Cooking with "Chocolates and Confections" by Peter Greweling (Part 1)

[emmalish]

Thanks Kerry, I'll experiment with it a bit this weekend.

I have a question regarding the recipes in this book. If I want to use one of the truffle or slabbed ganache recipes to fill molded chocolates, would I need to modify the recipe at all? On p.92 it says "The ganache used in hollow-shell truffles typically contains approximately 25 percent less chocolate than a piped or slabbed ganache." Would I delete 25% of the chocolate from the recipe, and then follow the instructions for hollow-shell technique on p.93?

Edited April 24, 2008 by emmalish (log)

[tammylc]

Shells can support a looser ganache than you need for hand dipping. But they don't *have* to have one. I tend to use a fairly stiff ganache in my molded chocolates, for personal preference and shelf life consideration.

i use the recipes as written pretty much interchangeably.

[Kerry Beal]

Thanks Kerry, I'll experiment with it a bit this weekend.

I have a question regarding the recipes in this book. If I want to use one of the truffle or slabbed ganache recipes to fill molded chocolates, would I need to modify the recipe at all? On p.92 it says "The ganache used in hollow-shell truffles typically contains approximately 25 percent less chocolate than a piped or slabbed ganache." Would I delete 25% of the chocolate from the recipe, and then follow the instructions for hollow-shell technique on p.93?

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Or you could just use the recipes as it and while they are still soft, pipe them into the hollow shell truffles. No rule says the fillings in hollow shells have to be more fluid. The advantage to them that I see is that you can use a filling you make that is too soft for truffles.

Edit: Oops, didn't realize Tammy had already posted and said just about the same thing!

Edited April 24, 2008 by Kerry Beal (log)

[renam]

Thanks Kerry and thanks for tidbit about using cocoa butter instead of white chocolate. That's good to know.

[John DePaula]

Thanks Kerry, I'll experiment with it a bit this weekend.

I have a question regarding the recipes in this book. If I want to use one of the truffle or slabbed ganache recipes to fill molded chocolates, would I need to modify the recipe at all? On p.92 it says "The ganache used in hollow-shell truffles typically contains approximately 25 percent less chocolate than a piped or slabbed ganache." Would I delete 25% of the chocolate from the recipe, and then follow the instructions for hollow-shell technique on p.93?

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Or you could just use the recipes as it and while they are still soft, pipe them into the hollow shell truffles. No rule says the fillings in hollow shells have to be more fluid. The advantage to them that I see is that you can use a filling you make that is too soft for truffles.

Edit: Oops, didn't realize Tammy had already posted and said just about the same thing!

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That's true but I would just add that it's so much easier to fill your shells if the ganache is still at least semi-liquid when you pipe it into the shells. The thicker the ganache, the more time you'll have to spend filling the shells. Can be done, just not fun.

[emmalish]

That's true but I would just add that it's so much easier to fill your shells if the ganache is still at least semi-liquid when you pipe it into the shells.  The thicker the ganache, the more time you'll have to spend filling the shells.  Can be done, just not fun.

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So, would you recommend modifying the recipes to get a thinner ganache?

[tammylc]

That's true but I would just add that it's so much easier to fill your shells if the ganache is still at least semi-liquid when you pipe it into the shells.  The thicker the ganache, the more time you'll have to spend filling the shells.  Can be done, just not fun.

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So, would you recommend modifying the recipes to get a thinner ganache?

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I usually fill my shells when my ganache has cooled to 85 degrees, and even ganaches that get quite stiff later are pretty fluid then. So just ignore the instructions in the truffle recipes re cooling and tabling.

Edited April 24, 2008 by tammylc (log)

[emmalish]

Thanks everyone! I'm looking forward to trying out my molds this weekend. Still haven't decided which recipe to try. I'm leading towards the chai tigers, but I'm not certain...

[John DePaula]

That's true but I would just add that it's so much easier to fill your shells if the ganache is still at least semi-liquid when you pipe it into the shells.  The thicker the ganache, the more time you'll have to spend filling the shells.  Can be done, just not fun.

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So, would you recommend modifying the recipes to get a thinner ganache?

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Depends on a couple of things:

1) How many are you making and 2) how thick the ganache is at ~84F.

I have some fillings that are pretty stiff at 84F. When I pipe them in, I know that I'll have to go back and flatten each one individually to allow me to get a good back on the bonbon. If I have to do this, I place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the tray and press in the top of each one by hand. Very clean, but obviously not as fast as just piping in a filling that immediately goes flat.

