Today, I Shall be Making...

...these:

Chocolate Rum truffles

2oz butter
4oz plain chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solid)
1 tablespoon of dark rum (yeah, right...maybe a bit more)
2 egg yolks
8oz sifted icing sugar
1oz ground almonds
1oz very fine cake crumbs (trifle sponges blitzed finely will do)
cocoa or drinking chocolate/chocolate vermicelli/dessicated coconut to coat

1. Put the butter in a basin with the broken up chocolate & stand it over a basin of hot water (NOT touching the bottom), stirring occasionally until both are melted.

2. Add the rum & egg yolks, mix well in. Then add a bit more rum. No, a bit more than that, it's Christmas! If the mixture is too wet, just add more cake crumbs or icing sugar.

3. Then sift in the icing sugar, ground almonds & cake crumbs gradually. You want a uniform brown colour, no white showing through, very stiff texture.

4. Turn out onto a plate, smooth down to about an inch & leave to chill for at least an hour & a half. Yes, it does look a bit like a giant cow pat, it's true.

5. Using teaspoons, scoop out small amounts. Form into small balls in your hands & roll in the chosen coatings while still sticky from the warmth of your hands. Pop into petit-four cases.

Who needs Ferrero-Rocher? You know exactly what went into these. You made it yourself...

Update: Mmmm, unsettlingly bovine...