The Anti - Truffle

What is an anti-truffle? Classic chocolate truffles are decadent and with your health in mind, they are better saved for special occasions. On the inside, my anti-truffles are full of antioxidant powered ingredients such as figs, pistachios, almonds, and ginger. On the outside, I cover the truffles in a thin layer of dark chocolate for its flavor and for the appearance of a classic truffle. It's also true that dark chocolate (60% cacao or higher) in small quantities is quite good for you.

I recently published a classic chocolate truffle recipe on my own food blog. For the readers of Naturopath.ca, I dreamt up this more nutritious way to enjoy truffles on a regular basis. I enjoy the challenge of making sweets in healthier ways, while at the same time, there is no reason to sacrifice taste to make foods healthier. These ingredients are not only healthy, their own rich and bright flavors also taste wonderful with the bit of dark chocolate.

Nuts provide the healthy fats and oils you need in a vegetarian diet. Dried figs are rich in iron and antioxidants, and they are as much as five times more nutritious then fresh figs. Dried figs also aid digestion and are a good source of fiber. Ginger is another powerful ingredient -- it has amazing digestive power and is good for people suffering with arthritic inflammation, nausea, and coughs and colds, just to list a few of the known health benefits.

I recently saw nutritionist Ellie Krieger making fig & ginger truffles on Food Network. I gave her idea my twist and adjusted ingredients to my taste and our naturopathic purpose.

I used:
1 pinwheel pack of dried figs
1/4 cup crystallized ginger (skip this if you can't find it, or don't want the extra sugar)
1/4 cup unsalted pistachios
1/4 cup unsalted almonds
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 cup 65% dark organic chocolate from Dagoba
a little bit of ghee or butter, just to grease your hands

My method:
1. Put the nuts, cardamom, and ginger powder in a food processor and pulse to get small pieces. Do not powder the mixture.

2. Add the dried figs and crystallized ginger and pulse again, till all are nicely combined. (Alternately, if you'd like to save some electricity and have time on your hands, you can do the chopping and mixing by hand. Make sure it is all nicely combined. Keep in mind that chopping dried figs can get really messy, so prepare by greasing your cutting board.)

3. Grease your palms with a tiny bit of ghee or butter. This will prevent the fig mixture from getting stuck to your hands as you roll the mixture into balls.

4. Scoop out 1 teaspoon of the mix at a time, roll each into a ball, and place the balls in a tray or a dish covered with a sheet of parchment paper or foil.

5. Melt the chocolate on a double broiler. To do this, use a heat-proof bowl over simmering water, not letting it touch the water. It will only take a few minutes to melt the chocolate, and keep stirring throughout. As soon as it melts, take the bowl off the heat.

6. Drop the fig mixture balls into the chocolate. Use a spoon to roll them around, making sure they are coated on all sides.

7. Once they are coated, spoon them back onto the parchment paper or foil. The chocolate coating should be done as quickly as possible, don't let the chocolate firm up yet!

8. Refrigerate the truffles for at least one hour before serving.

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[ READER COMMENTS ]

1. 1

   kate said:

   these look really gorgeous. Saw them on MPG's stream , and had to come right over.
   we traditionally make the fig mix ,and eat them just like rolled in little balls , but never dipped them in Choc. I'm sure they taste amazing.

   Posted at 07:00 PM, on March 30 2008

1. 2

   mandi said:

   omg these must be delish!

   Posted at 04:07 PM, on March 31 2008

1. 3

   Mohini Glanz said:

   Kate - Thanks! Yes, the chocolate makes them even better.

   Mandi - They are delicious & they are super easy to make...give them a try!

   Posted at 09:39 PM, on March 31 2008

1. 4

   tami said:

   This sounds amazing! I'm going to try it tonight. Healthy and delicious, a winning combination! Thanks for another great recipe!

   Posted at 03:43 PM, on April 30 2008

1. 5

   Mohini Glanz said:

   Hi Tami - One of the reasons I love them because it gives me a chance to prove that great looking and tasting food can be healthy, too! I hope you enjoy them.

   Posted at 09:39 PM, on April 30 2008

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