Orange Truffles

Orange truffles pair dark chocolate with citrus. Styles like this usually have a soft ganache center flavored with orange zest, oil or peel, often finished in a chocolate shell or a dusting of cocoa. Expect the bitter edge of cocoa up front, then the bright, slightly sharp aroma of orange. This Esplanda version is sold as a snack. The listing gives no ingredient list, cocoa percentage or origin, so check the packaging for those. Serve truffles like this at cool room temperature, roughly 16 to 20°C. Straight from the fridge, the ganache turns firm and the orange aroma fades. If they have been chilled, give them 10 to 15 minutes out of the box. Cutting one in half shows the texture and lets you taste the shell and center together. Coffee suits them best. A short espresso or a black filter coffee in a small cup stands up to the cocoa and picks up the citrus. Other good matches are a black tea such as Earl Grey, whose bergamot echoes the orange, or a hot chocolate with little added sugar. If you want something stronger, orange-led liqueurs and aged spirits like brandy or dark rum are the usual choices with chocolate. A small tulip glass or snifter suits those, and a plain espresso cup is enough for coffee. Orange truffles also work as a finish to a cheese board, next to nuts or dried apricots, or crumbled over vanilla ice cream.