Black and white truffles

The moment when the dessert is served has always been the one most anticipated by children (and many of those a bit more grown up), especially when it promises a wonderful sensory experience of colours, flavours and aromas, the outcome of expert craftsmanship by those making a delicious dessert to finish off a great lunch or dinner party. Our lovely specialty of the day takes us to the Italian region of Abruzzo from where we are going to make a unique confection as only they know how - namely the superb white and black truffles. They are prepared in such an irresistible way it will be hard to hold back your guests! Make them in sufficient quantities, then, because no one will be able to say no: once on the dining table they will disappear like snow in the sun, but not without satisfying the sweet tooth of all who eat them.

Black Truffles: boil the chestnuts starting with cold water - it will take about 30 minutes. When they are tender, drain and let them cool. Then peel them and reduce to a puree with a potato masher. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie and, once melted, mix in a knob of butter. Transfer the chestnut puree to a saucepan with the remaining butter and sugar. Mix everything together and let the mixture warm through and combine over a moderate heat. Transfer the mixture into the bowl with the melted chocolate, stir again thoroughly and let it cool. Add the rum and leave in the fridge to thicken a bit so that it can be better manipulated by hand. Meanwhile, prepare the dough for the white truffles: melt the white chocolate in a bain marie. Once melted, add the knob of butter off the heat, stirring. Let it cool and add the chopped almonds, cheese and grated orange zest. Mix and again put the mixture in the fridge to firm up. Take the black truffle dough and shape into balls the size of a walnut and then coat in the cocoa powder. Proceed in the same way with the white mixture, coating the balls in the sugar granules. You can prepare the truffles in advance but in that case wait before coating in cocoa and sugar to prevent them from getting wet.