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Making fleur de sel truffles


MsRamsey

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Every December my friend makes truffles (and I assist). These are made as a home project and given to friends and family. When we discussed this year’s flavors, I think I may have convinced him to try making fleur del sel truffles. I do wonder about a few things, however.

If one is making chocolates containing fleur de sel, one wants the fleur de sel to be crunchy when bitten. Does fleur del sel melt after a certain period of time in a somewhat wet environment, such as when it is embedded in ganache? My friend’s ganache tends to be somewhat softer than how some people might make theirs, due to a larger amount of cream. Would the crunchiness of fleur de sel be maintained for a couple of weeks, or would it melt? Would he need to adjust his usual recipe and create a "drier" ganache for these particular truffles?

Also, how much fleur de sel should be used per, say, 1 pound of ganache? Does fleur de sel go better with milk chocolate or dark chocolate? (I'm thinking dark chocolate, but that's just conjecture.)

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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my advice would be to keep the fleur de sel out of the ganache and instead, after rolling/dipping the truffles, sprinkle a tiny bit on top of the finished truffle. it should stick to the wet chocolate, but because the chocolate will set, it won't stay wet and the salt won't dissolve.

this is one of those instances where i feel less is more. in order to put enough fleur de sel in the ganache to make it pronounced, i would say it would end up being too much. it may be shocking to bite into a salty truffle. whereas, on top it is a nice accent to a flavored truffle, which is more how fleur de sel is being used in restaurants, etc.

but again, this is just my opinion.

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Maybe. . . :raz:

Where in Seattle are these Fran's truffles sold?

Thomas Haas in Vancouver uses fleur de sel, and I believe it's mixed in and not on top. In the "Haas Bar" it is definitely mixed in. Also, our truffle would (ideally) not be "salty." It would be very sweet with the occasional crunch and surprise of salt flavor.

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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Also, our truffle would (ideally) not be "salty."  It would be very sweet with the occasional crunch and surprise of salt flavor.

I think you're on the right track. By sprinkling a few grains of fleur de sel on the just dipped (I assume) truffle, you will be better showing the affinity for salt/chocolate, than if you simply made a 'salty' ganache. And the character of the salt will be more perceptable as well.

For a bigger 'pop', try the larger crystal Maldon salt from England. It is likely easier to find, and a third of the price. I now use it more often than fleur de sel.

Michael Laiskonis

Pastry Chef

New York

www.michael-laiskonis.com

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Hi, all. Thanks for the advice--please keep them coming. I'm MsRamsey's truffle-making friend. Simply sprinkling the salt on top of the completed truffle would most certainly work. However, if I wanted to have a nice crunch *within* the ganache center itself, I was thinking of perhaps using Hawaiian rock salt, which comes in good-sized crystals, which wouldn't melt as readily as fleur de sel. I haven't used Malden (sp?) salt before so I don't know the properties of it. My thought was to mix in the salt after the ganace has cooled to room temp. The question still remains, though--how much salt should I use for a 1-pound batch? As was stated before, I don't want a salty ganache; rather, a ganche with definite sweet (predominately) and the unexpected hit (i.e., crunch) of the salt. Yet I still want enough salt to make it taste like it wasn't a mistake.

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Where in Seattle are these Fran's truffles sold?

Fran's has a shop in University Village and I think there's one downtown, too.

Thomas Haas in Vancouver uses fleur de sel, and I believe it's mixed in and not on top.  In the "Haas Bar" it is definitely mixed in. Also, our truffle would (ideally) not be "salty."  It would be very sweet with the occasional crunch and surprise of salt flavor.

Remember the Haas Bar had a caramel filling with salt and chocolate. I would recommend trying a caramel ganache and adding a bit of salt after emulsifying. The large grains of sea salt should not dissolve. Then you can decorate the tops with a pinch of salt to let people know something about what's inside.

If you're looking for a caramel ganache recipe, there's one in Flo Braker's "Sweet Miniatures" - look for the reicpe for "Midas Cups" in the tartlet chapter.

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My personal thoughts- I believe having the salt ontop is the nicest effect and it clearly states by it's placement that it's not a mistake. The concept is the ying and yang of sweet and salty, they should be in balance so you add your salt 'to taste'-there isn't a 'rule' for you to follow when adding salt to your ganche.

I'm not sure why you want a "good sized" crunch of salt? I don't believe I'd care for that, it would stick in your teeth too much and you'd have to compensate while eating it....tooo much shock factor/over kill I think.

Have you tasted someone elses truffles with fleur de sel or are you just thinking this thru in your minds eye?

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Have you tasted someone elses truffles with fleur de sel or are you just thinking this thru in your minds eye?

Many chocolatiers make chocolates with fleur de sel, and I've had a few different ones. And yes, I'm thinking it through in my mind's eye and with everyone's advice to see the best way to do it.

Edited by MsRamsey (log)

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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Where in Seattle are these Fran's truffles sold?

Fran's has a shop in University Village and I think there's one downtown, too.

Not downtown, but just north of Bel Square - kind of tucked into a parking lot with an Indian restaurant, across from a French import store - lovely linens, pricey specialty foods, etc.

U-Village is easier to find. Great ganache stuffed figs too.

(Dilletante is opening a chocolate cafe next to the Seattle Sheraton, soon.)

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Hi all,

I'll chime in about this also. i currently have a 2 - layer bon-bon in my selection that has a layer of fleur de sel studded caramel. It will indeed lose it's crunch over a period of a week or so, but that really doesn't bother me because it still retains that "sparkle" of flavor enlightenment against the dark and milk chocolates without the crunch.

If you're storing these over a period of time, I'd go with the top coating. If you're going to be giving them out rather quickly, mix it in (my perferred method - mainly because garnishes tend to come off very easily).

HTH,

Tim

Timothy C. Horst

www.pastrypros.com

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Thank you very much for your help, everyone.

Kathy

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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  • 1 month later...

We dipped the chocolates last night and sprinkled Hawai'ian rock salt on the top of each truffle. They are delicious!!

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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We dipped the chocolates last night and sprinkled Hawai'ian rock salt on the top of each truffle. They are delicious!!

did you use the red salt? it sounds great. i'm on a salt jag right now and have been eating bits of large salt crystals when i can get my hands on them :smile: .

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We dipped the chocolates last night and sprinkled Hawai'ian rock salt on the top of each truffle.  They are delicious!!

did you use the red salt? it sounds great. i'm on a salt jag right now and have been eating bits of large salt crystals when i can get my hands on them :smile: .

We do have the red salt, but used white salt for the truffles. The two salts taste quite different from each other. The Hawai'ian rock salt we used has a very clean taste.

"Save Donald Duck and Fuck Wolfgang Puck."

-- State Senator John Burton, joking about

how the bill to ban production of foie gras in

California was summarized for signing by

Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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