RECIPES Archives - A Home Chocolatier

Rhubarb & Ginger Ganache

Rhubarb & Ginger Ganache …… now that’s a very good combination of flavours!


I had been looking for ways to create a rhubarb & ginger ganache with an intense but smooth flavour. As spring is almost here in England and new season Yorkshire rhubarb available in the shops it was a good time to try to perfect a recipe.

Rhubarb

I decided that I would first make a rhubarb infused sugar syrup adding a small amount of finely chopped stem ginger to give a little gingery pep. Stem ginger is the best option as it’s already in sugar syrup and confit so will blend vey well into the finished ganache. I reserved some of the finely chopped stem ginger to stir into the ganache at the end.

I chose organic white chocolate for the ganache base so that it would be smooth and light in colour. I used dark tempered chocolate (70%) and square shaped moulds for these chocolates as this would contrast very well with the ganache. The only improvement I would make is to slightly increase the amount of rhubarb to intensify the taste more. However the rhubarb & ginger ganache I made was very smooth and with just the right amount of ginger. It’s a very seasonal chocolate and if you have some fresh young rhubarb it’s definitely worth a try.


Rhubarb & Ginger Ganache (makes approx 30)
Ingredients:-

1 ½ Sticks of Rhubarb (fresh new season if possible).

2 rounds of Stem Ginger (sold in jars with syrup)

75ml Double Cream (or Heavy Cream).

35g White Caster Sugar.

255g Organic White Chocolate (Green & Black)

150g 70% Dark Chocolate finely chopped (Green & Black).

60 ml (¼ Cup) Corn Syrup to stop crystallisation of the ganache.

Equipment:-
Square Shaped Polycarbonate Moulds (Lakeland).

Chocolate tempering thermometer (Lakeland).

Small Marble or Granite Tempering slab (Lakeland).

Chocolate Scraper.

250mm long S/Steel Palette Knife.

Piping Bag or Funnel for Filling Cases (Lakeland).

200mm dia Heat Proof Glass Bowl (Pyrex)

Mixing Bowl (metal or heat proof glass)

Small Metal Saucepan (to act as bain marie)

Non Stick Baking Parchment.

Method:-
1 Temper 150g of dark chocolate. This gives the finished chocolate its distinctive snap and shine.



For method please press on this link temper.



2 Spoon the dark chocolate into the square shaped mould until each aperture is filled. Then tap the side of the mould 2 or 3 times to release any air bubbles. Next angle the mould over the bowl of chocolate and use the scrapper to pour to the bowl and smooth off the top of the mould. Turn the mould face down on a piece of non stick baking parchment for 15 minutes. Scrape the face and sides of the mould and place into a refrigerator for a further 15 minutes. This is so the individual chocolates will release easily from the moulds. Then leave covered on the worktop awaiting the ganache filling.

3 Place 255g of the white chocolate which has been broken into small squares or finely chopped into a mixing bowl.

R&G3

4 Wash the rhubarb and cut into 30mm lengths. Add to saucepan with 175ml of water, 35g of white caster sugar, 1 ½ rounds of finely chopped stem ginger and ¼ cup (60ml) of corn syrup. Gently heat and simmer for 10 minutes ,stiring occasionaly until the rhubarb is tender. Then take off the heat and allow to stand for 30 minutes to infuse.

R&G6

5 After 30 minutes blend the rhubarb and ginger syrup (with a stick blender) until it forms a smooth coulis like mixture. It will have a wonderful pink colour.

R&G7

6 Stir in 75ml double cream (or heavy cream) and bring the pan back to the stove and reheat gently until it reaches boiling point.

Rhubarb & Ginger Ganache

7 Now pour the rhubarb and ginger cream mixture over the white chocolate pieces in the mixing bowl. Leave for a few minutes for the chocolate to begin to melt, then stir or gently whisk until it emulsifies and a silky smooth ganache forms. Cover and stand for 1 to 2 hours allowing to cool to around 27 deg C. Check from time to time as the ganache will cool down and thicken quite quickly depending on your general kitchen temperature.

