All about truffles

[LotusCakeStudio]

If you haven't read my other thread, I'm looking into selling my vegan truffles in stores. I'm no chocolate expert; in fact, I can't even eat it b/c I'm allergic. I just like working with chocolate and I've come up with a product that no one else is selling, so I've decided to cash in. Anyhow, being that I have this handicap, and have yet to find a taste tester who has a professional's palate, I need to know about shelf life. About how long can truffles last? I've got a small line of 5 hand dipped truffles right now. Different flavors of ganache enrobed in dark chocolate and finished with finely chopped hazelnuts, cocoa powder, gold dusted, etc. Since they're vegan, obviously, there is no heavy cream in them so I'm thinking that helps to extend the shelf life. What's the ideal temperature to store them at when on the shelf? For long term storage, is it better to keep them in the fridge or in the freezer? I worked at one place that made a ton of truffles about a week in advance for holiday truffle trees. They kept just fine in the fridge, but what about for longer than that? Or should I just not store them longer than that? I stored some in the fridge for 4 weeks and my amatuer testers all said they tasted just as good as the first day. But who knows? Maybe they were just hungry, or their tongues are too stupid to know the difference...? What about fruit fillings? Do they last as long as ganache fillings?

In school, the only fruit type filling recipe I got was basically fruit puree added to ganache. I somehow think it should be cooked or the shelf life wouldn't be so long? But it says to just fold it in. How long would this last? (I know there's a lot of factors that will determine the shelf life, but I'm just looking for ball park figures).

Oh--- how do you make all fruit fillings? I've yet to find a recipe. I'm not allergic to white chocolate so for Christmas and birthdays, my husband's grandmother always buys me Godiva's only 2 white chocolate truffles. One is filled with strawberry filling and the other is raspberry- (decorated with dark chocolate squiggles which I have to peel off before I eat them) and I love them both! Chocolate a la Carte also has a white chocolate truffle with a mango filling and mango is my FAVORITE fruit. How do I make these? I don't know if I would make them to sell, but I know I would make them to eat.

Ok, I think that's it for now. If anyone thinks of any other truffle pointers I should know (as I know the absolute basics), please post them here! Or, even if you have recipes. Oooo... and especially anything white chocolate. Thanks!

I have a few recipes I got from school and picked up a couple along the way. Feel free to take a look: http://pub63.ezboard.com/fprofession...opicID=6.topic

[momoreg]

With heavy cream, your shelf life in the refrig. is about 2 weeks, I'd say, but since you didn't mention what you replaced the cream with, or how you made the ganache, it's hard to guess the shelf life.

Fruit fillings can be anything from preserves to syrup, to whole fruits. Of course, the cooked ones will last longer. If you open a jar of preserves, it usually lasts a long time in the fridge, but will mold up in a matter of days if it sits out. Same principle if you filled truffles with fruit.

Sugar is a natural preservative (all types).

I've never had the mango truffles from CALC. If you describe the flavor and texture, we might be able to figure out how they are made.

[Katherine]

What is it you use to substitute for the cream? (I've made vegan ganache with a walnut cream...)

[Nick.Shu]

ive been told to use sorbitol (3% finshed recipe combined weight) as a mould inhibitor, but that is with dairy. Overwise, it may be different with other types of ganache, but then again.

[LotusCakeStudio]

I'm back again (finally!).

Momo, I don't know what the mango truffle is like. I just read the name and started to drool. I imagine it would be like any fruit filling that are in truffles: they're thick like preserves (just not as sickly sweet as most preserves). So when you mentioned "preserves"... maybe the mango truffle is just a mango preserves. Now where to find mango preserves? I grew up in Hawaii and I never saw it in stores there.

I use organic soy milk instead of cream, which I think lasts a lot longer. I've had vegan ganache last for a loooooong time.

Oh, and that^ also answers Katherine's question. I've never heard of walnut cream. What is it? I've also seen recipes for vegan ganache using almond milk, but even the store bought variety is too thin.

Nick, exactly what is sorbital? I see it in a lot of ingredient lists and I never knew it was a mold inhibitor. I just assumed it was some type of sweetener. I don't think I would use it though because when catering to the organic and/or vegan crowd, any time of unnatural preservatives don't go over to well.

I have another question... where can I find gold foil truffle boxes with dividers that fit inside of them? I had found perfect boxes; the 1-pound size was $1.51 each, cheaper than anywhere else I went. Plain gold foil that I could dress up with a metallic silver label. They also had dividers for a "1-pound box", but upon a closer look, it's for their 1-pound WHITE boxes, NOT the gold ones! I looked all around the 'net and can't find dividers for truffles anywhere. At least none that fit into the gold truffle boxes. Now what sense does that make? Anyhow, any info would be helpful. Thanks.

[W.DeBord]

Hi lotusCakeStudio I'm not certain they have exactly what you want, but both these companies are worth calling. First try Classic Gourmet (the company that sells the hazelnut flour). If you haven't gotten their catalog yet, they do carry some packaging, they have items that don't appear in their catalog so ask them over the phone about any other items your looking for and don't see listed. Also I think I've seen packaging thru Sweet Celerations (Although they're retail not wholesale).

