White chocolate ganache

[parameda]

thank you, I'll try it

[Alleguede]

You can use as well some of the new chocolates on the market who are not as sweet. For fruit fillings, you can also use variations such as caramels or jellies.

[Mjx]

. . . . I read somewhere that people also use salt for this but I'm a bit suspicious about that. Has anyone tried?

I seldom make anything with white chocolate, but when I do, I always add a tiny amount of salt (I use a mill to reduce it to really fine dust, so it distributes more quickly). It is not perceivable as salt, but I find that this really cuts the insipid and cloying oversweetness that easily dominates white chocoate.

In fact, there are few sweets that I don't add a very small amount of salt to.

[Jim D.]

You can use as well some of the new chocolates on the market who are not as sweet. For fruit fillings, you can also use variations such as caramels or jellies.

Would you mind listing some of these new chocolates? I use Valrhona's Opalys quite a bit and like its flavor; since I switched to it, several people have remarked that they never liked white chocolate previously but do enjoy it now. I'd like to try any others there are.

[Kerry Beal]

I suspect it's the Cacoa Barry Zephyr that Rodney is referring to - I know he's been making use of it.

[Alleguede]

Yes there is zephyr from cacao Barry - opalys from Valrhona - I do like the ivoire as well. Callebaut has the new CHW-R2241NV these are for me the less sweet on the affordable market.

I use to use satin. But the sweetness was just overwhelming. I can't afford really to pay for Valrhona so my alternative was zephyr. We have a yogurt/strawberry cake which can't taste the chocolate.

I also heard felchin had a good product - unavailable in Canada.

[cmflick]

I use about 1/2 tsp (not sure of the gram weight) for a recipe that makes 250 centres.

Kerry, how much weight of ganache are you using to make 250 centers?  I want to try using citric acid, but want to make a lot less centers.  Also, when do you add the citric acid?

[Kerry Beal]

Probably about 10 grams a center.  When I'm making a smaller batch I have these little measuring spoons that read pinch etc - I use the one that says pinch.

 

I would add it with the liquid.

[cmflick]

Probably about 10 grams a center.  When I'm making a smaller batch I have these little measuring spoons that read pinch etc - I use the one that says pinch.

 

I would add it with the liquid.

Thanks for the response, Kerry.  Have you used citric acid with centers containing cream?  I know that you can curdle milk with citric acid to make queso fresco.

[Kerry Beal]

I have - given the amount I haven't noticed an issue with the cream curdling.  Most often I'm using it in fruit containing ganaches.

[CatPoet]

I need a fool proof recipe on White chocolate ganache that can be both spread and  whipped.

 

It might sound like I can google this BUT  I cant afford  fail with it, it is my  daughter's birthday cake and I cant try  before hand due to the cost of good white chocolate and I got some really good one now, not high end but middle and it was at my price range for once,

 

So please help!!!

[Franci]

For my daughter birthday I made a double ganache, One on the outside, just as pouring ganache and a whipping ganache inside.

Here  a picture and this was the recipe and I used about 60% of that recipe for a 23 cm cake. For inside the cake I made a white chocolate, strawberry ganache, but it was too solid after rest in the fridge, so I ended up using only 300 g of of it and mixing with 350 g of whipped cream and then was perfect. I hope it helps.

P.S.: giving the cost of white chocolate, I highly recommend for both ganache to use a stick blender for them. I almost lost them...if I didn't pull out the stick blender, or be very mindful with temperatures.

Edited April 2, 2015 by Franci (log)

[CatPoet]

Problem is that gelatine will be a no go, due to a friend.  Otherwise it was a good idea.

[AKS613]

I use a ratio of 3:1 chocolate to cream for white choc ganache. Place choc in heat proof bowl. Heat the cream to just boiling. Pour over chocolate. Swirl the bowl to make sure the choc is submerged. Mix to incorporate. I let it set up overnight. It is then ready to stir and use. The white choc ganache is especially good with a little cinnamon added to it. Good luck!

[pastryani]

I made a white chocolate ganache with a flavored water. Because I wanted a good amount of flavor, I added a lot of additional liquid. When all was said and done, the bowl of ganache was VERY fluid (think watery soup-like). I left it at room temp overnight and the next morning it was still very liquidy. So I put it in the fridge overnight, where, to my surprise, it solidified nicely into a soft ganache. Great, right? Nope.

