During my professional chocolatier program, I got the idea that I should try making truffles with ingredients that are either traditionally part of Newfoundland foodways (like berries and molasses) or that were grown in Newfoundland (like hazelnuts and spruce tips). Fresh spruce tips, however, were not in season at the time that I was completing my various assignments. Freeze dried spruce tips weren't available either and I just couldn't imagine that pickled spruce tips would work. I put the project on hold.
Spruce tips, if you aren't aware, are high in vitamin C. Depending on the variety and time of harvest, they can have a citrus-like or piney flavour. When left too long, I'm told they can smell like cat urine (definitely not the desired flavour profile).
A year later, while visiting my sister, I spied the almost lime green, new growth on some trees. I quickly gathered a small bag to take back with me. I froze them and took care to transport them in a cooler, and then they landed in my freezer. Admittedly, I forgot about them for a few months (or more than a few months). And then the great power outage of 2020 struck. My apartment was without power for a month while I was on vacation in another province and the entire freezer had to be gutted (by a friend who deserves more and better for her efforts). So long, spruce tips.
Eventually, I had the opportunity to pick a new batch of spruce tips locally and once again popped them into the freezer (to languish...). But they found their way out of the freezer this week when I decided the time had finally come.
I had leftover heavy cream. I had a small stash of spruce tips. And I needed a topic for a blog post.
I heated the cream to a simmer and then added the spruce tips. Then I removed the pot from the heat and let the spruce tips steep for 30 minutes. Next, I weighed out chocolate for a small batch of truffles and added the appropriate amount of cream. A quick 90 seconds in the microwave and I was able to whisk together a luscious ganache. After leaving it to cool for a half hour, I scooped out 26 truffles and left them to crystallize. Then I refined their shape and rolled them in cocoa powder.
Now, when I tasted the cream before combining it with the chocolate, it had a pronounced woodsy flavour. But the dark chocolate (not surprisingly) overpowered the spruce tips in the final mix. Consequently, the flavour is faint and doesn't register at all if the truffles are eaten cold.
I think the concept is solid, but the execution leaves something to be desired. First, additional experimentation will be necessary to determine the best ratio of cream to spruce tips -- and that will likely have to wait until next spring when I can harvest the tender tips once again. I am curious, however, about the possibility of acquiring some freeze-dried spruce tips and amping up the flavour by pulverizing some and rolling the truffles in the powder. Second, I may have to swap the 54% chocolate for white chocolate, which would provide a more neutral base for the delicate flavour.
Nevertheless, I'm happy to finally have brought this idea to life and thrilled to have a container of delicious truffles in my fridge for a hit of chocolate whenever I like. I can see chocolate season approaching and I'm looking forward to putting new ideas into practice. And while there won't be a spruce tip truffle in this year's chocolate box, I'm sure there will be other delicious options.
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