Ganache: Tips, Techniques & Troubleshooting

[John DePaula]

On TV I have seen a few chefs say to whip the ganache for truffles. The reason they say to do this is because it makes them more fluffy. Does anyone do this?

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I do not. I'm sure it'll make them more fluffy but that texture isn't necessarily something I'm going for and it will certainly shorten the shelf life.

[ChristopherMichael]

I figured it would shorten shelf because of the incorporation of air. That's why I found that to be kind of odd. I personally like a more dense, soft ganache. Thanks for your reply.

[Kerry Beal]

I whip a couple of my truffle fillings. I might use them unwhipped for truffles, then whip some to make piped truffle mice or to fill molded chocolates. Two different textures from a single filling, each excellent for their purpose.

The trick is to whip just until the colour lightens, rather than until they thicken significantly.

[Desiderio]

In the chocolate bible, he ( cant rember name??) shows the two differnt type og ganache made unwhipped and whipped , shape for truffles etc.

I personally dont whip my ganache , only for some hazelnut cups I made , but those need to be consumed faster ofcourse, more a type of dessert .

[ChristopherMichael]

I whip a couple of my truffle fillings.  I might use them unwhipped for truffles, then whip some to make piped truffle mice or to fill molded chocolates.  Two different textures from a single filling, each excellent for their purpose.

The trick is to whip just until the colour lightens, rather than until they thicken significantly.

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When do you actually whip the ganache?

[Kerry Beal]

I whip a couple of my truffle fillings.  I might use them unwhipped for truffles, then whip some to make piped truffle mice or to fill molded chocolates.  Two different textures from a single filling, each excellent for their purpose.

The trick is to whip just until the colour lightens, rather than until they thicken significantly.

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When do you actually whip the ganache?

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Usually just as it cools down to room temperature and is starting to firm up.

[Aria]

One of my best sellers are whipped milk chocolate truffles. Although not my fav. certainly the North American palate goes for it. People get pretty fascinated how the truffle can have a thin snappy coating with a fluffly whipped interior! I also do whipped white which one customer places advanced orders for.

[dantodd]

I use a whipped white chocolate ganache in my key lime truffles. I also whip ganache being used for cake filling but that's a different creature.

[Mary F]

I use a basic cinnamon ganache that I whip. As Kerry stated, I only whip until there is a slight color change.

Through my own informal testing, the shelf life is decreased a bit versus other ganaches, but only as much as some of the other higher risk ganaches or centers.

They were still good within the 2 week period I recommend to clients.

It is one of the favorites and requested frequently.

[Indulge]

I making molded chocolates with ganache fillings and I ran out of molds, but I have alot of ganache leftover. The ganache is cream based. Can I keep the leftover ganache for use for another day? If so, should I store the ganache in the refrigerator or room temperature, (approx 60 degrees Farenheit)? Thanks

[JeanneCake]

You can refrigerate it for 7-10 days; you could also freeze it. I typically use ganache as a glaze or cake filling, so your mileage may vary. You can remelt it and let it firm up again the next time you use it, but be careful about reheating it or it could break and not come back.

[Kerry Beal]

I use my vacuum sealer to seal the ganache into a disposable pastry bag, put it in the fridge and keep it there until I need it next. My ganaches usually contain glucose, butter and alcohol so have quite a decent shelf life.

[Indulge]

Thanks. I am glad that I do not have to throw the leftovers out.

[coastie]

make truffles - no more leftovers

[tafkap4d]

Or grab a nice sized spoon and eat it.

[Kerry Beal]

I also use truffle ganache to fill large things like eggs, they can be sliced like the truffle logs. Great way to use up leftovers. Sometimes I make layered things if I don't have enough of any one kind.

I've found a layer of the liquid caramel and a layer of coffee butter cream is a fabulous combination.

[schneich]

get an ISI gourmet whip, melt ganache in microwave until creamy, fill into ISI whip, load 6 cartridges, spray on nonstickpaper with cocoa powder.....

voila...

AIR ganache :-)

cheers

t.

[ChristopherMichael]

Anyone use lecithin in their ganache. I noticed today that Recchiuti uses it, it's actually the 2 ingredient listed on his boxed chocolates, just after chocolate and before cream, butter and sugar. Does it extend shelf life? Does it give you a creamier ganache? What's the benefit in using it?

