Spider Truffles
Adapted from recipes by Martha Stewart and Julia Usher.
½ cup heavy cream
4 cinnamon sticks, broken
10 whole cloves
1 strip orange zest
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
Garnishes: unsweetened cocoa powder, white or dark chocolate, licorice whips, red candies
Bring the cream, cinnamon, cloves and orange zest almost to a simmer. Turn off heat and let rest 30 minutes.
Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl.
Bring the cream back to a simmer, then pour it through a sieve onto the chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 10 minutes. Stir until smooth. Then pour into a shallow pan and chill until the mixture is very cold and set but still pliable, about 30 minutes.
Using a small scoop or ½-inch melon baller, scoop balls of chocolate mixture, transferring them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper as you work. Chill 10 minutes.
Dip each truffle in cocoa powder to coat, then quickly shape into a ball. Truffles can be dipped in melted dark chocolate to form spiders — make the legs from strands of black licorice and the eyes from small red candies — or white chocolate for eyeballs.
