# truffle question



## iggygirl35 (Jul 15, 2006)

I am doing a party at the end of November with very limited cooler/freezer space and a limited staff. I need to do as much advance prep as possible. Can I make up truffles (both dark and white chocolate) and freeze for now and then finish them later? I want to eventually coat them in tempered chocolate. Would appreciate any advice. Thanks!


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

if you want to prep your truffle filling you can either pipe, set, wrap well and freeze when ready gently thaw and enrobe.
or freeze the ganach filling in a container, thaw, warm, and reconstitute as you see fit.
enjoy!:bounce:


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## themurrmaid (Aug 25, 2006)

To expound on m's instruction to "thaw gently" as you really, really want to avoid condensation: take finished truffles from the freezer and pop them into the cooler. Let them sit overnight. Then let them spend another night outside the cooler, but somewhere cool nonetheless. Then they're ready to go and you should have avoided any damage to your product from moisture. So you're looking at a two-day thawing process if you want to be safe.


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## iggygirl35 (Jul 15, 2006)

Thanks all!


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## felixe the dog (Jul 16, 2006)

You should just produce the truffles from start to finish and pack them in airtight containers in the freezer until needed. Then follow the unpacking instructions as given above........


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## aguynamedrobert (Oct 26, 2006)

Truffles have a life spand of about three weeks....I would suggest making the ganache and puttin it in the fridge for a day and the enrobe the ganache in tempered chocolate and store at room temp...they will last a few weeks so if the event is coming up soon you won't have to worry about them going bad. If at all possible avoid the freezer just because of condensation like mentioned above. Also you can have water crystals form inside the ganache and then melt when above 32 degrees and then mess up the texture of the ganache.....hope this helps....

-Robert
chocolateguild website


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## felixe the dog (Jul 16, 2006)

......but not if you use an *airtight container *and then ensure that the truffles are allowed to come to room temp while still stored in the container.

Ice crystals?  Robert you will have to give more theory to back up that statement, if it is a properly emulsified ganache there should be no "free water" to crystalise.

Also you should be careful about leaving the truffles out for a couple of weeks, especially without knowing the humidity and room temperature and the expiry date of the cream.


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## aguynamedrobert (Oct 26, 2006)

I would still not recommend using a freezer...you don't need to basically....so you are only taking the chance of water coming in contact with the ganache or chocolate. And yes I believe it is still possible to get water crystals in ganache that will freeze and then melt after room temp and ruin a batch...I actually had my master chocolatier tell me that one but I will try to find it in my books or research as well...because who know's I might have thought wrong....either way i say don't use the freezer if you don't have too....

-Robert


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## felixe the dog (Jul 16, 2006)

Hmmmm, I'm going to give a "qualified" agreeance with you there Robert.(yes it kills me ) 
I still disagree on the "ice" based on my own experience but if you don't look after your product then the freezer can become a danger to your chocolate if you are not careful. I still would be wary of storing them for 2 weeks out in the open (there has been no information given on the environment) as you have to watch the use by dates on the persishable items. I think the safest bet is to make the product, finish it then wrap it airtight and into the coolroom. The same rules still apply as poor handling will lead to "bloom".

BTW Robert, great site! Now I know when Europain is on!


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## aguynamedrobert (Oct 26, 2006)

good advice from Felixe...just follow those instructions...

Felix...."now I know when Europain is on"...? I might be slow but I don't get it lol...

-Robert
Chocolateguild


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## felixe the dog (Jul 16, 2006)

I have been searching the web for a link to Europain, one of the biggest baking and confectionary show in Europe. It is in 2008 so it's time to start saving!


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## inabox (Nov 27, 2006)

we just did this in school, what we did was make the ganache. pip it then roll it in our hands to a ball. after that we melted some chocolate and gave then a coating. Poped them into the frezzer. Just ued a take out contaner. The teacher thawed them in the fridge. After that we temperd our chocolaet. leave most of them in the frideg. take out maybe 20-30 at a time, and finish with temperd chocolate.


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## aguynamedrobert (Oct 26, 2006)

So you made the Ganache....rolled them in untempered chocolate(thin coat) and then threw them in the freezer? then thawed them in the Refridgerator and then coated them with tempered chocolate....
The thing you have to worry about it the untempered chocolate(thin coat) untempering then final coat of untempered chocolate. I learned this at my first job that if you coat something and the chocolate is untempered and then try to cover it up with tempered chocolate then the bloom(fat seperating due to being not tempererd) will come up through the good and tempered chocolate....so be aware...

-Robert
www.chocolateguild.com/vb


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## felixe the dog (Jul 16, 2006)

Sounds like the long way to do it. Why even bother with rolling in untempered couverture 1st?


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## inabox (Nov 27, 2006)

The untempered couverture was to protect the ganache. we didn't have time to temper chocolate. we only had 3 hors to make the truffles and bake a cake. when we finished the truffles, and did the with the tempered chocolate we did it by hand and rolled them on a cooling rack for the spicky look. on two of the flavors...we didn't even use chocolate to finish, on the nutmeg truffles we finished in iceing sugar, so the blum from the untemperd chocolate, and sugar made it look like a nutmeg. also did moca flavored in coco powerd.


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## hawaiichocolate (Dec 3, 2006)

I freeze truffle centers all the time-no coating. The slow thaw is the key as others have said.Otherwise you can make them all the way ahead and store them in something like a wine cooler where you can control humidity and moisture.Without that they still stay good for 2 weeks with no spoilage.


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## inabox (Nov 27, 2006)

doesn't the ganash form a skin?


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## aguynamedrobert (Oct 26, 2006)

Hum....no they do not form a skin...I'm thinking it has something to do with the water content on the outside(free water being low)...I would like to know the scientific reason for certain things forming skins and others not...must have to do with Congealing...and with proteins...hum...any science people in here?

Robert
www.chocolateguild.com


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## m brown (May 29, 1999)

Form a skin, sure. However when handled properly ~ excessive wrapping, slow thawing, the skin formed should be barely noticable.

By the same token, you can roll your centers and not wrap them and within a short period of time at room temp they will form a most crusty and unforgiving skin. The nasty skin can form from evaporation of moisture during the thawing, too much cocoa or 10x while rolling, exposure to air, drastic changes in temperature or seperation within the ganach ~ unstable sugar leaching. (just made that term up, but think sugar bloom, fat bloom...)

Moral of the story, wrap your centers as you produce them, keep them dry but not too dry to keep the outer skin supple. (did I just say that?) 

Ganach is a funny thing. Once you have made friends and treat it with proper respect, it can be very forgiving. 

If you really have a problem, melt them down, strain and make a lovely sauce, icing, mousse or filling.

Unless seriously burned or contaminated, never waste the chocolate ganach!:bounce:


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## inabox (Nov 27, 2006)

I have a question. How manny of you add butter to the ganash to thickin it? How manny of you play with it bach and forth on a marble slabe and let it thiken on it's own?


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## aguynamedrobert (Oct 26, 2006)

I never thicken ganache by spreading it on marble...and the butter is usually used for the fat in it...meaning it coats the ganache and makes the texture smoother...and for the shine as well...

Robert
www.chocolateguild.com


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## felixe the dog (Jul 16, 2006)

InABox;148979 said:


> we didn't have time to temper chocolate. quote]
> 
> Why not, it only takes a couple of minutes using a microwave for a small batch, if it was a large batch it should have been planned?


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