Lemon Puree the same as Lemon Concentrate for Notter's Lemon Pralines?

[GRiker]

I'm looking to make Notter's Lemon Pralines from The Art of the Chocolatier.  He calls for 2/3 cup lemon puree. 

 

I looked at the Boiron lemon puree which states its ingredients are lemon and sugar. I don't know it it's whole lemon or lemon juice.

 

I have easy access to Perfect Puree's Meyer Lemon Concentrate. Ingredients are water, meyer lemon juice concentrate and natural lemon flavor.

 

When Notter asks for lemon puree, does he mean with the pulp or do you think my Perfect Puree Lemon Concentrate will work?

 

@Jim D.I know you've made many of these recipes, so tagging you here.  Do you have some experience you can share with me?

[Jim D.]

I have often wondered the same thing about that recipe.  So what I have done is to use fresh lemons, juice them, then strain out the seeds and add some of the "globules" (I'm sure that is not the correct term) of lemon pulp to the strained juice.  So it's sort of a compromise.  It can be quite difficult to do this if a particular lemon has tiny seeds.  The recipe has worked fine when I used mostly juice.  I used Meyer lemon once.  As I am sure you know, the flavor is milder.

[GRiker]

@Jim D.Thank you so much.  I knew you would have good insight. 

 

I have the same question with the Passion Fruit Pralines that call for passion fruit puree when I have access to passion fruit concentrate,  

 

Sounds like the recipe could work with either the puree or the concentrate.  I'll have to experiment and see how it goes.

 

Thanks again!

[Jim D.]

In both of these cases there might be an issue knowing if a juice concentrate needs to have some water added to it (as one would normally add water to orange juice concentrate to make juice).  If the concentrate seems considerably more viscous than a juice or purée might be, then I would add a little water.  I say that because if you have too little water in the recipe, you may throw off the balance of fat (including cocoa butter) to liquefiers and have a split ganache.  But--and there is always a complicating factor--Greweling's passion fruit ganache calls for reducing the purée so you end up with...what else?...a concentrate.  You might just have to experiment to see what works (that's what Kerry B. always tells me to do).  One positive bit of info you probably already know:  If a ganache splits, in my experience it's usually because there is too much fat, so I add drops of skim milk or water or whatever liquid is in the recipe, and the ganache comes back together (usually).

[GRiker]

Thanks for the tips.  I'll keep them in mind as I make these.  I will experiment and see how it goes then report back what I did.  

 

Do you ever make your fillings ahead of time then heat them to bring them up to pipeable temp (83F)?  That way, if I have issues with it I can try again and if it works, I could just save it in the fridge until production day.

 

Wednesday will be my first chocolates of the season - Yay!  I'm hosting a friend who wants to learn to make molded chocolates.  I'm nervous because I don't consider myself an expert, but reminding myself I know more than she does so it will be fine.  

Edited November 13, 2020 by GRiker (log)

[Jim D.]

Yes, I sometimes make fillings ahead and vacuum-seal and freeze them.  They are fine, BUT (painful experience showing here) they must be heated up very slowly, especially if they contain white chocolate.  They "want" to separate and must be coddled.  I break them up into small clumps and heat a few, then a few more.  It ends up almost being more trouble than it's worth, but if I happen to have a lot left, it seems a shame to throw it out.  If I'm making some new but also using old (as I am today), I make the recipe for the new, then, at the end, mix in the old (slowly and with immersion blender).  I have quit making fillings ahead purposely because of these issues.

 

I feel the same way you do about showing others how to do things.  I consider myself still learning.  But, in my limited experience, most people are in awe of what we do (they find transfer sheets amazing--which I consider the easiest way to make a nice-looking chocolate, requiring very little skill), so I am sure you will be considered a guru.

Edited November 14, 2020 by Jim D. (log)

[RWood]

2 hours ago, GRiker said:

@Jim D.Thank you so much.  I knew you would have good insight. 

 

I have the same question with the Passion Fruit Pralines that call for passion fruit puree when I have access to passion fruit concentrate,  

 

Sounds like the recipe could work with either the puree or the concentrate.  I'll have to experiment and see how it goes.

 

Thanks again!

 

The Meyer lemon concentrate is very strong and very sour. It would definitely need to be diluted. I've only made sorbet with it, so I'm not sure how it would work in a bon bon.

I do use the PP passion fruit concentrate in my bon bons, and I just use it straight. I feel like it gives a better and stronger flavor undiluted. 

[Douglas K]

I find these issues common with the books. They just don’t edit or proofread these well. Like for example using sorbitol should it be powder or liquid? Same with other ingredients. At least with Wybauw he will say Boiron purée, which is not universal. There’s too much assumption about what the reader knows.

[GRiker]

 

Yesterday I spent a fun 10 hours with friend making molded chocolates.  Jim D. was right that she was amazed with the whole process and finished product even though I saw many imperfections.

 

We made Notter's Lemon Praline discussed above.  I am a fan of citrus with white chocolate so we made a white chocolate ganache instead of milk chocolate.  I wasn't using couverture white as I had some older white to use up, so I replaced a bit of the white chocolate with cocoa butter hoping that would help in making the melted ganache more fluid.  

 

When the white chocolate had a hard time melting and coming together (often my experience with older white chocolate), I was grateful for having read on this forum that an immersion blender can force the chocolate into submission.  It worked beautifully.  

 

For the aforementioned lemon puree I used half lemon juice with some pulp and half Perfect Puree Meyer Lemon Concentrate.  I did try the concentrate and RWood is totally right.  It is very strong and very sour.  I tried some plain and puckered for sure.  I love lemon flavor though, so I decided to not dilute it.  If I only had the PP I would not have used the entire amount as concentrate.  I didn’t have an issue with the ganache splitting, but appreciate your hint to add a bit of extra water if I did.

 

One of my children described the resulting ganache as white chocolate lemon curd.  It was absolutely delicious!  

 

We also made the Salted Caramel Praline.  I clearly saw the issue Douglas K talked about.  In the Salted Caramel Praline it calls for 3 Tablespoons, 2.47 oz, or 70 grams of unsalted butter.  The Lemon Praline calls for 3 tablespoons, 1.2 oz or 35 grams of unsalted butter.  I can extrapolate that the metric is correct, but a bit more editing would be nice.

 

I did have a honey ganache in the freezer and when we were finished we still had one tray shelled ready for something.  I zapped it in the microwave for a bit and thankfully it came back together with some mixing and we piped it in.  I can see how going from frozen to ready to pipe could be a risky proposition.

 

Thanks for your comments and help on my questions.  I really appreciate the helpfulness of those on this forum.

 

Edited November 20, 2020 by GRiker (log)