new at chocolate

[amorphous]

hi, i just have a simple question since im pretty new to chocolate making and have recently become very interested in it. can someone please explain to me exactly what a truffle is and possibly how to make it? also, can anyone clear up for me exactly what kind of chocolates need tempering (i know real dark chocolate does, but what about milk chocolate or white chocolate?) thanks so much.

[ricib]

You should always temper chocolate if you want it to turn out right, no matter what kind you use. Since I don't use straight dark/milk etc in my "mix" I temper it always. There's SO many reasons to temper, even if it takes a LONG time in some peoples' minds.

There's lots of places on the net to look for any info on chocolate making, I'd give you my web addy if it wasn't considered spam, AND if the website was completely up and running yet. I plan on having all kinds of info there. mostly from personal experiences.

BTW, as for a truffle, it's basically a chocolate covered treat (in laymans terms) with almost anything inside the chocolate coating. sometimes coated on the outside with powdered chocolate or powdered sugar as well.

Any other Q's. feel free to PM me or ask here.

[tweety69bird]

Just wanted to add in that truffle centres usually have 35% cream added into the mix to make that lovely smooth filling... along with whatever else you want to flavour with...Good luck!!

[Frozen Chef]

Truffles have so many definitions, but I have always been told that they should resemble the natural truffles found underground in Oak tree roots. These natural truffles are one of the most decadent foods found anywhere in the world, so should your chocolate truffles be. Rich and creamy, velvety smooth, that taste should linger on your tongue for a moment or more. Truffles should not be the size of a golf ball but more the size of a small walnut.
Ingredients can be as simple as excellant quality chocolate mixed with heavy whipping cream. Cream is brought up to a simmer, finley chopped chocolate is added then covered without to much stirring, you want to avoid mixing to much air into the ganache. Stir gently and when all chocolate is melted, pour into a shallow pan and refrigerate till firm enough to scoop. After scooping, roll into ball, dip into tempered chocolate for a nice sealed truffle.
A lot of people add different flavoring compounds , some seem to work better than others, be careful if you use alcholic liquors it can through the balance of the ganache and make your center to soft.
Agood ratio for dark chocolate is by weight 2 parts chocolate to 1 part heavy cream, it does help to have a very high butter fat cream, 35%+.
Using milk chocolate do a ratio of 3 to 1. When stirring your ganache to melt the chocolate make sure the ganache is very glossy and smooth looking, if it looks like its seperating add a bit more warm cream.
Make sure you decorate your truffles corectly by striping them or sprinkling nuts on them, because afterall how will you know which flavor is which.
Good luck and have fun.

[haolegirltatu]

I have to say that many chefs look at the simple truffle and abuse the sweet thing. I am a chef in a artisan chocolaterie , and too, I thought all you did was cram some ganache in tempered chocolate and call it a day.

Chocolate goes so much deeper than that - look at a few things a little deeper and you are amazed at how complex chocolate is- so far away from the hershy bar I ate as a kid.

temper yes-- but it realy isnt that hard- and you should temper white chocolate as well as dark-

I am not so sure about mixing dark and milk chocolate...seems sacrelidge since you can buy chocolat by the percentage of cocoa, and there are a whole range of mid % chocolates.

the temperature of the room and humidity can undo all your hard work of tempering- cool and dry is how most chocolates like it. You can temper and re-temper chocolate a more than once- you just have to bring the chocolate up to the high temper Temp again.

There are many fabulous chocolates to use for making chocolate decadences-

Here is my david letterman top 5: ( un paid of course)

Numero Uno : Valrhona( dont hate them because they are french and expensive
2: Michel cluizel- concepcion ( dont hate him because he rules)
3:german choc- Schokinag ( the smell is intoxicating) I use this in mass)
4: Dimori ( cult of cocoa)
5: Tie (3-way baby)
El Ray - albert Uster- callebaut

I know that this list was totally unsolicited- but you speak of chocolate and I am possesed- message me if you have any questions

And PS- we add 4 oz of unsalted organic butter to 1.5 # of chocolate and 1# of heavy organic cream- making a Very smooth goo-y center...reduce the creme for a more solid ganache....and when adding liquid flavor do the same.


I could write for days- but just ask for any questions.

[Zukerig]

"This is the age, among things, of chocolate." ~ J.B. Priestly, English Journey (1933)

Cluizel is a Parisian family-run business set up in 1947 (whereas Rhône-valley-based – the derivation of its name, perhaps? – Valhrona was set up in 1922). Cluizel produce world-class chocolate from rare S. American & African beans ground and roasted on the chocolatier’s premises. The company sells a small bar notoriously named Noir Infini, containing 99% cacao solids! I would need to visit the Valrhona Web site for verification, but, comparatively, its strongest bar has been the Noir Amer (71% cacao content).

Bona fide chocolate truffles should (at least to remain true to the original Fernand Point creation) look fundamentally as much like their tuberous namesakes as possible – which is to say, a smooth, but not flawlessly rounded shape, adorned by an exterior cocoa coating, as though the earth is still clinging to the surface after foraging.

Carole Bloom has defined “truffle” in very basic terms as “a type of candy or confection, with a soft chocolate center surrounded by an outer coating of either chocolate, cocoa powder, or chopped nuts. – Truffles, Candies, & Confections (Crossing Press, 1992); pp.1f. My opinion on the appearance of truffles turns out to be an echoing of her view: “Because classic chocolate truffles are generally made in a lopsided roundish shape about an inch in diameter – similar in shape to the fungi – and because they are also much sought after, the name truffle fits perfectly.” (ibid., p. 40).

The only (French) manufacturer of whom I am apprised of making chocolate truffles with fragments of Périgord truffles is La Roux, founded at Quiberon, Britanny in 1977. The firm has also been noteworthy for its Caramel au Beurre Salé (salted butter caramel).

A variety which I can consume most numerously:

Simmer 6 fl. oz. crème fraîche with 1 tsp vanilla extract. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate (6 oz. dark + 3 oz. milk). Whisk until melted, then whisk in a large egg yolk & 1 Tbsp cognac, stirring until mixture is smooth. Cool until tepid, then cover and chill the base overnight.

Shaped the truffles and roll them in unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder until evenly covered. Place in small paper cups and refrigerate until 15 min. prior to serving.

[chrose]

Originally Posted by Zukerig

Bona fide chocolate truffles should (at least to remain true to the original Fernand Point creation) look fundamentally as much like their tuberous namesakes as possible – which is to say, a smooth, but not flawlessly rounded shape, adorned by an exterior cocoa coating, as though the earth is still clinging to the surface after foraging.

I couldn't agree more! A round truffle is not a truffle at all, it is a piece of candy