You won't find Nestle chips in this kitchen. The author puts the finishing touches on a batch of truffles. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Lisa Fields)

No nibbling allowed! These candies are ready to go into gift boxes for the author's friends. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Lisa Fields)

Fancy labels: The final step in truffle-making. (AP Photo/James Kamp)

Chocolate stains ran down my entire right side, my back ached and all I wanted to do was sit and eat bonbons without a care in the world. Instead, I was elbow-deep in the bonbon making process, wishing it was quitting time. Every December, my friend Mitch Katz and I spend a full day making 500-plus chocolate truffles in five gourmet flavors, then give them to friends and relatives as holiday gifts. This February, I realized that Valentine's Day would also be ideal for a truffle-making endeavor.

Ours is no amateurish dabble in confections. We don't melt down Nestlé chips and roll truffles in colored sprinkles. Mitch, a self-proclaimed chocolate snob, would rather die. Instead, we use top-quality chocolate, tempering it so it looks professionally made, decorating each morsel with precision, while following recipes that Mitch got from the chocolate truffle-making course at the New School's Culinary Arts Program in New York City. As the hours pass and we fill the apartment with trays of tempting truffles, the aroma crescendos into Willy Wonka's deepest, darkest, chocolatiest dream come true.

You can wow your sweetheart this Valentine's Day with delicious chocolate truffles, following the below recipes and instructions for tempering chocolate.

"The gift is always nicer if you can make it," says New York chocolatier Jacques Torres, who supplied one of the recipes. "It's a lot more work, but it's nicer."

If this is your first attempt, make only one batch, not five; that would be like entering the marathon before running your first 5K. And believe me, you'd feel almost as exhausted. The repetitive motions involved in piping hundreds of chocolates onto cookie sheets or rolling hundreds of truffles into balls tax the body in surprising ways.

Truffle recipes tend to be very detailed, but they frequently leave out the organizational steps that ensure truffle-making goes as smoothly as possible. With that in mind, consider the following before you dive into the recipes.

ENLIST A FRIEND

Truffle-making is much more enjoyable when you can chat, take lunch breaks and share the messy responsibilities with someone else. Plus, you'll need more than one pair of hands for some stages of the process.

DIVIDE THE SHOPPING LIST

For starters, you'll need chocolate, heavy cream, butter and flavored liqueur. If the truffles are gifts, you may want decorative boxes and wrappers. Don't send one person out for everything; share the responsibilities. I have a well-stocked bar, so I supply most of the alcohol. (I look like a bit of a lush walking to Mitch's place with bottles of tequila and Cognac poking out of my bag.)

DRESS THE PART

Remember, you'll be making truffles, not nibbling on them at a romantic restaurant. Change into something old and ratty, since it will undoubtedly get splattered. (I once tipped a tray of not-yet-solid chocolates all over my jeans, moments before I planned to change into my designated "messy" clothing.) Also consider a $5 box of powder-free latex gloves. Since truffles are hand-piped, hand-rolled, hand-dipped and hand-decorated, the gloves will save you countless trips to the kitchen sink.

PREP YOUR CHOCOLATE

We use Callebaut, a Swiss confection used by chocolatiers worldwide and highly recommended by New School instructor Bruce Beck. Callebaut is sold in heavy blocks as big as Macy's sweater-sized gift boxes. (It's so dense, in fact, Mitch once broke the tip off of a knife while attempting to saw through a block.) Whatever brand you opt for, consider chopping the chocolate a day early to save time. You'll need small pieces so it melts properly.

DON'T STOCK YOUR FRIDGE

An empty refrigerator makes truffle-making easier, since you'll have to chill the chocolate ganache several times during the process. Why unnecessarily practice the precarious art of balancing cookie sheets with truffles atop bowls of salad, Tupperware containers and quarts of milk?

LEAVE EXTRA TIME

Making truffles always takes longer than you think it will. Our first year, we started in the late afternoon, since Mitch grossly underestimated how many hours we'd need for the job. His New School class made 500 truffles in three hours, but Mitch forgot that ten other students were there to share the workload. We didn't finish until 3 a.m.

DECORATE PROFESSIONALLY

Make your chocolates beautiful. Take time to properly temper chocolate, heating it and then cooling it to the proper temperatures so it shines when it solidifies. Tempering a large amount makes the process easier, says Torres. "It stays at a warmer temperature for longer because of the volume." Afterward, drizzle decorative lines with melted white chocolate dyed with food coloring, moving the pieces close together so most of the drizzle gets on your truffles, not your cookie sheet.

