Chocolate Orange Truffles

Ganache Filling: In small saucepan, heat cream to scalding point (bubbles form around edge of pan); remove from heat. Stir in semisweet chocolate until smooth; stir in liqueur and orange rind. Transfer to bowl; cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until thickened and cold.

Using whisk (not electric mixer), beat chocolate mixture just until creamy and lighter in colour. Do not overbeat or mixture will separate.

Using pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch (1 cm) plain tip, pipe filling into 1-inch (2.5 cm) diameter rounds on 2 waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

Working with rounds of filling from one baking sheet at a time, lightly roll in icing sugar. Gently roll each round between fingertips to round off tips. Return to waxed paper-lined sheet and freeze for about 1 hour or until hard and almost frozen.

Coating: In top of double boiler over hot (not boiling) water, melt semisweet chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Using 2 forks, dip balls from one baking sheet one at a time into chocolate, letting excess drip off. (If chocolate thickens, rewarm gently over hot water.) Refrigerate on waxed paper-lined baking sheet until hard.

Place truffles in candy cups and store in covered container in refrigerator until just before serving.

Garnish: Garnish with strips of orange rind. Refrigerate truffles for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

Additional information :

Tip: Piping rather than spooning a delicate filling cuts down on handling. If you don't have a pastry bag, make your own from a small, sturdy plastic bag by snipping of a little piece of one corner.