chocolate nomenclature

[pastrygirl]

Here's a silly question for y'all - how do you define truffles, pralines, and bonbons as they relate to chocolates? I always considered truffles to be rough, round, maybe with a thin coating of chocolate but more likely just cocoa. But then there are truffle shells and Greweling calls his chocolates made in them 'truffles', so are truffles just any more or less spherical chocolate? I would consider a molded chocolate a 'bonbon', but when shopping for molds they are often called praline molds. I associate 'praline' with nuts too much to call molded chocolates pralines, unless they actually have caramelized nuts in the filling. I'm not sure what to call my enrobed/hand dipped chocolates. I've been making them as a guest amenity - candy tray in the 'living room' - but I feel like labeling them truffles is not quite right, and bonbon is a little too frou-frou sounding to me. I guess I could just call them 'chocolates' but that sounds boring and obvious. Salted curry caramel chocolates? Chocolate passion fruit bonbons? Szechuan pepper truffles? Does anything go, or are there guidelines to correct nomenclature?

Yes, this really is the sort of thing I worry myself about

[nakji]

I'd like to know what people think, too. I often buy a bag of cheap Belgian chocolate pieces, which they bill as "pralines", but I would consider just "chocolate", since I always think of pralines as having nuts.

What is a praline, technically speaking?

[Lior]

Here we call bonbons- enrobed or molded chocolates filled with ganache or whatever- pralines. Different terms in different places. Hazelnut paste, usually carmelized is called praline with the french accent over the last "e" (prah- liney") Truffles are round and either smooth or rough.!!

[chefpeon]

Stuff like this drives me nuts.....or should I say......pralines?

Terms in the pastry industry are used so loosely and interchangeably, sometimes I don't know what's what. If someone wants a truffle, are they talking chocolate, or fungus? Where I grew up, bon bons were filled with ice cream. Pralines, to me, always say, "nuts are involved."

At least I've learned enough to question my clients when they ask me for something, because it could mean the complete opposite of what I think they're talking about.............

[Kerry Beal]

I can't think of bon-bons without picturing Peggy Bundy (Married with Children) sitting on her couch, leg boucing, yelling "bon-bons, BON-BONS!".

I consider truffles to be the round things made with ganache and I guess that extends to the round truffle shells which you can fill with a more liquid ganache. In my experience pralines are the european term for what we in Canada would call chocolates.

[TNChocolatier]

I can't think of bon-bons without picturing Peggy Bundy (Married with Children) sitting on her couch, leg boucing, yelling "bon-bons, BON-BONS!".

I consider truffles to be the round things made with ganache and I guess that extends to the round truffle shells which you can fill with a more liquid ganache.  In my experience pralines are the european term for what we in Canada would call chocolates.

←

This is my first post so we will see how it works.

From what I understand truffles started as hand formed ganache made to look like a "real truffle" aka the tuber. This has since metamorphised into any round "rustic" chocolate, enrobed or not. Truffle shells which are usually machine made are a way of allowing you to get the a round shape while using very liquidy fillings that would otherwise be impossible to roll, or to make all your chocolates uniform (ie Vosges or Candinas).

Bon-bon is a European word that to me has come to mean any "higher end" chocolate (molded, enrobed...) other than truffles. It is used interchangeably with praline (no accent), which I believe originated in Belgium and neighboring areas.

I think that they are called pralines (no accent) in Belgium because Classic Belgian "Bon-Bons" are made with Praline (with accent), the caramelized hazelnut (or other nut) paste, and thus became known solely as pralines (no accent mark).

Just my two cents.

Edited June 24, 2008 by TNChocolatier (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Welcome TN, nice to have another chocolatier on board. We will look forward to your participation.

[Sugarella]

Where I grew up, bon bons were filled with ice cream.

←

Or frozen soft cheesecake.

[FerranHomaroHestonWylieGrant]

Also, praline is a name for that stuff in Guylian chocolate, like some kind of mousse.

[Kerry Beal]

Also, praline is a name for that stuff in Guylian chocolate, like some kind of mousse.

←

I think of the filling of Guylian as gianduja. When the nuts are cooked with caramelized sugar before grinding and adding to chocolate - I think of that as praline, but they may well both technically be considered praline.

[chefpeon]

Are we all officially confused yet?

[Lior]

My local forum is discussing fondant. It also has confusion. What is it to you?

[TNChocolatier]

My local forum is discussing fondant. It also has confusion. What is it to you?

←

There are generally two types of fondant. There is fondant filling and there is rolled fondant.

A fondant is really just supersaturated sucrose. A syrup is cooked to a certain temp., allowed to cool, and then beaten so that the sucrose recrystallizes into very small particles. It really is the same thing as when sometimes a caramel begins to crystallize, only the crystals are much much smaller. This can be made with a pourable consistency, or a firmer consistency. Many commercial rolled fondants contain gum tragacanth (sp?) which gives it better elasticity for rolling out.

[Lior]

yes those I know- thanks though for the lovely explanation- but what about fondant as on menus in restaurants. It is a melted chocolate type of cake- called Fondant. Do you also have this use of fondant?

[gfron1]

From The Pastry Chef's Companion:

Bonbon

The French word for a variety of small confections, including pralines, fondant-centered chocolates, pastilles, and candied fruits.

Pralines

A confectionary term that refers to a bite-size, chocolate coated confectionl.

Fondant

See Poured Fondant or Rolled Fondant

[alanamoana]

yes those I know- thanks though for the lovely explanation- but what about fondant as on menus in restaurants. It is a melted chocolate type of cake- called Fondant. Do you also have this use of fondant?

←

lior, yes, i've seen this on menus. to be honest, i just think it is a bastardization of the term. sort of like 'coulant'...it just sounds good on the menu. unless the french are coming up with new words that have real definitions. i'm open to other people's explanations...

[Kerry Beal]

Schneich makes the most wonderful chocolate fondant. It was absolutely delicious!

[TNChocolatier]

yes those I know- thanks though for the lovely explanation- but what about fondant as on menus in restaurants. It is a melted chocolate type of cake- called Fondant. Do you also have this use of fondant?

←

Sorry it took me so long to write back. We are opening a retail store and have been really busy. This definitely is a bastardization of the term Fondant. It refers to the liquidy or sometimes just very soft center of what most of us would call a "Lava" or "Molten" cake. It almost always refers to a chocolate cake, though I have seen some "interesting" takes on other flavors. These are by no means Fondant in the classic sense. Sorry about the last explanation, I wasn't sure what you had meant when you were asking about Fondant. To best do this, I actually add a truffle in the center of an individual chocolate cake, as opposed to underbaking the cake as many do. Both are tasty, but one is much safer for those with weakened immune systems. Not to mention that you never have to worry about baking the cake too long, and the center getting firm.

Edited July 7, 2008 by TNChocolatier (log)

[Lior]

Thanks again for the great and patient explanations! And much success onthe retail store! What are you selling? I assume related items...

[TNChocolatier]

Thanks again for the great and patient explanations! And much success onthe retail store! What are you selling? I assume related items...

←

We are selling bon bons, and other confections. Our website is www.earthandskyconfections.com. It is a little out of date, as we put it up before we ever started selling anything. It has been about a year since we put it up, and we have expanded our product line considerably since then. It gives the general idea of what we do, and how we do it.