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Flavoring in Ganache


beacheschef

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I'm making truffles for a wholesale customer who will be distributing them to their guests on a daily basis. I've been working on my recipes for quite a while, and have some good recipes for a number of flavors. Since the customer base is pretty varied, I'm not adding any alcohol to the ganache centers. The customer is pleased, but has asked me to expand my flavors to a few that they suggested.

I've been working on a mint center with a white chocolate ganache and am infusing the cream with fresh mint leaves. No matter how much mint I add, the mint taste is not pronounced enough. I've also infused the mint leaves in the cream for up to 6 hours before adding the cream to the chocolate, without pleasing results.

I've also been playing around with a fresh ginger ganache and am interested in lemongrass and other natural flavorings. Since I don't know if the customer will be pleased with the end result, I'd rather not buy the flavored compounds (I've used the mint flavor compound in a previous job) to enhance the flavor until I get a better result using the fresh ingredients.

Do you have some advice for using natural herbs and spices to flavor ganache without using extracts, alcohol, or compounds?

Beaches Pastry

May your celebrations be sweet!

Beaches Pastry Blog

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I would suggest adding some mint extract along with infusing your cream in mint leaves if the mint flavor is not as pronounced as you would like.

As far as using herbs, I have made in the past a ginger-lemongrass CREME BRULEE that worked out well. I know you are looking for truffle ideas, but i infused the fresh ginger and lemongrass in the cream, just like you have tried with the truffles.

Good luck,

Mckayinutah

( JASON McCARTHY )

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Lots of herbs and teas work out great. I like the results I get cold infusing herbs in the cream for 24 hours. For more punch with ginger or some others I would leave the pieces in the cream whilst heating then strain before adding to the chocolate. I have achieved a really nice fresh mint this way - but don't boil it as the mint goes a bit cabbagy. I prefer the dark chocolate with mint as I fing the caramelly tones of milk interfere and the white is downright hostile. also look into the moroccan mint tea as a flavoring. Another path with the mint is to whiz the fresh mint into a warm simple syrup and let it set a few hours before straining. Use the syrup to falvor your ganache. I have also had good results with thyme in white chocolate with caramel. In plain white it tastes a bit medicinal.

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I concur with chefette on two points: cold infusion and syrup infusion. Cold infusion of herbs and teas gives you ultimate control and preserves the integrity of that flavoring, though at the expense of time. And fat (in cream) will actually often inhibit the infusion of flavor. Infusing your flavoring into a light syrup first is a good plan.

All things considered, I prefer a certain subtlety, a layering of flavors within a ganache, rather than something too forceful. Ideally the first and second sensations are merely textural- the firm coating followed by the smooth center. As the pure flavor of the coating subsides, that of the ganache comes to the fore- first the chocolate and cream itself, and only then the 'flavoring'. I usually want that flavor to slowly unfold and creep up on you, rather than knock you over the head. It always about balance...

And you might want to try a mint/basil combo for your white ganache. I find basil a bit more aromatic, with less potential for grassy-ness, and able to withstand more 'abuse' (heat and time). Another nice combo, along the lines of chefette's caramel-white-thyme, is a banana-white-thyme.

Michael Laiskonis

Pastry Chef

New York

www.michael-laiskonis.com

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As far as using herbs, I have made in the past a ginger-lemongrass CREME BRULEE that worked out well. I know you are looking for truffle ideas, but i infused the fresh ginger and lemongrass in the cream, just like you have tried with the truffles.

Riffing on the creme brulee idea, when I was at Azie in San Franciso, we had a trio of creme brulees, one of which was chocolate and cardamom. Cardamom might be a good option.

"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."

~ Fernand Point

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Cardamom is a relatively common flavoring in higher-end truffles as is its more complex cousin, the chai blend. Ginger may currently be the hot new flavor and it complements other flavors quite well.

There are a number of people, especially Robert Linxe, using fennel -- this may be my favorite flavor at LMDC.

I can personally vouch for rosemary as a flavoring for chocolate; Dagoba uses it in a solid bar with mint that is excellent. I tasted a new Christopher Norman piece last night that combined rosemary with walnuts that was very good with the O'Reilly (Oregon) Pinot Noir I was drinking.

I also second the mint/basil combination. They work well together and support each other: 1+1=3 in this case. You might also try various basil varieties (lemon, opal) with different types of mint (spear, pepper, etc).