I took it out of the fridge, mixed it around with a spatula, and all looked fine. Put the ganache into a pastry bag and had it ready for use. But I wasn't able to fill right away, and the ganache in the bag was left on my counter for several hours. By the time I was ready for it, it was stiff and not pliable, and definitely not pipable. SO... I did not put it in the microwave (tried that once and ganache melted unevenly and broke), but instead I put the bag on a heating pad set to low, and rotated, massaged with my hands, and all looked fine. But when it came time to pipe, the ganache was broken. Badly broken. I tried mixing in a food processor and adding milk, but I ended up with a mix resembling cottage cheese. I almost threw it out but re-melted half of it and blended, and now it's back in the fridge and I'll see what it looks like tomorrow.

So the question is, what am I doing wrong here? Should I not set the ganache in the fridge? Am I putting it in piping bags too soon (ie - before I'm ready to use it)? It seems that whenever I have ganache in a piping bag that's either leftover/has been sitting around, it's next to impossible to use it (ie - soften it) without it breaking. Which bring me to my second question: are there certain rules to follow with respect to ratios and depending on the type of chocolate when making a ganache that will prevent it from breaking? Are there certain amounts of cream to never exceed? As I type this I have a 2:1 (milk choc:cream) ganache sitting in a piping bag on my counter. It's already stiff and tomorrow when it comes time to use it, I'm certain that any application of heat will break it. I can take t out of it's bag but still don't know how to get it to a pipable consistency. Ideas? Sorry for the long rant - i just spent a few hours dealing with this and would like to figure out how to prevent it from happening again. Thanks.

[Mjx]

Until one of the chocolate experts weighs in, take a look at this discussion of water ganache, another on white chocolate ganache, and the general ganache tips and techniques discussion, at least one of which may have something helpful to offer.

[curls]

Pastryani, I would strongly suggest that you purchase or borrow Peter Greweling's book, "Chocolates and Confections." The book will give you recipes, ratios, and the science behind ganaches, tempering, and so much more.

[Lisa Shock]

For many people, white can be difficult. I tend to use a lot less fluid with it. The best place to warm a ganache piping bag and keep it warm is your front pants pocket, if the tip is already cut, put it into a sandwich baggie. (chef pants are baggy for just this kind of reason)

[Jim D.]

I am not an expert, but I have had experience with ganaches based on white chocolate.  The usual procedure is to let the ganache cool to around 80F (Greweling says 77F), then put it in a piping bag and use it (no delay--since the longer you delay, the firmer it gets and the more difficult it is to fill a mold and have the ganache be level).  Once it firms up in a bag, you are going to have all sorts of problems, problems that are unnecessary if you time things so that you go from making the ganache to piping it.  At one point in my learning curve I thought I had found the holy grail--making ganaches in advance, vacuum-packing and freezing them, then bringing them back when needed.  That works with dark- or milk-based ganaches, but not so well with white, and I have mostly given up the practice.  Today in fact I reheated some leftover coconut ganache and was very careful not to let it get much above 80F.  It had been frozen in its pastry bag, but I cut it out of the bag, cut it in small pieces, and melted it, using an immersion blender to get it smooth.  The blender was necessary because there will be small lumps of white chocolate that don't melt uniformly.  White chocolate will separate on you if you give it the slightest chance.  A little skim milk or appropriate liquor and an immersion blender will usually resurrect a split white ganache.  What brand of white are you using?  Some are more temperamental than others.

 

I second the recommendation from Curls that you take a look at Greweling (or Ewald Notter, who has most of the same information).  They will give you the proportions (though I must add that not all of their recipes actually follow the proportions they recommend).  Also remember that all liquids count as "liquefiers," including the "flavored water" you said you used.  I also recommend that if you don't have an immersion blender, you get one before making any more ganaches.  I couldn't live without one.

[Kerry Beal]

I third the Greweling recommendation - he clearly describes the 'rules' for ganache - what temperatures you can and can't mix at in order to prevent breaking etc. When we did the Premium Chocolate Centers course with him a few years back he talked about it at length - imagine my surprise when I went back and read the book - and there it all was!

[pastryani]

Thanks all - feeling better today since the white choc ganache was saved after the re-melting and blending exercise. I had no idea that such a watery ganache could solidify, but it did.

Mjx - I'll read thru those links. Lisa - a good idea if my pants had pockets!! Jim - I don't know the brand of white choc, but they're mini chips for decor purposes. Curls, Jim, and Kerry - I actually do have the book, and Kerry, glad to know I'm not the only one who doesn't read through books before diving into a new medium! ;-). Thanks!