Before making my first ganache truffles, I wanted to go through my research and get some things straight in my mind and, by association, this blog.
When I talk about classic truffles, I am referring to ganache-filled truffles. Why? The story of the first truffles dates from 1895 (Giovannangeli); and the ingredients are limited to fresh cream, cocoa powder, vanilla, and chocolate. In fact, several other researchers insist the definition of truffle include ganache-filled (Haefner). Therefore, to my mind and blog, a classic truffle is ganache-filled.
What, then, constitutes the recipe of a classic truffle? To make a classic truffle, one must make a ganache. A ganache is a combination of hot cream and chocolate with the addition of flavorings in the form of spices, extracts, and/or liqueurs. Ganache was invented somewhere between 1850 and 1920, depending on the source. At this point, I can offer no print evidence of ganache-filled truffle recipes. Modern recipes range from the simple chocolate, cream, and vanilla (Franklin) to the complex cream, fruit juice, butter, egg yolks, sugar, and chocolate of my culinary school textbook (Gisslen). An additional thing to remember is there are different consistencies of ganache used for three different purposes: Filling, Truffles, and Glazing. Each one has a different ratio of cream to chocolate.
My next choice is to pick a recipe as my starting point. I've decided to begin with the LaBau recipe due to the similarity of ingredients to the original 1895 creation.
The pictures on the page appear smaller than they are. To see them larger, simply double click on the picture. Also, I always welcome your constructive criticism. Click on the Comment link below next to the icon of a pencil; it may say “No” or have a number in front of it.
References:
Franklin, Rebecca. "How To Make Ganache." About.com French Food. About.com, n.d. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://frenchfood.about.com/od/frenchcookingtechniques/ss/howtoganache.htm>.
Giovannangeli, Françoise, ed. “Dark Chocolate Truffles with Cognac and Orange Extract.” ChocoParis. www.chocoparis.com, 2 Jan. 2011. Web. 25 Dec. 2013. <http://www.chocoparis.com/2011/01/dark-chocolate-truffles-with-cognac-and-orange-extract/>.
Gisslen, Wayne. Professional Baking. 5th ed. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley, 2009. Print.
Haefner, Karl. “What I Didn't Know I Didn't Know about Truffles.” Bright 'N' Squirrelly. Karl Haefner. 25 Dec. 2013. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://brightnsquirrelly.blogspot.com/2013/12/what-i-didnt-know-i-didnt-know-about_25.html>.
LaBau, Elizabeth. "How to Make Truffles Tutorial." About.com Candy. About.com, 2008. Web. 11 May 2014..
McMahon, Mary. "What is Ganache?" wiseGEEK. Conjecture Corporation, 11 May 2014. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-ganache.htm>.
When I talk about classic truffles, I am referring to ganache-filled truffles. Why? The story of the first truffles dates from 1895 (Giovannangeli); and the ingredients are limited to fresh cream, cocoa powder, vanilla, and chocolate. In fact, several other researchers insist the definition of truffle include ganache-filled (Haefner). Therefore, to my mind and blog, a classic truffle is ganache-filled.
What, then, constitutes the recipe of a classic truffle? To make a classic truffle, one must make a ganache. A ganache is a combination of hot cream and chocolate with the addition of flavorings in the form of spices, extracts, and/or liqueurs. Ganache was invented somewhere between 1850 and 1920, depending on the source. At this point, I can offer no print evidence of ganache-filled truffle recipes. Modern recipes range from the simple chocolate, cream, and vanilla (Franklin) to the complex cream, fruit juice, butter, egg yolks, sugar, and chocolate of my culinary school textbook (Gisslen). An additional thing to remember is there are different consistencies of ganache used for three different purposes: Filling, Truffles, and Glazing. Each one has a different ratio of cream to chocolate.
My next choice is to pick a recipe as my starting point. I've decided to begin with the LaBau recipe due to the similarity of ingredients to the original 1895 creation.
The pictures on the page appear smaller than they are. To see them larger, simply double click on the picture. Also, I always welcome your constructive criticism. Click on the Comment link below next to the icon of a pencil; it may say “No” or have a number in front of it.
References:
Franklin, Rebecca. "How To Make Ganache." About.com French Food. About.com, n.d. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://frenchfood.about.com/od/frenchcookingtechniques/ss/howtoganache.htm>.
Giovannangeli, Françoise, ed. “Dark Chocolate Truffles with Cognac and Orange Extract.” ChocoParis. www.chocoparis.com, 2 Jan. 2011. Web. 25 Dec. 2013. <http://www.chocoparis.com/2011/01/dark-chocolate-truffles-with-cognac-and-orange-extract/>.
Gisslen, Wayne. Professional Baking. 5th ed. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley, 2009. Print.
Haefner, Karl. “What I Didn't Know I Didn't Know about Truffles.” Bright 'N' Squirrelly. Karl Haefner. 25 Dec. 2013. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://brightnsquirrelly.blogspot.com/2013/12/what-i-didnt-know-i-didnt-know-about_25.html>.
LaBau, Elizabeth. "How to Make Truffles Tutorial." About.com Candy. About.com, 2008. Web. 11 May 2014.
McMahon, Mary. "What is Ganache?" wiseGEEK. Conjecture Corporation, 11 May 2014. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-ganache.htm>.
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