Flavored Ganaches (Fruit, herb, spice, etc)

[Curlz]

I'm bumping this thread up, b/c I need some help, and this seems to be the best thread based on the search results...please feel free to direct me otherwise if I missed something! Let me state up front that I cook and do only minor baking, but until this weekend, had never worked with chocolate. A good friend let me help her make some basic truffles (all chocolate, rolled in cocoa and nibs), which was fun, but I'll continue to leave that to you all! She was saying that she has experimented with caramel ganache but can't seem to get it the right color AND flavor, and she'd also like to make p.b. ganache for truffles this holiday season. She would really crack up if I supplied the answer(s), esp because I am SO not the chocolatier/baker type!

Fwiw, she has a cabinet full of good oils, sells these as a side business, and makes all kinds of great flavors, so I was suprised to hear that she can't seem to get these two right. Something about the ganache not setting up as firmly as it should...?!?

Any/all thoughts and recipes are welcomed and appreciated!

Curlz

[sote23]

Thanks very much for the suggestions. I now have plenty to keep me occupied.

I have never tried to make pate de fruit, much less put them in truffles. Can adequate recipes be found on the web?

I had some lychee nuts and tried an infusion with cream. I probably would have had more success using a simple syrup infusion, but I only had enough nuts for one attempt.

Boiled the cream, added some mashed lychee nut fruit (from about 4-5 nuts). Let it steep for a while (about 15 - 30 minutes). Reheated the cream and added to some El Rey Caoba (milk chocolate, 41%).

Flavor was ... interesting. Did NOT taste like lychee nuts. The flavor was understated and different, not bad, but definately different.

This attempt was for my wife, who likes the flavor of lychee nuts, but won't eat them. She says they feel like you're eating raw eyeballs.  Not sure where she's eaten raw eyeballs ...

Anyone else try this?

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I haven't tried the nuts, but had good success using lychee liquor.

[Kerry Beal]

I'm bumping this thread up, b/c I need some help, and this seems to be the best thread based on the search results...please feel free to direct me otherwise if I missed something!  Let me state up front that I cook and do only minor baking, but until this weekend, had never worked with chocolate.  A good friend let me help her make some basic truffles (all chocolate, rolled in cocoa and nibs), which was fun, but I'll continue to leave that to you all!      She was saying that she has experimented with caramel ganache but can't seem to get it the right color AND flavor, and she'd also like to make p.b. ganache for truffles this holiday season.  She would really crack up if I supplied the answer(s), esp because I am SO not the  chocolatier/baker type!

Fwiw, she has a cabinet full of good oils, sells these as a side business, and makes all kinds of great flavors, so I was suprised to hear that she can't seem to get these two right.  Something about the ganache not setting up as firmly as it should...?!?

Any/all thoughts and recipes are welcomed and appreciated!

Curlz

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For the PB ganache use a 50 50 mix of Jiff PB and white compound (I know compound is crap but the fats in it set up perfectly with peanut butter).

Edited November 7, 2006 by Kerry Beal (log)

[filipe]

Yuzu zest/juice (not easy to find the fruit itself but some dried zest and bottled juice can be found at japanese grocery stores) makes a WONDERFUL combination with dark chocolate.

Wasabi in the ganache is very good too. Use wasabi powder and instead of water to create the wasabi paste use a little bit of your boiled cream and then mix that paste with the remaining cream. Boil it again and mix with the dark chocolate. Wasabi is nice because its spicy properties are not felt in the mouth but in the nose, like mustard. So that allows you to obtain all the chocolate flavour but with that spicy feeling when tasting.

I'm using the wasabi ganache tonight at a chocolate recipes contest, covering a chocolate and green tea mousse layered cake and i really hope the jury feel the same as myself about it eheh

[mrose]

PB Ganache

1# white chocolate

1/2 cup cream

1 cup natural PB

This sets up well to be balled for truffles.

[reenicake]

for a caramel ganache with dark chocolate, you will have to use approximately double the cream because it will evaporate a lot when you de-glaze (add it to the caramel to stop the cooking.) -- some advocate using milk so that you don't get too much fat. (Which would affect the texture by making it softer, like adding butter.) If color is a factor, does that mean she wants a caramel color? Then ganache is not the answer.

[Curlz]

Thanks! I forgot to mention that she is not a fan of white chocolate (no clue as to why)...as for the color, she said it would be nice to have it caramel-colored, but she's not locked in to having to do so. She also uses organic everything (including cream), so I doubt she's going to go for the corn syrup.

