Help with Olive Oil Ganache

[mebinsf]

I've been wanting to try an olive oil ganache for some time. I have recently partnered with an olive oil store and I want to create a few different bon bons featuring her different oils.

 

I've never used olive oil with chocolate before. I can't even find a recipe for an olive oil ganache.

 

Do you replace the dairy with the oil? Is the texture super soft since oil is liquid at room temp? Would I need to add cocoa butter to deal with any textural issues?

Does someone have a basic recipe or technique that they'd care to share? I generally do quite a bit of research on techniques etc when I'm creating new flavors/products, but this one seems a bit difficult to find info.

 

Thanks for any info anyone can provide.

[pastrygirl]

I haven't made one either, but my first approach would be to use olive oil plus water to replace the cream.   Heavy cream is 40% fat, so I would see how 40g oil plus 60g water acts instead of 100g cream in a known recipe and go from there. 

[Lisa Shock]

I had picked up a formula at an after-hours session at WPF years ago, and cannot find it. IIRC, it had some cream, I recall being disappointed because I was trying to please a vegan client at the time. My guess is that a little cream is helpful, as long as the temperature is kept low (under 135°) cream has some emulsification properties.

 

HERE's a recipe, but, it's very vague about the type of chocolate and it is for a liquid ganache. No word on if the chocolate was kept in temper or not, something of regular debate with old-school ganache making.

 

In a few days, I will also be experimenting with olive oil ganache, will let you know what happens.

[teonzo]

I made various tries for olive oil pralines. This is the last one (can't find the others on this PC sorry):

 

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350 g    dark chocolate 70%

250 g    extra-virgin olive oil

30 g     cider vinegar

1 g       salt

 

Temper dark chocolate, add olive oil, vinegar and salt (these 3 ingredients at around 30° C), mix

 

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It came out really firm even with that huge amount of olive oil. So don't expect something super soft if you substitute all the dairy with olive oil.

Taste was pretty strong, I used a quite strong olive oil from Tuscany, without the cider vinegar this praline would have been too unctuous and overwelming.

 

There are other ways to make olive oil ganaches.

Pastrygirl already wrote one.

Another one is substituting a part of nut paste (hazelnut or almond) in a "cremino" (don't know the English term for "cremino", sorry, I mean a filling made with 1 part milk or white chocolate and 1 part nut paste). Quick example: 100 g milk chocolate, 75 g almond paste, 25 g olive oil. You can still taste the nut paste, so this won't be a pure olive oil ganache.

 

Once you decided which style you prefer for the ganache, then you have to re-balance the recipe for each olive oil you will use. Delicate olive oils will require a higher %, stronger olive oils a lower %. You may need to use different chocolates for each olive oil, especially if you use dark chocolate. Same recipe (with the same olive oil) can be mediocre with a chocolate with mainly fruity tones and really good with a chocolate with mainly toasted tones (or viceversa).

 

If you want to highlight each different oil, then I think the best choice is the one wrote by Pastrygirl: substituting cream with olive oil + water.

For example: 100 g dark chocolate, 20 g olive oil, 40 g water. Temper dark chocolate, add olive oil, then water. Olive oil and water added at around 30° C. Water must be boiled just before making the ganache for shelf life reasons. A pinch of salt is a fine idea.

You can increase olive oil to 30-35 g without big differences about texture and firmness, so you can adjust each recipe for each oil just changing this variable. I wouldn't go over 35% olive oil (ratio in terms of dark chocolate) otherwise it will be too unctuous.

 

If you want to be creative and add other tastes to the olive oil, then my favourite group is acidic ingredients to act as a contrast. My favourite choice is clementine juice, but you can use whatever is added in every kind of "vinaigrette" (I know vinaigrettes are meant only with vinegar, it's just to give a point of reference), like lemon juice, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, raspberry vinegar and so on.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[Kerry Beal]

I think Greweling has a formula but I can't check right now.

[ChristysConfections]

I have not made an olive oil ganache myself. However, I think I recall coming across one in the book Couture Chocolate by William Curley. I am not home right now, but I will try to look it up for you.

[Tri2Cook]

On ‎2017‎-‎07‎-‎11 at 10:54 AM, Kerry Beal said:

I think Greweling has a formula but I can't check right now.

Took a quick look at the index in Chocolates and Confections, both the first and second editions. Couldn't find it but that doesn't mean it's not there. Just  not listed under "oil" or "olive oil". 

[Kerry Beal]

Just now, Tri2Cook said:

Took a quick look at the index in Chocolates and Confections, both the first and second editions. Couldn't find it but that doesn't mean it's not there. Just  not listed under "oil" or "olive oil". 

Wonder if it's the Curley book I saw it in or in Morato?

[Tri2Cook]

25 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Wonder if it's the Curley book I saw it in or in Morato?

Can't try to help with those, don't have 'em. The only other chocolate book I have is Shott's Artisan Chocolates. Couldn't find anything in that one.

[Jim D.]