Also, Michael am I correct in assuming that the sugar in the sugar syrup will also act as a mild preservative? I know invert sugar does. Glucose, too? (My specialty is chocolate not necessarily ganache.)

Another place to try herbs is on the outside of the piece. My all-time favorite Christopher Norman piece is a chevre truffle (the ganache is white chocolate, chevre, champagne, and black pepper), the piece is double-dipped and then dusted with a roasted heb mixture.

HTH,

Clay

Clay Gordon

president, pureorigin

editor/publisher www.chocophile.com

founder, New World Chocolate Society

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A related question: what about using teas -- not tisanes -- such as Earl Grey?

Earl Grey is perhaps my favorite tea in ganaches, or anywhere else for that matter. Again, I give it a good 24 hour cold infusion (and I do infuse it straight into the cream), and I find it pairs very well with the profile of Manjari. I'll also boost it with a bit of orangeflower water.

I have yet to play with it, but I'm hearing of more and more uses of the smoky Lapsang Souchong.

I love cardamom and fennel, not to mention star anise and szechuan pepper, but spices such as those tend to offer a more straight forward approach. I agree that fresh herbs, the question at hand, can be tricky to infuse.

And any added sugar, just like alcohol, would potentially aid in preservation, but I wouldn';t necessarily factor that into my turnover.

Michael Laiskonis

Pastry Chef

New York

www.michael-laiskonis.com

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Cardamom is a relatively common flavoring in higher-end truffles as is its more complex cousin, the chai blend.

That is interesting. I didn't know that. I have only made a few truffles and I tend to buy more straightforward chocolate ones. Is it usually listed as a flavoring or is it just added to truffles and advertised as "chocolate truffles"? Can you recommend some (I live in NYC)?

Edited by mikeycook (log)

"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."

~ Fernand Point

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I don't know if Kee over at Chocolate Garden (80 Thompson just south of Spring) makes one, but MarieBelle (actually Jacques Torres makes them for Maribel; Broome St or Lunette et Chocolat on Prince nr Lafayette) does if I remember correctly. If you go to Dean & Deluca (Broadway, Prince) I am sure that there is something in the case with cardamom in it, maybe a Christopher Norman. While you're in the SoHo neighborhood, stop by at Vosges (132 Spring) and ask.

Richart (53rd Street) also has a cardamom truffle, if you can afford it (these are undoubtedly the most expensive in the city other than Ortrud Carstens who only makes to order), and I am pretty sure that La Maison du Chocolat (Madison Ave or Rock Center) has one.

Clay

Edited by chocophile (log)

Clay Gordon

president, pureorigin

editor/publisher www.chocophile.com

founder, New World Chocolate Society

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beacheschef

After washing the fresh mint, dry it in paper towel by rolling it up (like a flauta/taquito) and squeeze it a little. Separate leaves from stems. Chop the leaves into the cream with kitchen scissors and infuse on stove till it's strong enough for you.

I normally use a different variety called Orange Mint that is more aromatic perfume cool than pure minty cool as spearmint or peppermint would be.

I also make a Jasmine Tea palet , a flavor with chocolate that is just dreamy. For me it was a Chateauneuf-du-Pape inspired ganache, although I'm sure it's in wide usage in other parts of the world. (I remember hearing of chocolatiers in times past layering flowers alongside their chocolate (or cocoa beans?) in a cabinet to flavor them, something I want to try with gardenias for our Chocolate Challenges) Depending on the quantity used You can smell the aroma of jasmine on the surface of the bitten bon bon as well as in your nose mouth area after you've eaten it.

Here is a link to the Tao of Tea brewing suggestions (green vs. black) if you plan to infuse in hot cream. If you brew too long with a little too much you'll get a funky aroma and bitter taste which, if you're not looking for it, can be obtrusive

taooftea.com/brew_suggest.php3?t=suggest&id=]Tao of Tea BrewingTao of Tea Brewing]Brewing suggestions

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i did a nice rosemary truffle the other day, with

mashing some fresh rosmary in a pestle and mortar adding

it to the hot milk (of course not boiling anymore) let it steep for

5 - 8 min. (depends on how intense it should get) then strain

it into the bowl with the choc.

to give things the "extra" kick i roasted little fresh rosemary pieces

in peanut oil for a few seconds ( they get a crisp like texture then)

put them on kitchen paper for an hour or so to get rid of the oil

and then sprinkle them into the yet fluid ganache.. :raz::raz::raz:

very cute stuff.... :wink:

cheers

t.

toertchen toertchen

patissier chocolatier cafe

cologne, germany

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Thanks for all of the replies, they've given me some ideas to follow up with.

chefette: I've never used simple syrup in truffle centers. How much do you add without making the ganache too sweet?