Thanks again for all of the ideas and great info, folks! Please...keep 'em coming! Her birthday is later this month, and I plan to compile a whole bunch of this info to add to her gift.

[escry]

For a caramel ganache, try making a (burnt) caramel syrup. That is melt, then caramelize some sugar (sucrose). When it gets to the right colour, flavour, add some cool water. Let cool.

Later, when the syrup is cold (indeed anytime later as the syrup will last years if in an airtight jar), put 2 parts syrup into a pan and heat to 117 degrees celsius, add 7 parts cream (it will boil almost immediately). Pour over 9 parts chocolate chards. Emulsify.

[Anna N]

I am totally new to making molded chocolates so this request might sound pretty simplistic but I would love to make a coffee-flavoured filling preferably one that uses Kahlua. Would I start with a chocolate ganache and then add coffee crystals dissolved in Kahlua to taste? How would I get the consistency right for a filling that is neither solid nor too liquid? I want something a bit "creamy".

[sote23]

I am totally new to making molded chocolates so this request might sound pretty simplistic but I would love to make a coffee-flavoured filling preferably one that uses Kahlua.  Would I start with a chocolate ganache and then add coffee crystals dissolved in Kahlua to taste? How would I get the consistency right for a filling that is neither solid nor too liquid?  I want something a bit "creamy".

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You would bring the heavy cream to a boil and add the kahlua, then add the coffee. you will have to experiment, but let it infuse for 10 mins then check it, if it's not to your liking leave it longer. make sure you strain the coffee out before mixing with the chocolate. if you want a creamier ganache, increase the amount of heavy cream in your recipe.

[mrose]

You would have to decide how strong you want the coffee taste or do you just want a Kahlua taste? That would determine if you want to use coffee crystals. As you add more Kahlua, you have to cut back on the cream or the ganache gets too soft and is very hard to form & dip as truffles (can tend to pancake). But this isn't as much of as issue if you are filling molds.

You can also use butter instead of cream which will give the ganache a bit more body.

A good place to start for truffles is: 1# milk chocolate, 4 oz butter and 3/4 cup kahlua. You will have to cool ganache down a bit after forming to be able to coat them.

[Anna N]

You would have to decide how strong you want the coffee taste or do you just want a Kahlua taste? That would determine if you want to use coffee crystals. As you add more Kahlua, you have to cut back on the cream or the ganache gets too soft and is very hard to form & dip as truffles (can tend to pancake). But this isn't as much of as issue if you are filling molds.

You can also use butter instead of cream which will give the ganache a bit more body.

A good place to start for truffles is: 1# milk chocolate, 4 oz butter and 3/4 cup kahlua. You will  have to cool ganache down a bit after forming to be able to coat them.

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Thank you. The quantities give me a good starting point.

[sote23]

Has anyone been sucessful making either a pineapple or a papaya ganache? I've tried tried several times and it seems the natural enzymes in both of them start breaking down the ganache effecting the flavor.

Luis

[Kerry Beal]

Has anyone been sucessful making either a pineapple or a papaya ganache? I've tried tried several times and it seems the natural enzymes in both of them start breaking down the ganache effecting the flavor.

Luis

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Have you tried heating the puree for a short while to inactivate the enzyme?

[sote23]

Has anyone been sucessful making either a pineapple or a papaya ganache? I've tried tried several times and it seems the natural enzymes in both of them start breaking down the ganache effecting the flavor.

Luis

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Have you tried heating the puree for a short while to inactivate the enzyme?

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hi kerry,

I have not tried heating the puree, but the pinapple one was made using pinapple wine, which was heated with the cream.

Luis

[Kerry Beal]

Has anyone been sucessful making either a pineapple or a papaya ganache? I've tried tried several times and it seems the natural enzymes in both of them start breaking down the ganache effecting the flavor.

Luis

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Have you tried heating the puree for a short while to inactivate the enzyme?

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hi kerry,

I have not tried heating the puree, but the pinapple one was made using pinapple wine, which was heated with the cream.

Luis

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In that case the off flavour probably isn't coming from the enzymes. Try putting the wine and cream together and the wine and a water ganache together and taste after a time to see which part is responsible.

[sote23]

Has anyone been sucessful making either a pineapple or a papaya ganache? I've tried tried several times and it seems the natural enzymes in both of them start breaking down the ganache effecting the flavor.

Luis

←

Have you tried heating the puree for a short while to inactivate the enzyme?

←

hi kerry,

I have not tried heating the puree, but the pinapple one was made using pinapple wine, which was heated with the cream.