A quick Google search provides these links:

 

https://londoneats.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/chocolate-and-olive-oil-ganache/

 

http://bettysliu.com/2016/12/12/cardamom-persimmon-cookies-olive-oil-dark-chocolate-ganache/

 

https://www.thechocolatelife.com/community/forums/tech-help-tips-tricks-techniques/16735/how-does-one-make-a-creamy-ganache-with-coconut-oil [read the thread to get to the mention of olive oil]

 

A recipe (involving rosemary) is also in the aforementioned Curley book (page 68).

[Jim D.]

P.S. In my experience, you can't go wrong with @teonzo's suggestions (earlier in this thread). He does his research, and one of his specialties appears to be "unusual" pairings in confections (yes, I am counting olive oil as unusual). Most of the recipes I found involve a regular cream ganache, with the addition of some olive oil.

[RWood]

I tried an olive oil bon bon a while back, and wasn't pleased with it. I used white chocolate for the filling. I think I just tried a regular ganache with the addition of the oil at the end. Just seemed too greasy. 

I wanted to make one because every year we get a supply of oil from Greece from some property that belongs to my step dad and his brother. It's got great flavor and I thought it would be fun using that oil. Haven't tried again. I wonder if dark chocolate would be better?

When I get a chance I might attempt again with some of the suggestions here.

[teonzo]

@Jim D.: thanks for the nice words!

 

@RWood: I would definetely avoid white chocolate with olive oil.

 

Here are some recipes I have in my books (I multiplied/divided the quantities and rephrased the instructions to avoid legal troubles).

 

------------------------------

 

ROSEMARY AND OLIVE OIL GANACHE

(slabbed and cut with guitar, from "Couture Chocolate" by William Curley)

 

800 g  cream (35%)

8 g    rosemary sprigs

120 g    invert sugar

4 g    salt

900 g    dark chocolate (66%)

30 g    butter

135 g    olive oil

 

Boil cream, add rosemary, cover and infuse for 2 hours.

Strain the cream, add invert sugar and salt, boil again.

Make ganache with cream and dark chocolate.

Add butter and olive oil.

 

------------------------------

 

CARDAMOM - OLIVE OIL - HONEY TRUFFLES

(truffle ganache to be piped into hollow shells, from "Fine Chocolates Great Experience 3" by Jean-Pierre Wybauw)

 

200 g    cream

200 g    honey

100 g    glucose

160 g    maltodextrin

2 g     salt

8 g     ground cardamom

160 g    glycerol
680 g    milk chocolate

60 g     olive oil

 

Mix cream, honey, glucose, maltodextrin, salt, ground cardamom and glycerol. Bring to boil.

Make ganache with previously boiled ingredients and milk chocolate.

Add olive oil.

 

------------------------------

 

TUSCAN EXTRAVIRGIN OLIVE OIL GANACHE

(slabbed and cut with guitar, from "Come Musica" by Luca Mannori, winner of the 1997 Coupe du Monde)

 

1600 g    dark chocolate (64%)

800 g      hazelnut paste

160 g     Tuscan extravirgin olive oil

2 g     salt

 

Melt dark chocolate.

Add hazelnut paste, olive oil and salt.

Temper ganache.

 

------------------------------

 

 

 

Teo

 

[RWood]

36 minutes ago, teonzo said:

@Jim D.: thanks for the nice words!

 

@RWood: I would definetely avoid white chocolate with olive oil.

 

Here are some recipes I have in my books (I multiplied/divided the quantities and rephrased the instructions to avoid legal troubles).

 

------------------------------

 

ROSEMARY AND OLIVE OIL GANACHE

(slabbed and cut with guitar, from "Couture Chocolate" by William Curley)

 

800 g  cream (35%)

8 g    rosemary sprigs

120 g    invert sugar

4 g    salt

900 g    dark chocolate (66%)

30 g    butter

135 g    olive oil

 

Boil cream, add rosemary, cover and infuse for 2 hours.

Strain the cream, add invert sugar and salt, boil again.

Make ganache with cream and dark chocolate.

Add butter and olive oil.

 

------------------------------

 

CARDAMOM - OLIVE OIL - HONEY TRUFFLES

(truffle ganache to be piped into hollow shells, from "Fine Chocolates Great Experience 3" by Jean-Pierre Wybauw)

 

200 g    cream

200 g    honey

100 g    glucose

160 g    maltodextrin

2 g     salt

8 g     ground cardamom

160 g    glycerol
680 g    milk chocolate

60 g     olive oil

 

Mix cream, honey, glucose, maltodextrin, salt, ground cardamom and glycerol. Bring to boil.

Make ganache with previously boiled ingredients and milk chocolate.

Add olive oil.

 

------------------------------

 

TUSCAN EXTRAVIRGIN OLIVE OIL GANACHE

(slabbed and cut with guitar, from "Come Musica" by Luca Mannori, winner of the 1997 Coupe du Monde)

 

1600 g    dark chocolate (64%)

800 g      hazelnut paste

160 g     Tuscan extravirgin olive oil

2 g     salt

 

Melt dark chocolate.

Add hazelnut paste, olive oil and salt.

Temper ganache.

 

------------------------------

 

 

 

Teo

 

Those all sound great. I'll check them out when I get around to chocolates again. I have my step sisters wedding coming up, and she wants chocolates, so would be nice to use the family oil in one. Thanks!

[mebinsf]

So many great suggestions. Thanks so much for everyone's help. I'll let you know how it turns out.