R&G11

8 Spoon the ganache into a piping bag or use a chocolate filling funnel. Now pipe or funnel the ganache carefully into the moulds. Ensure the filling is at least 2 mm below the rim of each heart shaped aperture to allow for the chocolate capping.

9 Now for capping off of the chocolates. Temper some dark chocolate and then spoon gently into each heart aperture then level off mould using a palette knife. Set the mould down on a worktop and leave for 20 to 30 minutes to set.

10 Once the chocolate has set, turn over the mould and place on a piece of non stick baking parchment. Now tap the mould and release the chocolates. You should now have shiny glossy rhubarb & ginger ganache chocolates.

Easter Egg Chocolates




I wanted to tryout a small mould (Lakeland) I was given recently to see if I could produce miniture filled Easter Egg Chocolates from them. The mould is made from silicone and is really intended for solid chocolate decorations to cakes.

Silicon Easter Egg Chocolates Mould Easter Egg Chocolates Mould

However I thought it would be fun to try and produce a small test batch of filled easter egg chocolates. I chose Milk Chocolate as we had family friends with their children coming over and it would be interesting to have them all try these. Dark Chocolate would be a little too grown up!

I had not worked with Milk Chocolate before and decided it would be a challenge due to the different tempering temperatures involved. Also the mould was quite small so it would be very tricky to produce a filled chocolate. My original idea was to make filled half shells and then join them together with melted chocolate.

In the end I decided to leave the finished chocolates as filled half easter eggs. It was agreed by all that the easter egg chocolates tasted great and were a success…. and still only a test batch!



Milk Chocolate Ganache (makes approx 30 in small moulds)

Ingredients:-

100ml Double Cream (or Heavy Cream).

50g Unrefined Golden Caster Sugar.

300g Organic Milk Chocolate finely chopped (Green & Black)

60 ml (¼ Cup) Corn Syrup to stop crystallisation of the ganache.

Equipment:-

Small Easter Egg Mould (Lakeland).

Chocolate tempering thermometer (Lakeland).

Small Marble or Granite Tempering slab (Lakeland).

Chocolate Scraper.

250mm long S/Steel Palette Knife.

Piping Bag or Funnel for Filling Cases (Lakeland).

200mm dia (1 litre) Heat Proof Glass Bowl (Pyrex)

Mixing Bowl (metal or heat proof glass)

Small Metal Saucepan (to act as bain marie)

Non Stick Baking Parchment.



Method:-

1 Temper 100g of the Milk Chocolate. This gives the finished chocolate its distinctive snap and shine.



For method please press on this link temper.




2 Spoon the Milk Chocolate into the mould until each aperture is filled. Then tap the side of the mould 2 or 3 times to release any air bubbles. Next angle the mould over the bowl of chocolate and use the scrapper to pour to the bowl and smooth off the top of the mould. Turn the mould face down on a piece of non stick baking parchment for 15 minutes. Scrape the face and sides of the mould and place the mould on a tray and put into a refrigerator for a further 15 minutes. This is so the individual chocolates will release easily from the moulds. Then leave covered on the worktop awaiting the ganache filling.





3 Place 200g of the Milk Chocolate which has been broken into small squares or finely chopped into a mixing bowl.



4 Add 100 ml Double Cream (Heavy Cream) along with 50g of Caster and 60ml ¼ cup of Corn Syrup to the saucepan. Bring very gently to the boil stirring to incorporate.



6 Now pour the mixture over the Milk Chocolate pieces in the mixing bowl. Leave for a few minutes for the chocolate to begin to melt, then stir or gently whisk until a silky smooth ganache forms. Allow to cool to around 27 deg C.



7 Spoon the ganache into a piping bag or use a chocolate filling funnel. Now pipe or funnel the ganache carefully into the moulds. Ensure the filling is at least 2 mm below the rim of each heart shaped aperture to allow for the chocolate capping.



8 Leave mould with the ganache filling in a cool place for at least 2 hours (in a cool kitchen if possible, not the refrigerator!). This will allow the surface of the soft ganache to harden slightly and make capping off successful.



