Flavored Ganaches (Fruit, herb, spice, etc)

[Patrick S]

I don't know much about ganache but I do know a little about solvents and I think it should be theoretically possible to extract essential oils from fruit using something really volatile and then distill it off...I just don't know how to do this in a kitchen setting.

I'm thinking something like butane would do the trick, but there are still issues: you'd want to be very careful to get rid of all the butane, which shouldn't be that much of an issue, but then you're dealing with flammable gases.....you know, this whole thing is just a really bad idea.

Sorry I couldn't be more help, but the more I think about it the more I wouldn't want to even try this in a kitchen.

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I agree that it would be a bad idea. Aside from the fact that you could kill or injure yourself if there was an accidental ignition, most butane has impurities in it that you probably wouldn't want to consume. You can demonstrate this with the mirror test -- discharge a butane can onto a mirror and wait for the butane to evaporate off, usually you'll see some white residue left behind. I don't know what this petrochemical residue is, but I doubt that consuming it would be a good idea.

[Stephanie Wallace]

A totally different approach: make a normal cream-based ganache with fruit juice or puree, temper your chocolate, hold around 88 degrees and emulsify cream brought to the same temperature (no higher). Add any additional butter, mix in the pop rocks, then pour into a frame. This is standard procedure for creating a ganache with praline or any other dissolvable sugar.

[Boodles]

Try taking your fruit, ie blueberries for example, blend it, and then puttting that into a pot/pan and boil it down till thick. Dont add anything to it though, just cook until paste like. let cool.

Just a suggestion

[Natho]

Try taking your fruit, ie blueberries for example, blend it, and then puttting that into a pot/pan and boil it down till thick. Dont add anything to it though, just cook until paste like. let cool.

Just a suggestion

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I did this once with tinned raspberries (hey I'm a poverty student..) and it worked out kind of ok. I cooked them for ages until they were really thick and then strained it and added it to the cream but there was a bit too much liquid and the ganache never really set up very firm. It would have been great as a filling in molded chocolates but it wasn't really rollable as a truffle. It did taste good though. Strong raspberry flavour, I used white chocolate and it was very sweet, probably cause I also used some of the syrup from the tin.

[David J.]

A totally different approach: make a normal cream-based ganache with fruit juice or puree, temper your chocolate, hold around 88 degrees and emulsify cream brought to the same temperature (no higher). Add any additional butter, mix in the pop rocks, then pour into a frame. This is standard procedure for creating a ganache with praline or any other dissolvable sugar.

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My experience was that you had to use an all butter ganache if you wanted to keep the crunch in the sugar.

Could you elaborate on this method? I'm not clear on what you mean by "emulsify cream".

[Stephanie Wallace]

When you properly mix the cream and chocolate you create an emulsion; tempering the chocolate creates a crystalline structure that traps the moisture in the ganache.

[David J.]

When you properly mix the cream and chocolate you create an emulsion; tempering the chocolate creates a crystalline structure that traps the moisture in the ganache.

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OK, it makes sense but now I have to try this to verify.

[TonyC.]

Does anyone have a recipe for licorice ganache that can be whipped for use in a plated dessert? I have looked online, and done a search on egullet without much success. Thanks in advance.

[gfron1]

Interesting idea. I wonder what taste you're really shooting for - would it be enough to infuse cream with anise? Melt down licorice candies. Licorice liquors. Licorice root infused in cream. Or just plain old licorice or anise extract. And you said ganache, so I assume you're going for chocolate licorice. No answers, just questions.

[lapin d'or]

The Andrew Shotts book has a recipe for Lime-Pastis ganache. This is made with mainly milk chocolate, lime juice, lime zest and pastis (or any other licorice flavoured liqueur). I have no idea if this would whip.

He does another ganache which combines white chocolate fennel root and a licorice flavoured liquer.

