Apricot Butter Ganache and Piping and Dipping Truffles

This formula, and most of our formulas are from a book called "Chocolates and Confections: formula, theory, and technique for the artisan confectioner" by Peter Greweling. And although the batch sizes are large in this book, they do tell you approximately how many confections are made from each batch so you can always adjust according to your wants.

Formula: pg. 163

Yield: 150 pieces

22%   Butter, soft (30 C/86 F)                                  160 g

11%   Apricot jam **                                                80 g

61%   Milk chocolate, melted, tempered at 86 F       430 g

6%    Apricot brandy                                                 40 g

         Chocolate, tempered, for precoating

         Chocolate, tempered and thinned with cocoa butter, for dipping

         Apricot jam or dried apricots for finishing*

*Can use different variations for finishings, but a good idea to finish chocolates with is to finish the confection giving a little clue as to what is inside.

** Apricot jam can be substituted for another seedless and smooth jam.

Softened butter

MOP:

Melt the butter to a mayonnaise consistency. Do not over melt! And jam and mix until well combined.

Butter with apricot jam and brandy

Stream, tempered milk chocolate into the butter mixture, taking care not to allow chunks of chocolate. Stream in the brandy, stirring until the mixture is homogeneous.

Let the ganache set up, should be about the consistency of peanut butter. Pipe the ganache onto parchment paper in desired forms. Allow to crystallize until firm enough to handle it, should have a firm shell and be able to be handled by bare or gloved hands.

Piping can be done in a variety of forms common shapes are rounds, rafts, logs, and pyramids.

Rounds: use a 806 round tip, hold tip 1" from the paper and pipe an approximate 1" thick ball. When the rounds set, re-round the balls by hand. Let the rounds set again before pre dipping the rounds in tempered chocolate; place a little bit of tempered chocolate onto one palm and roll the round generously.

Logs: use a 806 tip, pipe a thick log/line the size of the tip down a sheet of parchment. When the chocolate has set, use a knife to cut the strip down to 3 cm (1 1/8") logs. It should resemble the size of a bit sized Tottsie Roll. Let the logs set again before pre dipping the rounds in tempered chocolate; place a little bit of tempered chocolate onto one palm and roll the round generously like with the rounds.

Piped rounds, before shaping

Rafts: Use a 802 tip (#10 mini tip), pipe three side by side logs/lines down the sheet pan. When the chocolate has set, use a knife to cut the strip down to 3 cm (1 1/8") logs. Let the logs set again before pre dipping the rounds in tempered chocolate only the bottoms need to be dipped; place a little bit of tempered chocolate onto one palm and coat the bottom of the raft to strengthen the logs. Let tempered chocolate set before final dipping.

Pyramids: Use a 802 tip (#10 mini tip), pipe three side by side logs/lines down the sheet pan, pipe two lines on top, and then one to top off the pyramid form. When the chocolate has set, use a knife to cut the strip down to 2.5 cm logs. Let the logs set again before pre dipping the rounds in tempered chocolate, this shape does not need to be pre dipped because the structure is sound but it might help in final dipping.

Rafts

Temper chocolate for final coat with 5% cocoa butter. So for 1# of chocolate add 0.8 oz melted cocoa butter into the temper.

Final dip the confections, picking up the bottom tempered side with your dipping fork. Dip throughly in tempered chocolate and then tap the fork allowing the chocolate to fall off the truffle and getting rid of all air bubbles. Place confection on a silpat and move to make sure a foot is not created. 

Let set up, and then handle only with cool gloved hands when moving the finished truffle.

Top: Finished Pyramids
Center: Finished Logs
Bottom: Rounds rolled in cocoa powder

Assorted finished rounds, center