9 Now for capping off of the chocolates. Temper some milk chocolate and then spoon gently into each aperture then level off mould using a palette knife. Set the mould down on a worktop and leave for 20 to 30 minutes to set.

Finished Filled Easter Egg Chocolates


10 Once the chocolate has set, turn over the mould and place on a piece of non stick baking parchment. Now tap the mould and release the chocolates. You should now have shiny glossy chocolates.

Silicone Easter Egg Chocolates Mould Easter Egg Chocolates Mould

Passion Fruit Ganache

This year I wanted to make a special chocolate for Valentines Day and a Passion Fruit Ganache seemed appropriate.

I looked at different ways of making the Passion Fruit Ganache using passion fruit puree and white chocolate. The method I chose was to use a ready made passion fruit coulis I stumbled upon in Marks & Spencer’s grocery store as it contained around 71% mixture of fruit /fruit concentrate. The coulis had a little natural sugar but would work well with the ganache. It was also very cost effective (£2.00) to use a bought coulis rather than make the coulis from scratch. If I were to make this with ripe fruit it would be extremely expensive at £2.50 for 2 passion fruits and I would need around 12 passion fruits.

P F Coulis Image © M&S

I used dark tempered chocolate (70%) and heart shaped moulds for these chocolates. Making 21 plain cases and 9 decorated with edible metallic gold and silver powder as an experiment. I was concerned that the passion fruit taste might be overwhelmed with the white chocolate but I should not have worried as result was superb. A well tempered dark chocolate case leading into a rich passion fruit taste…. as the Italians say…. That’s Amore!

IMG_9160a

Passion Fruit Ganache (makes approx 30)
Ingredients:-
125 ml Passion Fruit Coulis (Marks & Spencer).

100ml Double Cream (or Heavy Cream).

50g White Caster Sugar.

255g Organic White Chocolate (Green & Black)

150g 70% Dark Chocolate finely chopped (Green & Black) .

60 ml (¼ Cup) Corn Syrup to stop crystallisation of the ganache.




Equipment:-
Heart Shaped Polycarbonate Moulds (Lakeland).

Chocolate tempering thermometer (Lakeland).

Small Marble or Granite Tempering slab (Lakeland).

Chocolate Scraper.

250mm long S/Steel Palette Knife.

Piping Bag or Funnel for Filling Cases (Lakeland).

200mm dia Heat Proof Glass Bowl (Pyrex)

Mixing Bowl (metal or heat proof glass)

Small Metal Saucepan (to act as bain marie)

Non Stick Baking Parchment.





Method:-
1 Temper the remaining 150g of Dark Chocolate. This gives the finished chocolate its distinctive snap and shine.

For method please press on this link temper.





2 Spoon the Dark chocolate into the heart shaped mould until each aperture is filled. Then tap the side of the mould 2 or 3 times to release any air bubbles. Next angle the mould over the bowl of chocolate and use the scrapper to pour to the bowl and smooth off the top of the mould. Turn the mould face down on a piece of non stick baking parchment for 15 minutes. Scrape the face and sides of the mould and place into a refrigerator for a further 15 minutes. This is so the individual chocolates will release easily from the moulds. Then leave covered on the worktop awaiting the ganache filling.




3 Place 255g of the White Chocolate which has been broken into small squares or finely chopped into a mixing bowl.




4 Strain the Passion Fruit Coulis into a small saucepan removing all the seeds. Stir in the white caster sugar. double cream (heavy cream) and the corn syrup. Gently heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then take off the heat and allow to stand for 30 minutes to infuse.




5 Bring the pan back to the stove and reheat gently until it reaches boiling point.




6 Now pour the Passion Fruit Coulis Cream mixture over the White Chocolate pieces in the mixing bowl. Leave for a few minutes for the chocolate to begin to melt, then stir or gently whisk until a silky smooth Passion Fruit Ganache forms. Allow to cool to around 27 deg C.