[Lior]

I'd worry about getting little holes or spaces that don't get filled up with the ganache, so the shape of the cavity is important, if there are corners or small triangular parts, the ganache should be more liquidy than not.

[emmalish]

How would you thin it? Would you leave some of the chocolate out of the recipe to begin with?

[Lior]

Yes I would. I usually do about one part cream/liquid to one and a half chocolate, adjusting for dark, milk and white. A bit less for dark a bit more for white, then the shell fills up nicely and has a flat top and is not too liquidy after setting and not too firm. For firmer I prefer slabbing the ganache and cutting it, so there are a variety of textures involved. Some like it thinner others like it firmer. And the round moulds can be filled with a slighter firmer ganache than the angular cavities., so a real variety of texture as well as flavour can be accomplished by planning ahead! A larger cavity can also have pieces of things in them, such as cut up candied orange peel or roasted nuts chopped etc. A tall cavity can also, for instance have a nut or such plopped in it. Endless options!

[emmalish]

Thank you again! My molds are a bit fiddly, so I'll adjust the ganache to thin it. Fingers crossed... I'll post pics and let you know how they turn out.

[Lior]

You can take a look at his reciped for filling cavitiesto get an idea of ratios also. Don't be afraid to try, you can always add a bit of liqueur or some more cream or even a bit of milk to thin it. If it is too thick you can add some melted chocolate and hope the ganache won't break! But that is how you learn about your material. If you need recipe help just ask! Good luck!

[emmalish]

Alright, here they are, my first molded chocolates...

I'll try to take a new picture tomorrow – I just realized I have the iso on my camera set waaaay too high (was playing with it for something else and forgot to set it back – oops).

I made the lemon mint ganache and just let it cool to room temp for piping into the molds. I have to say, molded chocolates? Very messy. I had chocolate dribbles all over the place. And my scraping down of the molds needs some work. I cut the recipe in half and it filled my two molds twice each. The first set, I overfilled the ganache so many of them leaked a bit (they'll be the first eaten). The rest were much better, but my bottoms turned out really messy looking, almost like they collapsed a bit while the chocolates set up.

Also, my ganache seemed fine until I piped it into the mold, and then it looked almost like it was separating a bit. But it seems to have set up fine in the end. When they first came out of the mold, the filling was nice and gooey. You can see it's set up solid now.

I have to say that so far I think I prefer enrobing, mostly because once the chocolate is in temper, I'm constantly doing something. With the molds, there's a lot of waiting for chocolate or ganache to set up before continuing to the next step. It would probably flow a lot better if I had more than just the two molds so I could keep them rotating.

I really like the flavour of this ganache. Next time I may make it as a slab (as it was intended) and see how that works out.

Does anyone know how long these should keep? Should they be stored in the fridge, or at room temp?

Edited April 28, 2008 by emmalish (log)

[tammylc]

Looks good! Nice thin shells, and no air bubbles - great work.

You should get at least 3 weeks at room temperature from that recipe, it keeps quite well. It's my go-to white chocolate citrus recipe - I've never made it as written, but I made a lemon-rosemary variation that was good, and it's really amazing with lime juice.

And yes, having enough molds is key to making the work flow well with molding.

[John DePaula]

Yeah, those look beautiful Emma. You might consider the following workflow:

• Day 1: Make shells
  
• Day 2: Make ganaches and fill shells
  
• Day 3: Back off the filled shells
  

Of course, you could do all of these steps in one day but it would be a LONG day...

I'm eager to try that recipe with lime juice...

[tammylc]

I'm eager to try that recipe with lime juice...

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It's amazing. I didn't use the mint for it, just lime, and it's been one of my most popular flavors. But mint would be good too - add some rum and you'd have a white chocolate mojito...

[emmalish]

Yeah, those look beautiful Emma.  You might consider the following workflow:

• Day 1:  Make shells
  
• Day 2:  Make ganaches and fill shells
  
• Day 3:  Back off the filled shells
  

Of course, you could do all of these steps in one day but it would be a LONG day...

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Of course, I had to do it all in one day. I made the ganache, and while that was cooling to room temp, I tempered the chocolate and made the shells. then filled the molds and backed them off with piped chocolate.

I'm working with a microwave to temper my chocolate and still quite new to tempering. It's probably not as big a deal as I think it is, but I don't want to do it multiple times for a single recipe.