If you fall in love with truffle-making, make it an annual tradition, like Mitch and I do. We try to get more elaborate each year, labeling our boxes with logos that proclaim the confections are "hand-crafted by Mitch and Lisa" and placing cards inside to explain which truffles contain what flavorings. "Hey, just like the map in Whitman's Sampler," my friend said. Whitman's? Mitch would cringe at the comparison.

When you're done, be prepared for compliments. But also be prepared for a mess, since chocolate manages to end up everywhere. Four days after we finished our truffles, Mitch confessed: "I'm still cleaning up chocolate stains off of my floor."

___

OK. Got all that memorized? Good. Because it's time to make truffles. Here's how.

TEMPERING THE CHOCOLATE:

Tempering chocolate is not a difficult process, but you must adhere to strict temperature guidelines. A candy thermometer is essential.

First, boil a pot of water on the stove. Then chop a good amount of dark chocolate into small pieces. (A pound or two is a good starting point.) When the water boils, transfer roughly two-thirds of the chopped chocolate into a clean metal bowl. Hold the bowl directly over the boiling water so the heat melts the chocolate, and stir with a wooden spoon. Place the candy thermometer in the bowl. The chocolate needs to reach 115°F, but it shouldn't get much hotter than that. Consider removing the bowl from the stove at about 110°F, since the chocolate will get slightly warmer after it's removed from the heat. Turn off the stove.

Place the bowl on the counter, keeping the candy thermometer in place. Add a handful of the remaining chopped chocolate, then stir. This room-temperature chocolate will help to cool the melted chocolate to the proper temperature. A little at a time, add enough chopped chocolate to cool the melted chocolate from 115°F to 89°F. (Stirring helps, too.)

When the temperature reaches 89°F, put on powder-free latex gloves and spoon a palmful of melted chocolate into one hand. Working quickly, pick up a chilled truffle, roll it around in your chocolate-covered hand so all sides are coated, and place the coated truffle on a parchment-paper-lined cookie sheet. Repeat until all truffles are coated. Keep an eye on the thermometer _ once the chocolate cools below 85°F, you'll need to warm it back into the 85°F to 89°F range. Heat it slightly by placing the bowl over the pot of hot water again. If the chocolate hardens before you're ready to coat your next batch of truffles, you'll need to reheat it to 115°F again, then cool it to 89°F again.

RECIPE 1: CHAMPAGNE TRUFFLES.

Champagne truffles get their name from Fine Champagne Cognac, not from the bubbly. Do try other spirits and flavorings until you discover your favorites. This recipe for Champagne Truffles from New School's Bruce Beck yields 40 to 50 medium-small candies.

Here's what you need:

-- 1/2 cup heavy cream

--2 tablespoons unsalted butter

--10 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

--1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

--3 to 4 teaspoons Cognac or other French brandy

--1 cup Dutch process (alkalized) cocoa powder, sifted

Combine the cream and butter in a small, heavy saucepan. Place the chocolate in a stainless steel mixing bowl. Bring cream mixture just to the boil.Remove from heat, then pour it over the chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. If you suspect there might be a lump or two, strain the mixture. Stir in the vanilla and brandy. Cool until the mixture just begins to thicken a little but is not firm.

For best results, fit a pastry bag with a fairly large plain tip -- #5 to #7 -- and fill it with the chocolate mixture. Pipe buttons of mixture of the desired size onto a parchment-lined tray. Chill. Alternately, chill the mixture and scoop it with a tiny cookie scoop or spoon.

Place the cocoa in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Roll the chilled buttons between the palms to round them. As they are rounded, drop them into cocoa and toss to coat. A handful at a time, shake truffles gently in a sieve to remove excess cocoa. Place on a tray or serving dishes, and wrap truffles airtight. Chill them until they are needed, up to a week. Let them have 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

RECIPE 2: JACQUE TORRES CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES.

This recipe was reprinted with permission from Torres' book Dessert Circus At Home. It yields about 180 truffles:

This is one of the desserts everyone likes. Truffles are quite simple to make but the process will be even easier if you have a friend to help you. Time is the biggest element in this recipe. It will be easier if you have the tempered chocolate ready and all the desired toppings spread out on parchment paper-covered baking sheets. Be sure to use a good bittersweet chocolate.

