'The Artist' is so against marrying her and having children. It looks as if Josie will only go up the aisle as a bridesmaid and bake cakes for other brides.

The story is full of baking, cooking, preserving and brewing, with a lovely dip into village life and all it's weird and wonderful characters. A treat for any foodie and an inspiration for anyone who would like to be a little more self-sufficient.

And now for the tipsy truffles, which feature in the book.

also try Scottish Rum Chocolate Truffles

print recipe

Very Tipsy Truffles

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum with kind permission. 

October 13, 2012

These tipsy truffles come from the novel Wedding Tiers by Trisha Ashley.

Ingredients

• 100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 3 tbsp toffee vodka (or alcohol of your choice)
• 50g butter
• 75g icing sugar
• 75g ground almonds
• enough cocoa powder to coat the truffles

Instructions

1. Melt chocolate in a bain marie (bowl over simmering water). Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water, as this would spoil the chocolate. You could also melt the chocolate at a low setting in a microwave.2. Stir in the butter until melted, then add the alcohol, almonds and icing sugar. Mix until well combined and smooth.3. Once cool, roll into balls and roll each ball in cocoa powder.4. Store the truffles in a container between layers of greaseproof paper. These will keep in a cool, dark place for up to a month.Notes: I made 14 truffles, but how many you make will depend on the size.

Details

Total time: 15 mins
Yield: Make 14 truffles

also try - Traditional Scottish Truffles

Disclosure: I bought my own copy of Wedding Tiers and did not receive any payment or goods for this post. Trisha Ashley gave me permission to reproduce the recipe. The original recipe was in ounces, I changed it to metric.