Antonino Allegra was a pastry chef for over twenty-five years and chocolate has always been around him. But when he arrived in South Africa nine-years ago he was frustrated by the quality of chocolate available and he decided to start making his own. In 2016 Afrikoa Chocolate came into being.
Two years later Afrikoa has became the first chocolate brand in Africa made with fair-trade heirloom cacao beans, the first bean-to-bar company in South Africa to produce chocolate made from cacao sourced directly from African farmers.
The Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund (HCP) has designated the cocoa trees of the Tujikomboe Farmers Group in Tanzania as Heirloom.
He shared this Amarula and chocolate truffle recipe with us
Amarula Chocolate Truffles
(Makes 45)
Ingredients
Afrikoa 55% truffles
½ cup (125ml) pouring cream
500g Afrikoa 55% semisweet chocolate drops
50ml (¼ cup) Amarula liqueur
30ml (2 tbsp) vodka
5ml (1 tsp) edible gold dust
Method
Pour the cream in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and pour the cream over. Using a spatula, stir until the mixture until its smooth.
Once the ganache has cooled slightly, stir in the Amarula and refrigerate for 2–3 hours or until completely firm. At this stage you can scoop out a teaspoon of the ganache and shape it into balls. Combine the vodka and edible gold dust together. Using a teaspoon, splatter the gold mix over the rolled truffles.
TIP: If the ganache looks oily, add a teaspoon of hot water at a time until smooth and glossy.