7 Spoon the Passion Fruit Ganache into a piping bag or use a chocolate filling funnel. Now pipe or funnel the ganache carefully into the moulds. Ensure the filling is at least 2 mm below the rim of each heart shaped aperture to allow for the chocolate capping.




8 Now for capping off of the chocolates. Temper some dark chocolate and then spoon gently into each heart aperture then level off mould using a palette knife. Set the mould down on a worktop and leave for 20 to 30 minutes to set.




9 Once the chocolate has set, turn over the mould and place on a piece of non stick baking parchment. Now tap the mould and release the chocolates. You should now have shiny glossy chocolates.

Tempering Chocolate at Home

The process of tempering chocolate can look a little daunting, however it’s very rewarding but can take a little time and patience to master. Its a really precise and basically a chemistry process. The chocolate tempering process allows for hardening crystallisation to occur. Tempering chocolate gives it its distinctive snap and shine. The blog gives full details and you may find the video useful.

Before you start tempering chocolate make sure that the kitchen is free of any moisture / steam. Check your bowl is dry before you start, if water makes contact with the hot melted chocolate it will make it seize and go very gritty. A top tip is to wipe dry the underside of the glass mixing bowl with a towel when removing from the saucepan (bain marie).

The method described is for dark chocolate but notes are included below for tempering milk chocolate and also white chocolate.

Equipment:-

Chocolate tempering thermometer / thermospatula (Lakeland).

Small Marble or Granite Tempering slab (Lakeland).

Chocolate Scraper (Lakeland).

250mm long S/Steel Palette Knife (Lakeland).

200mm dia Heat Proof Glass Bowl (Pyrex).

Small Metal Saucepan (to act as bain marie).

Method for Dark Chocolate:-

1 Place the finely chopped dark chocolate into a heat proof glass bowl and place over a barely simmering saucepan of water (bain marie). Ensuring that the water does not touch the bottom of the glass bowl.

2 Gently heat / melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally and checking the temperature regularly with a thermometer and when it reaches 55deg C (131deg F) remove the bowl from the saucepan being careful to dry the underside of the bowl. Now carefully pour two thirds of the melted chocolate onto a granite or marble tempering slab, keeping the remainder of the chocolate warm, in the bowl but off the heat.

3 Using a chocolate scraper work the chocolate from the centre to the sides of the slab and back to the centre again at least 3 or 4 times. Check the temperature as you work the chocolate, it needs to be lowered in temperature to 27deg C (80deg F). This is the temperature dark chocolate crystallises Now pour/scrape the chocolate back into the bowl (which is off the saucepan / stove) with the remaining chocolate and stir together. Check the temperature it needs to now drop to 30deg C to 31deg C (86deg F to 88deg F) as the optimum working temperature for dark chocolate. Dip the end of the palette knife into the bowl of chocolate and its should set smoothly with a slight shine.

Notes on Tempering Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate

Due to the different amounts of cocao solids the temperature at stages 2 and 3 will need to be adjusted as follows:-

At Stage 2
The temperature should reach between 45deg C to 50deg C (113deg F to 122deg F)
At Stage 3
The temperature chocolate crystallises is 26deg C (79deg F)
The optimum working temperature is 28deg C to 29deg C (82deg F to 84deg F)

Now you are ready to work with the chocolate and create something wonderful!

Rose Truffles

I wanted to create Rose Truffles with just a hint of rose flavour.

I found a method of making a dark chocolate (70%) ganache with rose petal infused sugar syrup. The infusion tasted really great and when added to the dark chocolate (70%) it gave it a good background.

I enrobed the Rose Truffles in dark tempered chocolate (70%) dipping them and using a fork to lift them out of the bowl. I formed a forked ripple in the top and finished each with an edible dried rose petal.

There are people who may find the taste of Rose in these truffles to be to much of a background taste. I wanted the truffles to be subtle and leave a hint of rose in the mouth after you had eaten them. From the feed back I have had I think I achieved the right result.

