Speakeasy Chocolate Stout Truffles

It's San Francisco Beer Week, and I hope to get to several of the incredible events that are going to take place. I posted about two Chocolate and Beer events earlier, but what if you're not in San Francisco? How can you celebrate? Well, you can make some Chocolate Stout Truffles, of course. I decided to make these with Speakeasy's Black Hand, a Chocolate Milk Stout, and Guittard Chocolate, two local companies. Excellent flavor with lots of chocolate notes. But, of course, you can use your favorite dark beer or stout, and your favorite chocolate (62% cacao or higher).

SPEAKEASY CHOCOLATE STOUT TRUFFLES 

Ingredients
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (Guittard)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 Tbsp Stout beer (Speakeasy's Black Hand)
1/2 tsp Madagascar vanilla
Dash of salt
2 tsp unsalted butter, cubed and softened
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions
In saucepan over low heat, bring cream just to a boil and pour half over chocolate. Set aside 2 minutes. Using wooden spoon, gradually stir cream into chocolate (it should begin to look shiny and smooth). When completely smooth, bring remaining cream back up to a simmer, pour over chocolate, set aside another 2 minutes, then stir in as before. When chocolate and milk are completely combined, stir in stout, vanilla, and salt. Stir in butter last.
Pour ganache into 8-by-8-inch baking dish and set aside at room temperature 30 minutes.
Refrigerate ganache 30 minutes more, or until cold but still maleable.
Using melon baller or teaspoon, make rough ball-shapes of ganache and transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
Dust hands with cocoa powder, and coat rough-hewn shapes in remaining cocoa powder, or roll into more perfect balls and coat. Transfer truffles a few at time to small sieve and shake to remove excess cocoa. Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate.
Remove truffles from refrigerator 15 minutes before serving, re-rolling in a bit more cocoa powder.
Truffles keep, refrigerated, up to 2 weeks.

American Beer Day: Chocolate Stout Truffles

October 27: National American Beer Day. I like a good chocolate stout, and I'm lucky enough to live in an area with several microbreweries that produce Chocolate Stout. Chocolate Stout adds a bit of creaminess that enhances the taste of these beer truffles. 

CHOCOLATE STOUT TRUFFLES

Ingredients
1/2 cup Chocolate Stout, reduced by half
12 oz. dark chocolate (65-75% cacao), chopped
2 Tbsp. sweet butter
1 cup heavy cream
Cocoa powder (Dutch process) or ground espresso

Directions
Reduce stout (texture should be thick enough to lightly coat a spoon).
Stir in butter and heavy cream and bring to simmer. As soon as bubbles start forming, pour over chopped chocolate.
Whisk to blend and put in refrigerator (covered with plastic wrap) until ganache is set, at least 3 hours.
Remove ganache from refrigerator, and using melon baller or spoon, scoop out ganache and roll into balls. You can also finish off by hand.
Place each ganache ball on parchment paper and put back in refrigerator for about an hour to harden.
Roll ganache balls in cocoa powder or ground espresso.