You could also try these avenues....Cardboard Companies often have a full paper line, meaning they make and sell tons of items that are paper. I know my local company sells many many food related paper goods and packaging product that aren't even paper based like foil containers. Also if you have any confectioners that make their own candies you could approach them. I know of one small company in my area that would do this....for a couple reasons...

[momoreg]

For mango preserves and mango jam, I just entered it into a search engine, which gave me quite a few places to look. Here are 2 of them: http://drhot.net/mangopreserves.html www.mitchells.com

Of course you can make it yourself for much less expense, plus you can use the sweetener you want, and control the flavor as you like it. That's what I would do.

[Pete]

Momoreg, I have a question concerning one of your last posts. In it you said that truffles (aka ganache) with cream lasts only about 2 weeks. Doesn't the chocolate help preserve the cream. Once in a restaurant I worked at the intern miss read a recipe and made like 30 pounds of ganache. We ended up using that stuff for about a month. We only kept it under refrigeration and it never tasted like it was going bad.

[momoreg]

Ganache at room temp. doesn't last long at all, especially if it's exposed to air.. Under refrigeration it can last for weeks, but most of the time, people don't refrigerate truffles after buying them. That's all I meant. Incidentally, I make buckets full of ganache and freeze them. It freezes beautifully, and it's always there when I need it.

[ October 07, 2001: Message edited by: momoreg ]

[momoreg]

Pete, I estimated two weeks, but it can definitely last longer, depending on your cream. I know that the cooking of the cream helps to preserve it, but I don't know about the choc. preserving the cream. Interesting...

Either way, you'd definitely know bad ganache if you had it. It goes sour, then moldy.

[LotusCakeStudio]

I remember making truffles at a restaurant I worked at. They were Creme de Menthe (sp?) and were kept refrigerated. We made them once a week (they were given out to the customers with the check- one per customer) and by the end of the week, they were looking pretty bad. Sweating a lot. I don't know if it's because they weren't covered or because the temperature of the fridge wasn't right. I kept truffles in my fridge for a long time (in an airtight plastic container) and they were just fine.

On another note, I found organic and totally vegan couvreture in England. It's 20 pounds for 2.5 kgs. How much is that a pound? I got something like $7/pound? I emailed them around courier costs so that price will go up much more I'm sure. Anyhow, the cocoa content is 73%! That seems really high. The stuff I am used to working with is around 50 - 60%. How does the taste differ at 73%? Does it behave differently?

[m brown]

Truffle filling made with fruit juice or puree, boiled and poured over chopped chocolate will last enrobed and cooled (like in a wine celler ) for more than two weeks however they are at their best within days.
The ganach in a bucket can be frozen for three months or so and refrigerated for a month or so.
You can use frozen fruit pruee, fruit juice concentrate, extracts and water (or cream substitute), flavor pastes and juice (or cream substitute), spices and liquid of choice, oils (ie. peppermint, orange, cinnamon, etc.) and liquid of choice, fruit juice reduction, coffee, tea, soy milk or rice milk to make truffle filling.
The ratio for a soft filling is approx. 1 part chocolate to 2 parts liquid.(for dark chocolate, you could even go higher on the liquid content and for milk and white 1:1 ratio may work better)
73% cocoa mass will be thicker in viscosity and heartier in flavor than less cocoa mass. You can add cocoa butter or other fat to thin it down if you desire.
If you are enrobing and want to maintain the statis of couveture, use cocoa butter to thin down the chocolate. For coating you may add any other chocolate you like.

[LotusCakeStudio]

Thanks for the info everyone.

W. DeBord, actually, I had emailed that company with the hazelnut flour the same day I got the info from you. Still haven't heard back from them and I forgot all about it! I'm just going to call them now. To people who don't check their emails: GRRRR! *shaking fist*

Momo, thanks for the links! I actually think it would be better if I bought it already made than tried to make it. I can't get good mangos here. Even when I worked at Fresh Fields in Annapolis, we used a couple different fruit vendors and they couldn't get me Hayden mangos--- the kind I grew up on! They are the best ones. And my neighbor had a Hayden mango tree that grew on the border of our property line and the fruits hung over to our side, and well.... hehehe.

Anyhow...

Pete, I think what Momoreg meant was that *truffles* last only 2 weeks, not just ganache. Once the ganache is enrobed, it won't last as long. Is that what you meant Momo?

[LotusCakeStudio]

m brown, thank you very much for the info and ganache flavoring ideas. I can't wait to try some of them out! Boy are some zany flavor combinations going through my head right now!

By the way, do any of you live near Philadelphia? Because of my allergies, I rely on the taste buds of my friends to get feedback. But what I am really looking for is someone to taste test for me with a trained palate.

[SlaveGirl]

I wish I did live nearby so I could try these. I eat dairy, and I would love to try eating one dairy, one vegan, and then the same in reverse to check out the differences between the two.

Good luck to you! This was a great thread!

SlaveGirl
http://www.restaurantslave.com