Kris Kruid

Editor's note:The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Jacques Torres's Dessert Circus at Home . To read more about Torres and his chocolate factory,click here.This is a candy everyone likes. Truffles are quite simple to make, and the process will be more fun if you have a friend to help you. Time is the biggest element in this recipe. It will be easier if you have the tempered chocolate ready and all the desired toppings spread out on parchment paper-covered baking sheets. Be sure to use a good bittersweet chocolate. Once I was giving a class on truffles. Most places have the big professional immersion blenders available for me to use. I started making the ganache, and while it was mixing I pulled the mixer up a little too far, which caused the chocolate to be sprayed everywhere by the blade. I quickly dropped the blade back into the chocolate and looked down at my clothes. I was in my white chef's coat, but when I saw my clean coat, I started to smile. I like to be clean when I'm working. Then I looked at the audience in the front row. They were all licking themselves! Be careful when working with chocolate!

Editor's note:The recipe below is excerpted from Jacques Torres's Dessert Circus at Home .

Editor's note:The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Jacques Torres's Dessert Circus at Home. The first time I ever saw a moose was in Atlanta. Kris and I were in an antiques store. I saw antlers out of the corner of my eye and wondered if there was a real moose in the store. I am sad to tell you that while he was real, he was not alive. I promised myself I would visit a place where I would be able to see moose in their natural habitat. I think they are such magnificent animals and I adore their comical faces. I'm making this moose until I get to see them for real!