[Stephanie Wallace]

I'm curious about this as well. After reading that LMDC's ganaches have an unusually high amount of lecithin I tried several experiments; every time I was totally unable to complete the emulsion.

[ChristopherMichael]

So I found the following:

Today lecithin is ubiquitous in the processed food supply. It is most commonly used as an emulsifier to keep water and fats from separating in foods such as margarine, peanut butter, chocolate candies, ice cream, coffee creamers and infant formulas. Lecithin also helps prevent product spoilage, extending shelf life in the marketplace. In industry kitchens, it is used to improve mixing, speed crystallization, prevent "weeping," and stop spattering, lumping and sticking. Used in cosmetics, lecithin softens the skin and helps other ingredients penetrate the skin barrier. A more water-loving version known as "deoiled lecithin" reduces the time required to shut down and clean the extruders used in the manufacture of textured vegetable protein and other soy products.9,10

In theory, lecithin manufacture eliminates all soy proteins, making it hypoallergenic. In reality, minute amounts of soy protein always remain in lecithin as well as in soy oil. Three components of soy protein have been identified in soy lecithin, including the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor, which has a track record of triggering severe allergic reactions even in the most minuscule quantities. The presence of lecithin in so many food and cosmetic products poses a special danger for people with soy allergies.11-13

Does anyone any other chocolatiers that use Soy Lecithin?

Edited February 27, 2007 by ChristopherMichael (log)

[ChristopherMichael]

Well I never noticed but almost all chocolate companies add soy lecithin to their chocolate instead of using so much cocoa butter, except for Michel Cluizel. I still have never heard of a chocolatier adding more to their ganache.

[escry]

After reading that LMDC's ganaches have an unusually high amount of lecithin I tried several experiments

I too read that LMDC used 2% lecithin in its ganaches. I think I read this on chocophile.com. And again I tried to repeat the LMDC formulation, using Valrhona 82% cocoa couvertures, as specified, 29% fat cream, and with varying amounts of additional lecithin up to and including the specified 2%.

Beyond 0.5% the ganaches became too stiff, the emulsifier having the opposite effect to that one might expect. S Becket explains the role of lecithin within solid chocolate in his book "The Science of Chocolate"(?). Here again there is a 0.5% threshold beyond which adding more is counter productive.

I came to the conclusion that the 2% must have been a slip of the tongue, a mis heard comment, or a slip of the finger when typing. Perhaps LDMC use 0.2%? If so they would happily rely on the constituent lecithin within their couvertures and not have to add more.

Can I think of any instances were adding soya lecithin to a ganache make sense? Yes, when using cocoa paste (100% cocoa, 0% sugar 0% lecithin) or when using couvertures from Amedei or Cluizel or any of the others that are moving away from adding it to there chocolates.

[Sebastian]

0.5% is often thought of as the max use level in chocolate production, although it's a VERY general rule of thumb. In ganache, i would expect it to be useful at higher levels simply because there's SO much more moisture present than in chocolate (although I've never used lecithin in ganache... so i can't speak from experience). Also note that there are DOZENS of different types of lecithins, and some of them have very different results than others, so much as saying 'use flour' may not be useful to the chef, saying 'use lecithin' may not be as straightforward as it sounds....

why use it? my initial rxn is that it might help prevent seperation in those ganaches that have a tendancy to more easily separate, or may bind excess fluids in those that tend to result in leakers....but again, i've not tried it myself..

[nduran]

I have tried small amounts (1/4 tsp) of liquid, unbleached soy lecithin in my ganaches, and I've found it simply causes them to break into an oily, grainy mess quite spectacularly. Fixing them tends to require a great deal of boiling corn syrup, and then the texture ends up being wrong.

I have used it successfully in simple soft caramels however. I find it lets me blend in more cream than I would be able to ordinarily.

[McAuliflower]

get an ISI gourmet whip, melt ganache in microwave until creamy, fill into ISI whip, load 6 cartridges, spray on nonstickpaper with cocoa powder.....

voila...

AIR ganache :-)

cheers

t.

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Fun sounding project. I have a small isi- maybe 6 cartridges is a bit much.

Using CO2 would also be interesting...