The Simple Dessert Gordon Ramsay Makes For Christmas Dinner

The holidays are a time for festive celebrations and warm Yuletide gatherings, culminating with families coming together on Christmas and sitting down to share dinner. Making the special meal takes a lot of time and work, and being able to prepare some components in advance is a welcome pressure reliever. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay makes a simple dessert the day before that's a snap to put together and features two classic flavors of the merry season: mint chocolate truffles (via YouTube).

Truffles are a ganache, which is made from chocolate and cream, rolled into balls and coated with another ingredient, most classically cocoa. Ramsay adds butter to this basic formula for more richness and sheen, and honey to boost the dark chocolate with mellow sweetness, in addition to mint-infused cream. 

He first bruises the fresh mint with the side of a wooden spoon, the same principle behind spanking herbs for cocktails. Then he heats equal amounts of double and single cream — roughly equivalent to heavy cream and close to half-and-half in the U.S. — with the bruised herb and honey. Once it comes to a boil, he pours it through a strainer over the chopped chocolate and softened butter, and stirs until it's creamy and smooth.

The ganache is chilled in the refrigerator to firm up, and then small pieces are hand-rolled into balls. Ramsay coats some with cocoa and others with crumbled flake chocolate, which is thin layers formed into long, thin bars (usually used to top ice cream). Then they go back in the fridge until the next day's Christmas dinner.

When making truffles yourself, you can add any ingredients and flavorings you like, limited only by what you believe would go well with their luxurious canvas. Gordon Ramsay also suggested orange zest, brandy, and spicy fresh chile additions, and alternate coatings including nuts, like pistachio truffles, and crunchy brown sugar. Other ideas for the ganache include vanilla or other extracts, liqueurs, spices like cinnamon, ginger, or cayenne, and chopped nuts. Crumbled cookies, confectioner's sugar, cocoa nibs, kid-friendly sprinkles, and a dip in melted white or milk chocolate are some other coating possibilities.

While Ramsay used 70% cacao dark chocolate, you could also make them with other percentages. Semisweet 60% is common, but milk would also be delicious, and you can even go higher for a more intense flavor.

Some tips can help you avoid pitfalls and make these decadent treats their absolute best. The standard ratio of chocolate and cream to follow is 2 to 1, and use baking chocolate instead of regular chips or bars, which include stabilizers to maintain their shape. Try Giada De Laurentiis' knife tip to chop it into small pieces around the same size that will melt evenly. Cool your hands before rolling the truffles into balls, and move quickly to keep them from melting onto your palms. Keep them in the refrigerator for up to four days, and bring them to room temperature about an hour before serving for the best taste.