Luis

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thanks kerry, i will give it a shot.

thanks

In that case the off flavour probably isn't coming from the enzymes. Try putting the wine and cream together and the wine and a water ganache together and taste after a time to see which part is responsible.

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[aguynamedrobert]

Is the ganache actually seperating or is the flavor just off? You might not have a true emulsion with the Ganache if it is seperating...but we can deal with that once you answer the question because you might just be dealing with flavor...

Have a good one,

Robert

Chocolate Forum

[sote23]

Is the ganache actually seperating or is the flavor just off? You might not have a true emulsion with the Ganache if it is seperating...but we can deal with that once you answer the question because you might just be dealing with flavor...

Have a good one,

Robert

Chocolate Forum

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the ganache isn't seperating it's just off. the day after i make it, the flavor has changed.

[sote23]

Has anyone been sucessful making either a pineapple or a papaya ganache? I've tried tried several times and it seems the natural enzymes in both of them start breaking down the ganache effecting the flavor.

Luis

←

Have you tried heating the puree for a short while to inactivate the enzyme?

←

hi kerry,

I have not tried heating the puree, but the pinapple one was made using pinapple wine, which was heated with the cream.

Luis

←

In that case the off flavour probably isn't coming from the enzymes. Try putting the wine and cream together and the wine and a water ganache together and taste after a time to see which part is responsible.

←

thanks for your help kerry.

[sote23]

Yuzu zest/juice (not easy to find the fruit itself but some dried zest and bottled juice can be found at japanese grocery stores) makes a WONDERFUL combination with dark chocolate.

Wasabi in the ganache is very good too. Use wasabi powder and instead of water to create the wasabi paste use a little bit of your boiled cream and then mix that paste with the remaining cream. Boil it again and mix with the dark chocolate. Wasabi is nice because its spicy properties are not felt in the mouth but in the nose, like mustard. So that allows you to obtain all the chocolate flavour but with that spicy feeling when tasting.

I'm using the wasabi ganache tonight at a chocolate recipes contest, covering a chocolate and green tea mousse layered cake and i really hope the jury feel the same as myself about it eheh

←

I'm very interested in the yuzu ganache. do you have a recipe? your right, it is very hard to find.

[Desiderio]

I want to make some passion fruits hearts for a large order I just got in , for Febraury.

I was debating on making just a ganache infused with passion fruit pure' or do a passion fruit pate de fruit layered with ganache.

The issue will be , the mold arent deep enough so I might need to pick up anoyther heart mold maybe.

I never tryed pate de fruit , and I want something not woo sweet, I never tryed a passion fruit ganache as well and I am wondering wich is a good recipe.

I was looking at the PH ones for his truffles, maybe tweak it a bit for a piping pourpse , omit the apricot etc.

Another thing that I just though , maybe I should keep it simple and do a ganache so I dont have to go crazy with layering ( I dont have many molds either)

Would a simple passion fruit pure ( is better find them fresh or buy the pure?) boil the cream and do the same as the raspberry one?

ANother question, I found at my vitamine cottage , an organic corn syrup and brown rice syrup.Now I have been trying to keep my products as natural as I can ( I dont add sugar etc) but when I need to make caramel its a problem, because ofcourse it needs to be sugar and either glucose or corn syrup.On the organic corn syrup ingredint list , there is only organic corn syrup , nothing lese, is that means that there is not high fructose corn syrup in it? If yes then I think I am going to use this from now and on.

For the brown rice syrup , can I use it as corn syrup , honey etc, in caramels and stuff like that?

Thank you so much in advance

[mrose]

I use the following for passion fruit filled hearts that I also find popular at Valentines day. I use puree because you can always get the smae result.I have only piped the mixture, would not work for making truffles.

18 oz milk chocolate

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup passion fruit puree

1 tbsp corn syrup

5 tbsp passion fruit liquor (Alize)

scald mixture of cream, puree & corn syrup

mix with chocolate

Mark

[John DePaula]

Hearts of Passion by Jacques Torres

You can also make one with nothing more than passion fruit puree or juice and chocolate but you'll have to play around with ratios to get it to set.

Personally, I'd not omit the apricot since it tends to mellow the sharpness of the passion fruit without getting in the way.

Hope this helps, Vanessa.

[tammylc]

I found a passion fruit concentrate at a local Mexican grocery, and that's what I use for flavoring my ganache for truffle making. I just do a basic ganache with 12 oz chocolate, 8 oz cream, and 4-6 tbsp of the concentrate. Works great, and is very easy! And it was much cheaper than buying puree, which I could only get in 32 oz containers that had to be shipped next-day. I think my bottle of concentrate cost about $4.