hydrocolloid substitute for raw egg yolks?

[paulraphael]

I'm working on improving a chilled chocolate dessert that in its current state has tons of raw egg yolk in it ... practically an equal weight to the chocolate. On general principle I want to get rid of the eggs. I'm not a fan of the flavor, and I don't want that much stuff between me and the chocolate.

I have it in an ok place now, but it's essentially a whipped ganache that lacks the unctuous (sorry for that word) mouthfeel of the egg-laden original. The flavor, as I'd hoped, is much improved.

Any thoughts? If this can be done with more conventional ingredients (gelatin, cornstarch, arrowroot, etc.) rather than unfamiliar things that I'll have to measure by the miligram, so much the better.

[Tri2Cook]

The combo of carrageenan and locust bean gum ala Sam Mason's "soft chocolate" provides that thick, silky mouthfeel that egg yolks give to some things. Of course that's straight from the "measure by the milligram" end of the spectrum.

[paulraphael]

The combo of carrageenan and locust bean gum ala Sam Mason's "soft chocolate" provides that thick, silky mouthfeel that egg yolks give to some things. Of course that's straight from the "measure by the milligram" end of the spectrum.

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Would you be able to incorporate these into the cream in the recipe?

What kinds of quantities would it take to simulate, say, a dozen yolks?

And can you recommend a good educational source on this stuff, so I don't have to keep bugging you?

Edited February 17, 2009 by paulraphael (log)

[John DePaula]

Not sure what your dessert is but Callebaut recommends using Mycryo for making mousses in place of the gelatin - perhaps it could help?

[Tri2Cook]

I've never worked with mycryo. I've heard it works well for that application but can't speak from experience. I don't even know if my suggestion is a good one because I'm not exactly sure what you're doing. Are you basically doing a mousse with a custard base and want to get that same silky richness without the yolks?

[alanamoana]

you've linked to michael laiskonis on your underbelly site, why don't you check out his newer site which is food based: mlaiskonis.typepad.com

i think he talks a bit about hydrocolloids. also, in the non-pastry food forum here on eG, there's extensive discussion of these additives and their properties that might help you. one member even posted a collection of recipes (both savory and sweet) using hydrocolloids for informational purposes.

other than that, i can't help much.

[Tri2Cook]

I have a recipe from my mom that involves whipping butter and sugar, whipping in egg yolks, mixing in melted chocolate and folding in whipped cream. It makes a dense, rich mousse with a great mouthfeel. I played with it for a while in an attempt to remove the yolks thinking I could improve the flavor without messing with the texture. I still do it her way. I'm sure it could be done but I couldn't do it with what I have to work with and what little I know about formulating recipes with various hydrocolloids. I'm looking forward to seeing what information shows up here, maybe I'll revisit that project.

[paulraphael]

This is the starting recipe. What I'm doing now is a cross between it and Hervé This's "chocolate chantilly" idea, where he makes mousse using nothing but the emusifying powers of chocolate itself, and a bit of gelatin.

What I have now is a ganache, plus butter, plus a touch of gelatin. It's really good ... just a little crumbly, and not as melting as the original. My next step is going to be reducing butter and increasing cream. But I'm looking past that in case it isn't enough.

I might ask Laiskonis what he thinks but I've been bugging him a lot lately too!