Oregon Pinot Noir Dark Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Ingredients
9 oz of good quality dark chocolate, chopped
5 oz chopped dark chocolate to coat
2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp Pinot Noir Syrup (see recipe below)

4. Temper 5 oz of dark chocolate and dip the ganache balls into the chocolate, completely coating the ganache, then place back onto the wax papered baking sheet. Let sit until chocolate coating is completely set.

This basic recipe is an excellent way to use up left-over wine, or, if you're like me, an excuse to open up a new bottle. It can really be made with any type of wine, red or white, and infused with a variety of spices for a little added depth of flavor. Stored in the refrigerator, this syrup can keep indefinitely and makes a great sauce for simple yet delicious desserts on the spot. Try glazing fresh strawberries in a Champagne syrup, drizzling a cardamom infused Red Zinfandel syrup over ripe sliced peaches, or brushing a pound cake with a lemon spiked sweet Riesling syrup and topping with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a handful of blueberries. Red wine syrups can be added to any chocolate sauce, fondue, or truffle recipe to give lend a deep, red berry flavor.

*Note-a good rule of thumb when cooking with wine is, if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it. The  cooking process reduces the volume and intensifies the flavors, so if the wine has an unpleasant taste to begin with then it will have a highly concentrated unpleasant taste in the finished product. When I say “good quality wine”, it simply means something that tastes good to you. It doesn't have to be a $50 bottle, just something that you enjoy.

2 parts good quality Oregon Pinot Noir

1 part sugar

1. Place wine and sugar into a heavy bottomed skillet or wide sauce pan and bring to a boil over high heat.

2. Reduce head to medium and simmer until the mixture has reduced in volume by about 1/3 (approximately 15 min). The syrup will continue to thicken as it cools, so don't over-cook it or it will be too thick. When syrup is sufficiently thickened, remove from heat, place in an an airtight container and place in the refrigerator to chill.