Greweling's book has a recipe for anise sticks which is based on a pernod flavoured ganache. It is a basic milk chocolate ganache with 5% pernod. Again I have no idea if this would whip.

I don't want to put up the whole recipe ingredient list as I am sure this would infringe copyright but I am sure you could easily take a reliable spirit flavoured ganache and change the flavour to licorice. As gfron mentions if you can get licorice root you could easily infuse that in the cream as well.

I've not tried these recipes yet but I have just tried eating a milk chocolate square with a tiny sip of pernod. They didn't work together for me wheras milk chocolate and chinese 5 spice I really do like together and I'm not sure why they should be so different.

[Kerry Beal]

I just realized that we had a recipe given to us by Wybauw at the class in March in Chicago that used some sort of licorice flavoured alcohol.

I have no idea where my notes are from that right now, perhaps someone else can find the recipe and post and we could fiddle it a bit.

A ganache made with a mixture of milk and dark chocolate, along with a few drops of oil of anise and some sort of licorce flavoured booze would probably work well.

[schneich]

i just made cherry-licorice chocolates, i used the following recipe:

1 kg valrhona equatorial 55%

600 g Morello Cherry Puree (Garnier)

50 g "Pate reglisse" (-- this is a french licorice preparation ready to use

30 g Glucose

120 g Butter 82%

emusify with bamix and pour into ganache frame... (set overnight)

[TonyC.]

The plate will feature orange, fennel and licorice; an orange ganache would work, but I think licorice ganache would be interesting. So I'm looking for a definite but subtle licorice flavor as opposed to an anise flavor. And I really want to be able to whip the ganache as I see it as a quenelle 'garnish' on the plate.

Of the licorice flavored liqueurs that come to mind, Pernod, Sambuca, Ouzo, Galliano, which will produce the best results? Any advantage liqueur vs. extract?

Thanks for the input so far, it is greatly appreciated.

[JeanneCake]

Amoretti has a licorice extract - it's a huge bottle, but I think they are pretty generous with their samples. You could contact them and see if it works in your regular ganache formula....

Here's a link to their list of extracts

amoretti extracts

[Lior]

Hi! A colleague/friend of mine in the U.S. uses absinthe. He is a wonderful guy, and I am sure would be happy to share his recipe. check him out. His site is www.http://www.chocolatbydaniel.com - I am sure his email is there.

He calls it "poison"!

Good Luck!

[Desiderio]

I dont know if they have it here in the USA, but in Italy we can buy liquorice roots .I would get some root and do an infusion with the cream ( then add the extra in milk after strain it ).I would probably use a good quality milk chocolate , maybe I will try white as well, El rey caoba for me :-)

[TonyC.]

Thanks for all the great suggestions, I'll let you know how it goes.

[John DePaula]

I just realized that we had a recipe given to us by Wybauw at the class in March in Chicago that used some sort of licorice flavoured alcohol. 

I have no idea where my notes are from that right now, perhaps someone else can find the recipe and post and we could fiddle it a bit.

A ganache made with a mixture of milk and dark chocolate, along with a few drops of oil of anise and some sort of licorce flavoured booze would probably work well.

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I just saw your post, Kerry.

The chocolate from the class was Anisette:

100g Heavy cream (35% fat)

Glucose 75g

Milk chocolate 500g

Plugra 82% fat butter 100g

Anis Liquor 70g

[Desiderio]

I have made a chocolate in the past 2 months that I really enjoyed and I want it to be part of my collection.The only thing I want more though is the pear flavor, I am unable to find Poire Williams liquor here where I live ( maybe I should just ordered online right?) I have tried a pear vodka and pear puree' but the pear still doesnt come thru.I have used milk chocolate for this , but I am almost thinking to swtich to a white ( with the aid of some cocoa butter to add texture without the sweetness).

Do you have any ideas on the topic?