One time I was giving a class on truffles. Most places have the big professional immersion blenders available for me to use. I started making the ganache and while it was mixing, I pulled the mixer up a little too far, which caused the chocolate to be sprayed everywhere by the blade. I quickly dropped the blade back into the chocolate and looked down at my clothes. I was in my white chef's coat but when I saw my clean coat, I started to smile. I like to be clean when I'm working. Then I looked at the audience in the front row. They were all licking themselves! Be careful when working with chocolate!

Here's what you need for the ganache:

-- 18 ounces heavy cream.

-- 21 ounces Bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped.

-- 2 ounces Grand Marnier or Stoli Razberi vodka. (Optional).

Here's what you need to enrobe the truffles:

-- 18 ounces bittersweet chocolate, tempered.

-- 18 ounces white chocolate, tempered.

Here's what you need to garnish the truffles:

-- 8 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted.

-- 9 ounces shredded sweetened coconut, toasted.

-- 8 ounces toasted nuts, finely chopped.

Heat the heavy cream in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan. Make sure you chopped the chocolate as finely as possible to allow it to melt quickly and easily. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-size mixing bowl. Make a ganache by pouring about half of the hot cream over the chocolate and letting it sit for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Then, slowly whisk until smooth and homogenous. Do not add all of the hot cream to the cold chocolate at once. The shock of the temperature extremes will cause the fat in the chocolate to separate. As the chocolate melts, you will see some elasticity if there is no fat separation. This means the chocolate still has an emulsion; the fat molecules are still holding together. If the ganache separates, it loses its elasticity, collapses, and becomes very liquid. I use a hand-held immersion blender to ensure a smooth ganache and to keep the emulsion of the chocolate. Add the remaining cream gradually and mix until all of the hot cream is incorporated and the ganache is smooth and homogenous.

If the ganache separates, it is very easy to fix. Simply add a small amount of cold cream and whisk well. This will bring the ganache back together. The ganache should be thick, shiny, and smooth. Add the desired flavoring and mix until fully incorporated. Pour the ganache onto a plastic wrap-covered baking sheet and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and allow it to cool for at least 4 hours at room temperature. I usually make the ganache at the end of the day and let it cool overnight. As it cools, it will thicken and set.

When the ganache has cooled to the consistency of toothpaste, scrape it into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Do not stir the ganache when you do this.Incorporating air by stirring will cause the ganache to harden. Pipe 1-inch-diameter mounds spaced 1 inch apart on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. To pipe the mounds, hold the pastry bag at a slight angle and allow the tip to touch the parchment as you begin to pipe. Once you have formed the mound, stop squeezing and lift the tip straight up, leaving a small tail on the top of each mound. You can also use a spoon and drop small mounds of ganache onto the baking sheet. Let the truffles harden at room temperature for a couple of hours (or in the refrigerator for 15 minutes) until they are hard enough to roll with your hands.

When I roll the truffles, I usually wear surgical gloves. The gloves are not mandatory but if you do not use them, be sure your hands are very clean. To roll the mound into a ball, place a truffle between both palms, squeeze slightly, and roll between your hands. The truffles will look nicer if they are as round as possible. When all the truffles are rolled into balls, they are ready to be coated. If they have become too soft, place them in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours until they are firm enough to dip.

You can use either a dipping fork or your hands to dip the truffles in chocolate. To use the fork, drop the truffle into the bowl of tempered chocolate and then retrieve it with the dipping fork. Hold the fork over the bowl for several seconds to allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Gently scrape the bottom of the fork against the side of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate and place the dipped truffle on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. If you use your hands, dab some chocolate in the palm of one hand. Roll the truffle in that palm to completely coat it with chocolate. Place the enrobed truffle on the baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining truffles. This method is very quick but it can also be extremely messy. When all of the truffles have been coated once, repeat the enrobing procedure. This is more necessary when you enrobe the truffles by hand than with a fork. The truffles are usually more evenly coated when dipped with a fork. As soon as each truffle gets a second coating, immediately roll it in the desired topping. You need to do this before the chocolate sets or the topping will not adhere. At this stage, it is good to have a friend help because it is hard to dip and roll at the same time. Place the truffles on a clean parchment paper-covered baking sheet and allow them to set, about 5 minutes.

The truffles will keep for up to 2 weeks at room temperature, when stored in an airtight container. If you decide to roll the truffles by hand, it is important to make sure your hands are cold. A good trick is to dip your hands in ice water for a few seconds and then dry them. Do this immediately before rolling the truffles. If your hands are too warm and the truffles begin to melt while you are rolling them, re-dip your hands in the ice water, dry them, and proceed.

___

Want to comment? Sound off at soundoffasap@ap.org.

©2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.