Yutaka challenged me to make some rather interesting truffles over the Easter weekend. Yutaka means ‘good harvest’ in Japanese and that reflects the aim of the company: to create authentic Japanese food products made in the traditional way.
I’ve used a few of their products to cook various dishes before and particularly like their Sushi Ginger – it’s just so tasty and Phil and I can be guilty of eating it straight out of the jar. I’ve even attempted to make my own sushi but I’m yet to master that. Tazaki Foods, is the name behind the Yutaka brand. They were the pioneer of Japanese food here in the UK and were responsible for opening the very first Japanese restaurant in the country around 35 years ago. They’re now a leading supplier to the hospitality industry and offer a selection of products to encourage people to have a go at making traditional Japanese food at home. I’ve used their meal kits too which are very handy.
Although I was familiar with the brand I’d never thought about using their products to make sweet treats like truffles before. There was something about the idea really intrigued me. Think Miso Caramel, Shaoxing Rice Wine, Wasabi Furikake, Pickled Sushi Ginger and Yuzu. I’m not one to say no to a new cooking experiment so I spent the weekend making a selection of Yutaka inspired truffles. They may not have turned out perfectly but they tasted good and I’ll be giving a few of the flavours another try soon.
The lovely team at Yutaka supplied me with a recipe and everything I’d need to get to work on the truffles. I’ve decided to put the full recipe into this post as the truffles were a lot of fun to make and very tasty. I’ve swapped out a couple of ingredients for dairy free options but you can alter them as you wish.
So, if you’re looking for a more intense and unique chocolate hit then give these a try. I realise that it looks like a lot of work and it is, but it really is well worth having a bit of fun with this.
These are the various flavouring options. You could give them all a try but if you fancy only picking a couple then I suggest you go with the Sushi Ginger and also the Yuzu but honestly, they’re all really good.
Yutaka Shaoxing rice wine flavouring
– 2 tbs Shaoxing rice wine warmed
– Vermicelli for coating
Yutaka Wasabi Furikake flavouring
– 2 tbs Yutaka Wasabi Furikake
– Drinking chocolate for coating
Yutaka Pickled Sushi Ginger flavouring
– 2 tbs chopped Yutaka sushi ginger
– Cocoa for coating
Yutaka Yuzu flavouring
– 2 tsp Yutaka Yuzu
– 100g white chocolate – gently melted for coating
Miso caramel sauce filling – this stuff is dangerously delicious
– 75g sugar
– 25ml water
– 50ml double cream – I used the leftover Oatly
– 1 tbs Yutaka Miso
– 100g dark chocolate – gently melted for coating
– Pink salt crystals for sprinkling on the top
Use this method for all of the truffles:
– If you don’t have a double saucepan just grab something like a Pyrex bowl and place it on top of a saucepan filled with hot water. I used my favourite stone mixing bowl on top of my saucepan and it worked just fine.
– Break up the chocolate and place it into the bowl along with the butter and cream.
– Heat through slowly whilst whisking until smooth.
– Remove from heat and divide into 5 equal portions, adding the various flavourings to each individual portion.
– Place in the fridge to set, overnight works best.
Miso caramel flavouring method:
– Put the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan, stir and leave on a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it changes to a soft brown shade.
– Carefully add the cream (very carefully – I added too much) and whisk off the heat. Add in the miso paste and whisk thoroughly until smooth.
– Finally, add 2 tbs of miso caramel sauce to the remaining truffle mixture.
The remainder of the sauce works fantastically well over ice cream for a delicious dessert.
To finish the truffles:
Remove the truffle mixes from the fridge and scoop out a little with a teaspoon. Roll into a ball and place on a plate – be careful not to mix up the different flavours.
Roll the ginger truffles in cocoa and place into truffle cases.
Roll the Wasabi Furikake in drinking chocolate and the rice wine truffles in vermicelli and return to fridge.
Melt the white chocolate over a low heat and once it has cooled, spoon over the Yuzu truffles. You can use a cocktail stick pushed carefully into a truffle to help you turn and coat with the chocolate. This needs patience, something which I struggle with. Leave them all on a plate to set.
Melt the dark chocolate and coat the Miso caramel truffles as above and finish with a sprinkle of pink salt crystals on top.
If you don’t have all the correct coatings then don’t worry, just improvise and have fun.
Although I enjoyed each of the flavours I particularly enjoyed the Yutaka Pickled Sushi Ginger. The Salted Miso Caramel ones were a real hit with Phil. I’m going to try and create a couple of my own recipes with these ingredients. I’d like to try making a ginger cake with the Sushi Ginger.
Which of the truffles do you like the sound of best?