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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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
Image © M&S
