Welcome back, friends of Erre4m, to this new post. Today we carry on talking about CHOCOLATE.
In the previous post we looked at the main characteristics of this product. Now the time has come to talk about the confections known as praline — the chocolate bonbons usually filled with ganache.
The family of filled chocolate bonbons splits into many categories:
- Ganache-based fillings with cream, with fruit, with infusions
- Nut-based fillings
- Almond-paste fillings
- Butter-based fillings
- Liqueur-based fillings
- Cooked-sugar fillings
These fillings can be used both for moulded chocolates and for cut bonbons that are then enrobed.
In chocolate making, the ganache filling is normally the most widely used, being an extremely versatile and adaptable base. Ganache is an emulsion of two phases: one liquid and one fat. The liquid comes from cream, which can be replaced wholly or partly by fruit, infusions, liqueurs or water. These variations alter the structure, taste, aroma and shelf life of the filling.
Indeed, since the fillings are rich in moisture, they are prone to spoilage.
The stability of emulsions depends on several factors:
- The density of the two phases
- The temperature of the emulsion
- The speed at which the two phases are combined
- The working method
THE INGREDIENTS
CHOCOLATE: to line the moulds and create the shells (the thin layer of chocolate that holds the filling), a couverture with a minimum cocoa butter content of 36–38% is always used, which makes it possible to create a thin but sturdy shell.
Chocolate is normally the main ingredient in the fat phase of the fillings. It is therefore important to know its characteristics, namely:
- The amount of cocoa butter
- The amount of cocoa mass
- The amount of sugars
- The amount of milk powder
E.g.:
70% dark chocolate = 63% cocoa mass + 29.5% sugar + 7% added cocoa butter
40% milk chocolate = 14% cocoa mass + 43% sugar + 35% cocoa butter + 21.5% milk powder
35% white chocolate = 43% sugar + 35% cocoa butter + 21.5% milk powder
LIQUIDS: the most commonly used is 35%-fat cream, which ensures a creamy filling. Cream also has the right amount of water (60%), which helps to fix the aromas. It acts as a solvent for the sugars, adds fluidity and reduces the bitterness of the chocolate. Cream can be replaced with MILK, thereby lowering the fat content. Fruit purées can also be used, and for keeping quality the pasteurised ones are preferable.
THE FAT PART: for bonbons it is advisable to use butter with a melting point of 29–32 °C; butter is therefore the most suitable fat. The role of the fat is to give a melt-in-the-mouth quality and creaminess, to increase the proportion of lipids and the shelf life of the product. Be careful, though: too high a dose of fat tends to separate the phases (solid and liquid) of the emulsion, causing a loss of creaminess.
In ganaches made with fruit purées, the fat should not exceed 22–25%, because it masks the flavour of the filling, taking away the characteristic freshness on the palate and making the product more calorific and harder to melt when tasted.
Classic butter can be replaced with anhydrous or liquid butter which, being free of water, extend the shelf life of the bonbon.
SUGARS: the most widely used are caster sugars in the form of syrups. They bring sweetness to the product and act as a preservative.
Over time, the fillings undergo various forms of alteration depending on the production techniques and the storage. These alterations can occur through:
- Migration of fats and sugars
- Undesirable crystallisation
- Loss of moisture
- Loss of aroma
- Loss of shine
- Absorption of unpleasant odours
The first factor affecting the keeping of bonbons is storage. Here the fillings can lose or gain moisture. This is all due to the absence of, or imperfect, coating of the filling.
After production, the bonbons have their own internal humidity, which over time tends to balance out with the storage environment; therefore an environment that is too dry dries out the fillings, recrystallising the sugars, with subsequent deformation of the structure and hollowing of the interior; whereas an overly humid environment tends to increase the likelihood of mould forming inside the fillings.
The bonbons have an internal humidity of about 70%, so the storage environment, besides being at the ideal storage temperature of 10–16 °C, must also have a controlled humidity of 55 to 70%.
The ideal storage temperatures for bonbons vary:
- Dark, milk, white and gianduia couvertures → 14 °C RH55%
- Praliné- and nut-based fillings → 10 °C RH 55–60%
- Ganache fillings → 14–16 °C RH 65–70%
The bonbons can also be frozen; in this case taste and structure are not damaged if the steps are carried out correctly.
- The bonbons should be stored close together to prevent air from circulating around them, which can slow down cooling
- Blast-chill the products quickly to prevent the formation of large water crystals that would damage the structure of the bonbon during thawing
- The storage temperature must be a constant -18 °C
- Thawing must first go through the fridge at +4 °C and takes 2 days
- Avoid opening the container holding the bonbons so that condensation does not form on their surface
- The room temperature after thawing the bonbons should be 10–11 °C.
Working chocolate and making bonbons calls for a good grasp of the techniques and fine manual skill; nevertheless, the pleasure and satisfaction of the final result are well worth the effort that the FOOD OF THE GODS demands.
That said, all that remains is for me to wish you all good work… until next time!
Blog by Enrico Gumirato, pastry chef and trainer
