Wintry Mix: Truffles or Bonbons (Bon bons)

That sounds like a great name for a confection. Anyway, that's what we are having right now. It's snow raining ice. Ouch.

I've stopped in at Powells candy store in Los Gatos. (Why are we in Los Gatos?) I bought what they call truffles and what I call bon bons. To me, truffles have to look like truffles and they should most probably have a ganache center. The biggest thing is, they have to look like truffles. What I bought were molded bullet like chocolates with a fondant center. Basically, my cherry cordials are also bon bons. I think of bon bons as molded chocolates or they can be ice cream covered with chocolate, too. But I don't think of truffles as molded. Truffles have a ganache center, rolled, and then hand or forked dipped into chocolate with decoration. Here's an OK definition of truffles. The important thing is to make them look something like a fresh black truffle. Or a fresh white truffle. Molded chocolate do not look like that. They look like bon bons.

I just hate this misuse of the word truffle.

Comments? Suggestions?

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