Chocolate Series | The Simplest Way to Finish the Simplest Truffles

If you choose to use your simple ganache to make truffles, this is the easiest and least technical way to finish them. Scoop out equal amounts of ganache and roll them by hand into balls. Place a small amount of sifted cocoa (or any other topping that will adhere to the ganache) into a tray and shake the tray, rolling the balls of ganache around to completely coat. As you pick each truffle up, tap it gently a couple of times to shake off the excess. Consume within one week.

A professional truffle is normally surrounded by a thin coating of chocolate before being decorated with items such as: flavored sugars and powders, chopped nuts, chocolate shavings, cacao nibs, toasted coconut, and cocoa, etc., but precrystallized chocolate (a.k.a. tempered chocolate) is needed. Precrystallizing chocolate is a whole other technical process and one that I will eventually cover. There are also many different types of recipes and methods for making ganache that result in different flavors and textures.

In the mean time, if you need a quick, easy, and satisfying chocolate fix, this method is always an option.

Tagged as: [ basics chocolate ganache recipes truffles ]

Chocolate Series | How to Make a Simple Ganache

The simplest ganache recipe is a combination of chocolate and cream. Depending on the application, and there are many, various degrees of firmness can be created by altering the ratio of cream to chocolate. To achieve a firm, classic ganache, the ratio is 1 part cream to 2 parts chocolate. For a softer ganache, equal parts cream and chocolate are combined. Make sure you use high quality chocolate and cream and the result will be superb.

Here are two ways to create ganache:

Method 1
Place the chocolate in a bowl. In a suitable pot, bring the cream just to the boiling point and pour it over the chocolate. Stir gently and well enough to ensure there are no lumps. However, don't stir too vigorously because you do not want to create any air bubbles in the mixture.
Method 2
Over very low heat, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. Once melted, remove from the heat. In a suitable pot, bring the cream to the boiling point and stir in gently to form the same emulsion as described above. This method definitely ensures no lumps and less stirring.


Leave the ganache in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap by placing the plastic directly on the surface of the ganache. This will prevent a crusty skin from forming. To make truffles, allow the ganache to firm up at room temperature. By bringing the cream to a boil and due to the sugar content in chocolate, leaving the ganache at room temperature is considered food safe.

Some Chocolate Tips:

• If a large block of chocolate is used for either method, it is important to chop it up into small pieces. Chopping guarantees a lump-free ganache. The chocolate will melt evenly in the bain-marie or it will blend easily when the hot cream is poured on top of it.
  
• Cream is sterilized when it is brought to the boiling point and creates a longer shelf life for the ganache. Don't boil for long though - if the amount of cream is reduced, the formula will alter and a firmer ganache will result.
  
• Air bubbles in ganache give bacteria an opportunity to grow, which decreases the shelf life. You can use a whisk to gently blend the cream and chocolate together but be careful of incorporating air.
  
• Chocolate requires patience. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie over very low heat. Chocolate easily scorches – don't be tempted to increase the heat in order to speed things up.
• Ganache can be used for truffles, filling in pastry and cakes, or it can be eaten with a spoon when it's still warm. Yes, I'm guilty of that. 
  

Coming soon: the simplest way to finish truffles.

Tagged as: [ basics chocolate ganache recipes ]

The Official Weigh Out

Since last August, I couldn't even begin to count the number of calories I have consumed. For the most part, I haven't been a complete hog, but I certainly didn't hold back from tasting all of the wonderful products that we made during the full-time Pastry Program at NWCAV. In addition, the course didn't end at a time where one could then watch what they ate, as Christmas was just around the corner. After the holiday season, I enrolled in the Advanced Chocolate Class. When I visited the school during the second week of January, Chef Marco couldn't believe that Marcelo and I had polished off all of the chocolates from that class in such a short period of time. I believe his exact words were, "That's impossible". Actually, all you need to do is come to our house and you will witness that it is not! After doing a short stint at a local chocolate company and throwing a few dinner parties in between, I was a little hesitant to get back on that scale this morning at the doctor's office after making such strong attempts to find one.

To my huge surprise, I have actually dropped more than 2 pounds since last August when I officially weighed in. Yes, folks, I did confirm with the doctor the scale was still accurate. I can't quite explain it. My guess is that eating things that are homemade and which are made with care does really good things for the body!

What will I be doing tonight? Why, gaining those 2 pounds back, of course! ;)  The decadent Valentine's Day cake from Ganache is sadly gone...

Tagged as: [ chocolate dessert ganache nwcav pastry weight ]

Sumptuous Places | Ganache Patisserie

When the sun peeks out from behind the gray rain clouds during Vancouver's winter season, one cannot help but want to spend every moment outdoors. Yesterday I walked around Vancouver for most of the day and after burning off all of those calories, I couldn't think of a better way to reward myself than to indulge in an exquisite dessert.

My friend Jenn and her cute baby Jacob strolled to Ganache Patisserie in Yaletown, which is a gorgeous boutique patisserie. We must introduce little Jacob to the fine pastries in life right off the bat! Marcelo and I had visited Ganache last year and drooled over everything in the showcase, uncertain of which delicacy to try out first. Jenn and I faced the same dilemma and struggled to make our final decision. Jenn chose the Menthe et Chocolat cake and I settled for the Chocolat-Banane.


Both were very satisfying and what made the visit even more special was to see a former pastry classmate at work doing her practicum. Check out Charmaine's blog as she enters the industry after pastry school. It is great to see and hear what other graduates are up to. As usual, Charmaine didn't have a spot on her uniform as she works extremely clean and professional. She is getting invaluable experience and happily making all sorts of entremets, even though the work is physically demanding (as she notes in her blog).

A little bird told me that Ganache will be celebrating its third anniversary on February 3rd. Make sure to drop by and taste one of these fairly priced, Parisian-style desserts!

Tagged as: [ ganache pastry patisserie vancouver yaletown ]