Thank you much

[schneich]

When you properly mix the cream and chocolate you create an emulsion; tempering the chocolate creates a crystalline structure that traps the moisture in the ganache.

i totally dont buy that theory !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

concerning the pear, why dont you use eau de vie williams... we make liquid filled truffles now, and they are just great. its a recipe from chef morato, you put the oversaturated liquer/syrup right into the truffle shells, let encrust for 24h and close them (we enrobe them afterwards) they taste great!!! we make framboise, pear, jack daniels, and rose liquer...

hicks ;-P

t.

Edited April 14, 2008 by schneich (log)

[mrose]

When you properly mix the cream and chocolate you create an emulsion; tempering the chocolate creates a crystalline structure that traps the moisture in the ganache.

i totally dont buy that theory !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

concerning the pear, why dont you use eau de vie williams... we make liquid filled truffles now, and they are just great. its a recipe from chef morato, you put the oversaturated liquer/syrup right into the truffle shells, let encrust for 24h and close them (we enrobe them afterwards) they taste great!!! we make framboise, pear, jack daniels, and rose liquer...

hicks ;-P

t.

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What is the difference in eau de vie verus the normal liquor besides the color. I know eau de vie is clear but is there a differnce in taste? or just ethetics?

[paulraphael]

One possibility is to make a butter/liquid based ganache instead of a cream based one. I have a similar recipe (chocolate butter sauce) listed here: http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1994.html

With less liquid this should be able to make a truffle ganache consistency. The ingredients would be chocolate, butter, and liqueur. It's a more fragile emulsion than a traditional ganache, so it's a bit harder to work with, especially if you have to reheat. But it's delicious.

For strawberry you could make your own fragalo: http://italianfood.about.com/od/aperitifsc...e/r/blr0492.htm

Or see if it works with fresh strawberry juice.

Edited April 14, 2008 by paulraphael (log)

[schneich]

the difference is that most (if not all) liquors are artificially falvoured, if your just after this flavour you might want to use artificial flavouring directly. eau de vie is a totally different story. its an alcohol destilled from the actual fruit, it has all the subtle flavour notes that the fruit has. in germany we make a difference between a "geist" and a "brand". when a geist is produced they will macerate the actual fruit (mainly raspberry) in pure alcohol, then the batch is distilled and you have "himbeer geist" or eau de vie framboise. when a "brand" is made the fruits will have to produce their own alcohol through fermentation, the result will also be destilled and you have a "brand" or "wasser". the latter contains the very essence of the fruit, perfectly made for creating chocolates.

every williams is a "brand". a raspberry "brand" will set you back 80$ per 0,5l....

i would never flavour a chocolate with artificial flavouring but thats just me ;-)

t.

Edited April 15, 2008 by schneich (log)

[mrose]

the difference is that most (if not all) liquors are artificially falvoured, if your just after this flavour you might want to use artificial flavouring directly. eau de vie is a totally different story. its an alcohol destilled from the actual fruit, it has all the subtle flavour notes  that the fruit has. in germany we make a difference between a "geist" and a "brand". when a geist is produced they will macerate the actual fruit (mainly raspberry) in pure alcohol, then the batch is distilled and you have "himbeer geist" or eau de vie framboise. when a "brand" is made the fruits will have to produce their own alcohol through fermentation, the result will also be destilled and you have a "brand" or "wasser". the latter contains the very essence of the fruit, perfectly made for creating chocolates.

every williams is a "brand". a raspberry "brand" will set you back 80$ per 0,5l....

i would never flavour a chocolate with artificial flavouring but thats just me ;-)

t.

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As I understand this, framboise eau de vie is a natural flavored alcohol. While say Chambord has some artificial flavoring in it. Thanks for nthe help in understanding.

I agree about using artificial flavors. Is there an easy way to tell from labels on liquors what you are getting besides eau de vie. I guess I just have to spen time reading labels. I bought some Mathilde Framboise & it states natural on label.

[schneich]

in the US you should be able to get wolfberger thats some great stuff (from alsace)

:-)