Is there anything I would change?…. Maybe the dark chocolate could be dialled back in strength from 70% to nearer 60% as it might be slightly smoother. But overall my batch had a grown up kind of taste and worked well.


Rose Truffles (makes approx 36)

Ingredients:-
1 Tablespoon of Dried Rose Petals.

125ml Water.

70g Caster Sugar.

350g 70% Dark Chocolate finely chopped.

2-3 drops of Rose Oil.

Crystallised Rose Petals (optional) to decorate tops of truffles – food safe

Equipment:-
15cm square baking tin (with loose bottom)

Chocolate tempering thermometer

Chocolate lifting forks (optional but very useful)

250mm long sharp knife to form truffle squares.

Sheet of Non Stick Baking Parchment

Method:-
1 Make Rose Infused Syrup. Place Rose Petals in a small saucepan with the Caster Sugar and 125ml of Water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 minute then pour syrup / petals into a heat proof bowl and leave to cool. Cover and leave overnight to infuse.


2 Line the baking tin with parchment. Place 200g of the Dark Chocolate into a mixing bowl. Strain the syrup into a small saucepan (removing all the petals) and add 2 to 3 drops of Rose Oil or 5 to 6 drops of Rose Water if Rose Oil is not readily available. Gently heat the syrup until just boiling, then pour over the Dark Chocolate. Leave for a few minutes for the chocolate to begin to melt, then stir or gently whisk until a silky smooth ganache forms. Pour the the ganache into the lined baking tin. Ensure the mixture is spread level and leave until cold. Cover and then chill the ganache in a refrigerator until firm.


3 When the ganache is chilled and firm remove from the refrigerator. Carefully remove the ganache from the baking tin. Now using a sharp knife (at least 250mm long) cut into 36 truffle squares (each 25mm x 25mm). Return briefly to the refrigerator.


4 Temper the remaining 150g of Dark Chocolate. This gives the finished chocolate its distinctive snap and shine.

Although it can look a little daunting tempering is a very rewarding process but takes time and patience to master.

NB: Before you start to temper the chocolate make sure that the kitchen is free of any moisture / steam. Check your bowl is dry before you start, if water makes contact with the hot melted chocolate it will make it seize and go very gritty. A top tip is to wipe the underside of the glass mixing bowl with a towel when removing from the saucepan (bain marie).

Place the Dark Chocolate into a heat proof glass bowl and place over a barely simmering s saucepan of water. Ensuring that the water does not touch the bottom of the glass bowl. Bring the chocolate up to 55deg C (131deg F) and then pour 2 thirds of the Chocolate onto a granite or marble tempering slab, keeping the remainder in the bowl warm off the heat. Using a chocolate scraper work the chocolate from the centre to the sides of the slab and back to the centre again at least 3 or 4 times. Check the temperature as you work the chocolate it needs to be lowered in temperature to 27deg C (80deg F). Then pour/scrape the chocolate back into the bowl (which is off the saucepan / stove) with the remaining chocolate and stir together. Check the temperature it needs to reach 30deg C to 31deg C(86deg F to 88deg F) as the optimum working temperature to dip the chocolates.

5 Carefully dip one truffle square at a time into the tempered chocolate and lift out tapping the fork on the side of the chocolate bowl to remove excess chocolate. Then gently place the Rose Truffles onto a sheet of non stick baking parchment for the chocolate to cool. Add a Crystallised Rose Petal to the top of each truffle as they are positioned on the baking paper before the chocolate has cooled. Repeat until all the truffle squares are dipped and
decorated.

Rose Truffles


The completed Rose Truffles can be kept in an air tight container (at room temperature) for at least 10 days…. though in my experience they have been eaten well before this!

16 Days to Chocolate Dipped Confit Clementine Segments

Just before Christmas 2015 I discovered that chocolate dipped confit clementines were being made by one of the top chocolatiers in London. I was intrigued and I wondered if it was possible to replicate these beauties at home.

