Using Leftover Dipping Chocolate

[Jim D.]

I just completed my first effort (aside from truffles) at dipping ganache in chocolate (Andrew Shotts's Coffee-Hazelnut). Fairly successful, tastes great, but the hazelnut praline paste (homemade, as he suggests, but you can't really get it smooth at home) made cutting neat squares difficult, so some of the finished product is a little rough (can we say "homemade-looking"?). Another issue in cutting was that for the bottom I used untempered (as many people recommend) milk chocolate (I heated it to around 104 F. and then used it), but it still became quite firm and did not cut cleanly.

But my question is what to do with the chocolate used for dipping? Ordinarily I let such chocolate harden and reuse it another time, but there are decidedly bits of praline in this. I wouldn't bother asking, but I had to use a sizable amount of chocolate to get the pool deep enough for dipping, so what would you do with the leftover? Just turn it into filling for another batch of chocolates? I'm assuming it should not be used for future dipping, except perhaps for the same recipe. Thanks for any advice.

[Darienne]

One use for leftover chocolate with bits in it is to make Salami de Chocolate/Chocolate Log. There are dozens of different recipes on line for this confection. And, of course, it depends upon what you have in the house in the way of biscuits, cake, nuts, liqueurs, etc, etc.

I've put a couple together and satisfied our need for a little bit of something sweet at the end of a meal. I put it into a square or flat pan instead of the salami shape, and then cut it into strips when hard. Most of the strips go wrapped into the freezer and one stays in the fridge for nibbling/satisfaction purposes. Not fancy, but useful.

Edited January 8, 2013 by Darienne (log)

[pastrygirl]

Bits of praline paste, being fat-based, will not interfere with future tempering, so the only thing you have to worry about in re-using that chocolate is nut allergies. If you have big chunks, you could strain them out.

When I make praline paste, I use two parts by weight toasted hazelnuts to one part powdered sugar. It does not get perfectly smooth in the food processor, so I strain it through a fine chinoise, and there is no detectable grit. The straining is a bit messy and tedious, may not be worth the effort for everyone, but it is an option.

[Jim D.]

Thanks for both of those useful ideas. Straining hazelnut paste through a chinoise! I am impressed. And I thought getting the seeds out of raspberries was tedious.

Actually I don't mind the nut remnants in the paste as far as taste goes. One of the great advantages of dipping ganache, it seems to me, is that it opens up a whole new world of what ganache can be since there isn't the limitation of making it pass through the tiny tip of a pastry bag into a shell. But as I said, cutting the ganache when it is contains nuts is another matter.

Jim

[keychris]

If it has chunks, just pour it through a sieve, that should get those chunks of praline out

[rajoress]

I always add something that is complimentary and make bark! I add either nuts, dried fruit, cereal and either make bark or mendiants. You usually can't taste the "leftover bits" from whatever you were dipping.

[Edward J]

Bits of praline paste, being fat-based, will not interfere with future tempering....

Oh yes it does, big time....

Best thing for this kind of couverture is to use it in ganaches or praline pastes

[pastrygirl]

Bits of praline paste, being fat-based, will not interfere with future tempering....

Oh yes it does, big time....

Best thing for this kind of couverture is to use it in ganaches or praline pastes

But you can temper gianduja....?

I know chocolate mixed with other fats will temper differently, but it seems like a few grams of nut oil wouldn't be a huge deal, as opposed to if there were chunks of ganache containing cream or other forms of water. Still, i would value your elaboration on the tempering differences.

Edited January 9, 2013 by pastrygirl (log)