Even with lemon rather than lime, it makes me think "mojito" too. A place near me makes a lemon/basil truffle – it's a really nice combination. I'd like to try to recreate that one.

Looks good! Nice thin shells, and no air bubbles - great work.

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Thanks Tammy! I have to say, it was very satisfying to see all the bubbles rising to the surface as I banged my molds against the countertop!

Edited April 28, 2008 by emmalish (log)

[tammylc]

Yeah, those look beautiful Emma.  You might consider the following workflow:

• Day 1:  Make shells
  
• Day 2:  Make ganaches and fill shells
  
• Day 3:  Back off the filled shells
  

Of course, you could do all of these steps in one day but it would be a LONG day...

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Of course, I had to do it all in one day. I made the ganache, and while that was cooling to room temp, I tempered the chocolate and made the shells. then filled the molds and backed them off with piped chocolate.

I'm working with a microwave to temper my chocolate and still quite new to tempering. It's probably not as big a deal as I think it is, but I don't want to do it multiple times for a single recipe.

The "sinking" problem you describe with the backs may well be because you didn't let your ganache set up enough before backing off. Just an FYI.

I used to use a two day process - make shells, fill molds, let set overnight, then back off the next morning. Now I'm more likely to do it all in one day for smallish quantities, but I still try to let my ganache set up for at least an hour before I back off.

Tempering is a PITA, it's true. But the best way to get more comfortable with it is just to do it over and over...

[emmalish]

The "sinking" problem you describe with the backs may well be because you didn't let your ganache set up enough before backing off.  Just an FYI.

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I was thinking that too. Thanks for confirming. Next time I'll make it a two-day process (sigh).

I also made the buttercrunch toffee recipe this weekend. I've been making David Lebovitz's buttercrunch recipe since I discovered it. Peter Greweling's is completely different. While David's is stirred as little as possible and includes baking soda, Peter's is stirred constantly and has no baking soda. I think I like the flavour of Peter's better, but the texture of David's. Must do a little experimenting...

[Lior]

Emma! They look amazing! Iwill also try them now!

[tammylc]

The "sinking" problem you describe with the backs may well be because you didn't let your ganache set up enough before backing off.  Just an FYI.

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I was thinking that too. Thanks for confirming. Next time I'll make it a two-day process (sigh).

You don't even necessarily need to do two days, especially since you've only got two molds. That ganache sets up pretty quickly. Just give it an hour or two before backing off.

[emmalish]

You don't even necessarily need to do two days, especially since you've only got two molds.

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I've got two more on the way from Chocolat-Chocolat.

And one of them is magnetic, so I can play with my transfer sheets too!

edited to add I had a package waiting for me when I got home. Woo! And I lied – I'd ordered three molds. Totally forgot about one of them.

This weekend I'm going to make Kerry's caramels again. Maybe the following weekend I'll try the Chai Tigers in the molds.

Edited April 29, 2008 by emmalish (log)

[gnuf]

I thought I'd post pictures of some of the chocolates I've made recently from the book. I've been following with keen interest Chris Hennes' work, especially since he started just last year and has exhibited a lot of skill. Tempering and dipping are problem areas for me, but I do feel I'm improving. Many of the tips in this topic have been very helpful.

All of the slabbed ganaches were made in an 8" square pan lined with either plastic wrap or parchment. I have yet to find a place to buy the metal rods to make my own ganache frames. As a result the pieces are thicker than they should be, since a half recipe needs 72 square inches.

There are more notes on my blog, but I'll just put a few words about each here:

Apricot - This butter ganache was very, very soft and didn't set up properly. I also had trouble with tempering the milk chocolate for dipping, and with the too-small size of the squares (they kept falling off the fork!).

Sesame Hexagons - I used a hexagonal ganache cutter to make these. My first time dipping a piece just up to the top, a technique I hadn't used before, but I am pleased with the cup-like effect it gives.

Pear - This was very soft to work with. As mentioned in a previous comment, the flavour is quite subtle.

Hazelnut Gianduja - I made a batch of the gianduja recipe and filled chocolate shells with it. I made the mistake of letting the milk chocolate accents set before filling with the dark chocolate, so there's a lot of crystallization, which mars the marbling effect.

Habanos - This has been my most successful piece from this book so far. Both ganaches set up nicely, although the mango layer took a bit longer than I expected. This may have been due to excess water content (I cut the reducing time short).