So after Christmas I decided to start to experiment. It took me quite a long time to find a good recipe for a Confit Clementine although it was for a whole fruit and not individual segments. I decided to use the basis of the recipe but prepare the fruit into segments. The Confit Clementine recipe takes a minimum of 14 days with a further 2 days to slowly replace the water/juice in the fruit for the sugar so that the fruit is preserved and candied.

Chocolate Dipped Confit Clementine Segments
Ingredients:-
7 to 8 Clementines

1 Cup of either Corn Syrup, Glucose Syrup or Honey.
(may deepen colour if Honey used)

Water to cover

2 cups Granulated Sugar (added initially)

½ cup additions of Granulated Sugar every 2 days

Equipment:-
1 no Pot or Kilner Jar that will hold the fruit and allow the fruit to be covered with approximately 1 inch (25 mm) of water.

1 no Saucepan that will take the volume of syrup and fruit.

1 no Wire Drying Rack.

1 no Tray (oven proof )


Method:-
1 Wash & dry the Clementines, peel and carefully pull the segments apart.

2 De-thread the Clementine segments removing all the pith. Pat dry and set aside.

3 Add the Clementines to the Saucepan and cover the fruit with approximately 1 inch (25 mm) of water.

4 Bring the Clementines to the boil and simmer for 4 or 5 minutes until tender.

5 Add 1 cup of either Corn Syrup, Glucose Syrup or Honey and 2 cups of Granulated Sugar. The syrups are added to stop the sugar from crystallisation during the Confit Clementine process.

6 Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar and syrup is completely dissolved.

7 Pour the resulting syrup and Clementine segments into the Pot / Kilner Jar (sterilised). Allow to cool and cover for 2 days.

8 After 2 days remove the Clementine segments from the Pot / Jar setting aside in a bowl, pour the syrup into the saucepan and add ½ cup of Granulated Sugar to the syrup, gently bring the syrup to the boil ensuring the sugar is fully dissolved. (n.b. Do not allow the syrup to darken).

9 Put the Clementines back in the Pot / Jar and tip the boiling syrup over the Clementines and allow to cool and cover for 2 days.

10 Every 2 days repeat the process (items 8&9 above) of boiling the syrup and adding a ½ cup of Granulated Sugar each time for approximately 14 days (it may take a few more days depending on the size of the fruit).

11 When complete the Clementine segments will be translucent.

12 Remove the Clementine segments from the Pot / Jar and lay the Clementine segments onto a rack to drain over kitchen paper for an hour or two.

13 Pat the Clementine segments dry and lay on a rack positioned into a tray and put into a pre heated oven on low temperature of 50deg C for 6 hours. Turn segments over midway.

14 After 6 hours check to see if Confit Clementine segments are dry. Leave to cool then half dip into tempered 70% dark chocolate, laying the segments on their sides onto greaseproof silicone non stick paper until the chocolate has set.

15 Put the Confit Clementine segments into an airtight container in layered with greaseproof silicone non stick paper. Keep at room temperature do not refrigerate.

How did my experiment turn out?
It was a good experiment and I have learnt a few things about the confit process along the way. It takes a while to Confit Clementine and there are a number of changes I would make. I found the drying time was insufficient with my oven type and the time will need to be lengthened to 8 hours to ensure the segments were fully dry. By not being fully dry it caused the chocolate to bloom very slightly when stored my air tight container.

If you have the time its well worth doing as a special treat, especially in the run up to Christmas when Clementines are plentiful.

Rhubarb & Ginger Ganache …… now that’s a very good combination of flavours!

Rhubarb & Ginger Ganache

Ingredients:-

Equipment:-

Method:-

Milk Chocolate Ganache

(makes approx 30 in small moulds)

Ingredients:-

Equipment:-

Method:-

Passion Fruit Ganache (makes approx 30)

Ingredients:-

Equipment:-

Method:-

Equipment:-

Method for Dark Chocolate:-

Notes on Tempering Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate

Now you are ready to work with the chocolate and create something wonderful!

Rose Truffles (makes approx 36)

Ingredients:-

Equipment:-

Method:-

Chocolate Dipped Confit Clementine Segments

How did my experiment turn out?