Do you go by taste, or is there some "rule of thumb"? Can you guide me through it?

Anyone recommend a good mint extract or compound? I don't think I'll be doing LOTS of this flavor, which is why I'm looking at using fresh herbs.

But, if the flavor really takes off, I may need to quickly buy a good mint flavoring.

I made a great fresh ginger truffle that people loved; they found the flavor unexpected, but really enjoyable. Passionfruit was too bitter for my audience...people either loved or hated it. No middle ground.

My target audience is people staying at hotels in the southeast. Not a cosmopolitan area, people aren't too adventurous with food down here. I have to make sure my truffles please the "masses" (hotel guests, whether they're in town for a football game, pleasure, or business...), which limits my flavors. I'm currently making vanilla, cappuccino, cinnamon (with a hint of clove), praline, and white chocolate citrus.

Are there any other flavors that are mainstream pleasers?

Thanks - Mary

Beaches Pastry

May your celebrations be sweet!

Beaches Pastry Blog

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

When I make ginger truffles, I hand grate 1-pound of fresh ginger (if using a food processor, you will need about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds to allow for waste) and then take the pulp in my hand and squeeze the hell out of it to extract every last drop of juice from it. Depending on the freshness of the ginger, I usually end up with *about* 1/2 cup of ginger juice. If I have more than 1/2 cup of ginger juice, I subtract that excess amount from the amount of cream that I would have normally used. I add all of the ginger juice that I get into my ganache mixture. Mind you, my truffle recipe is, starting out, much more runny than most. However, I like my flavorings to be very pronounced (which probably has something to do with the fact that I've managed to burn off most of my taste buds through too much hot pepper). Even with all of this extra liquid, though, after the ganache sets, it sets well.

As for other flavors, if you don't want to go into liquid or oil extracts (many of which, as you know, are completely natural), then what I've found works is to use approximately 5 times the amount of fresh herbs that you would think would be appropriate (this includes Earl Grey tea), and let it steep for several hours, or overnight. I've never done a cold infusion--only hot infusions using the cream. Also, finely chop or muddle your herbs before throwing them into the cream. Hope this helps.

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Great ideas! I'll be trying a few of them this week and will let you know how it worked.

I'm providing truffles for a wine party Friday night (different venue than regular business)

and am comfortable trying some more "sophistocated" flavors.

Mary

Beaches Pastry

May your celebrations be sweet!

Beaches Pastry Blog

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We did a thyme ganache in class yesterday that came out very tasty. Just brought the cream and a bit of trimoline to boil, dropped in fresh thyme (about 12 grams for 1200 grams of finished ganache) and let infuse covered for 10 minutes. Strained over half melted chocolate and emulsified as usual.

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Has anyone used a pepper flavor?  Like cayenne?  If so, what was your experince with it?

I do a lot of truffles with chilis, including a particularly popular chipotle truffle dusted with mild chili powder. These flavors work best if the truffles are simple and the chocolate at least 64% and a bit fruity. (Valrhona's Manjari works well). I prefer a mild high-quality chili powder; stronger chilis tend to compete with the chocolate.

richtl

tallulah@fudgeandtruffles.com

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  • 2 weeks later...
Has anyone used a pepper flavor?  Like cayenne?  If so, what was your experince with it?

OK, so I did my homework. I made some truffles with some cayenne tonight. It's got a hell of a POW on the backend......my evil side wants to share this with some un-suspecting co-workers. :biggrin:

Edited by ChzHead (log)
Think before you drink.......I think I'll have another!
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  • 3 weeks later...

I tried some making some habanero truffles - split 2 habaneros, and threw them in the cream as I heated it. The truffles didn't have much of flavour (other than the dark chocolate I used) until the heat kicked in at the very end. Unfortunately there was also an aftertaste that I can only describe as green - a very "vegetable" flavour. I fed them to a few friends who are hot food freaks, and only one liked them. Most were just disturbed by the idea of combining chocolate with something hot. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

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