Of course chocolate making is always a love story. But this one goes much deeper.

One look at Jael and Dan Rattigan and you know: these two are madly, hopelessly, ridiculously utterly SMITTEN with each other. Good thing, too. They live, work, and parent together in a veritable whirlwind of activity that would make most of us dizzy. We should mention that they own French Broad Chocolates, producing some of the most revered chocolate in the country. Needless to say, we’re a little smitten with THEM! Their story is a beautiful amalgam of all the things they love: community, sustainability, chocolate making and each other.

The Rattigans seem like a love at first sight kind of couple. “Well,” Jael laughs, “it was something at first sight!”  The basic synopsis reads thus: Dan was catering at Jael’s brother’s wedding, there was an evening full of flirty glances, eyelash batting, and an overt “you’re cute!” from Dan, with the romantic crescendo of Jael coming in for a kiss at night’s end. Then, Dan says, “I asked her in. Cooking for people has always been the way I express my feelings, and I thought my best chance with this lady would be a one-two punch of homemade farm-to-table food and Ella Fitzgerald on the stereo.” Swoon!

Jael & Dan set up shop in Asheville, North Carolina several years ago, by way of Costa Rica where they owned a cafe, Bread & Chocolate. “We were searching for a place to settle, belong and dig deep roots. We found it. Our community of friends and colleagues is so amazing, our business is thriving, and our kids are happy.” The original vision was to make chocolates at home and sell them at local markets, but financial reality set in and the French Broad Chocolate Lounge was born.

“Supporting our local farmers is still imperative to our company values.  We seek to use all suitable ingredients that are grown in our foodshed…and we’ve made the commitment that if we can’t find it locally, we’ll try to find it direct from farmers or producers. If we can’t find it locally or direct, that’s when we rely on third party certification, such as organic or fair trade. Our definition of sustainability includes the environmental impact and growing practices, of course, but equally as important to us, is that our dollars fairly compensate the people involved in producing it (from farmer to server).”

When asked why they’ve been so successful in love, community and chocolate, Jael thinks the answer is simple: “We believe in living in a state of generosity.”

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There are many reasons why this truffle recipe beats out just about any other variation you’ve had. Reason number one: sweet potato.

And why not? Sweet potato adds just the right amount of sweetness that makes it a natural in the realm of truffles. This sweet potato truffle recipe uses only the finest of ingredients that do your body and mother earth’s creatures a favor. Take a bite! Or two, or three…

Instead of using sugar and dairy to bring flavor to this recipe, I use the richness of coconut oil and the sweetness of maple syrup and sweet potato to make these truffles a surefire treat, without the sugar-induced hangover. These sweet potato truffles are vegan and rank low on the glycemic index.

Sweet Potato Truffles

Makes about 15 truffles

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1 large sweet potato
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot powder
• 1/4 cup coconut oil,  melted
• 2 tablespoons flour (any kind works)
• Hefty dash of sea salt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup almond milk (rice milk and soy milk work well too)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon almond extract

For the chocolate coating:

• 1 cup coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the sweet potato for 45 minutes to one hour, or until it’s soft through the center. (Poke with a fork to find out.) Let the sweet potato cool to room temperature. Remove the skin and place in a food processor with the arrowroot powder and coconut oil. Set aside. In a pot over medium-high heat, add the flour, sea salt, maple syrup, and almond milk. Whisk until smooth and cook until the mixture considerably thickens. Remove from heat and whisk in the extracts. Add the mixture to the food processor with the sweet potato mixture. Blend until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Place the bowl into the refrigerator and let cool. When cool and relatively harder, use a spoon to scoop out truffle-sized bites. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place the baking sheet into the freezer for 30 minutes.

While the truffle fillings are freezing, melt the chocolate coating mixture on a double broiler and whisk until smooth. Take each frozen truffle and using a fork or spoon, completely submerge it in the chocolate, returning each back to its place on the parchment-paper coated baking sheet. Once you have repeated this step for all the truffles, transfer to the freezer to harden. Serve cold.

Image: Oksay

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White Bean and Sweet Potato Veggie Burger Recipe

Vegan Sweet Potato Hash Browns Recipe

The post A Twist on the Regular: Sweet Potato Truffle Recipe appeared first on EcoSalon.