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Chocolate separating - chocolate tart nightmare

Discussion in 'Pastries & Baking' started by french fries, Mar 31, 2010.

  1. Mar 31, 2010 #1
    french fries

    french fries

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    I'm trying to make a chocolate tart. Last time I melted chocolate I added cold cream to the melted chocolate and the whole thing seized on me. I learned my lesson. This time I followed a recipe which says to first boil the cream, then take the pan off the heat and immediately add the chocolate. I used organic heavy whipping cream and 62% Bittersweet Sharffen Berger chocolate. 30 cl of cream for 270g chocolate. At first I must have put about 220g of chocolate and it gave me a nice soft paste, as I was expecting. I was turning with a silicon spatula, not too fast. Beautiful. Then I added the last 50g of chocolate and ALL OF A SUDDEN the whole thing separated on me. I could see the chocolate slide from the sides of the pan and from the spatula rather than sticking to them. I could see the chocolate's oil separating from the chocolate solids, which became the texture of ... rustic smashed potato ... or oatmeal.. or something like that.. not the soft perfect smooth texture I had 5mn ago.

    Any idea what's going on? I'm pretty angry at myself, at my recipe book, at myself and at my chocolate tart in general, right now. No worse feeling than totally screwing a dessert. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/frown.gif
     
  3. Mar 31, 2010 #2
    cakeface

    cakeface

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    Try gently melting your chocolate first-even semi-melted, so  that its warm too (sometimes this is not necessary if there is alot of hot liquid to chocolate but for your recipe it would be needed). 
     
    Pour the hot cream onto the chocolate,  whisking all the time (don't put the chocolate into the pan of hot cream-the base of the pan would still be warm and could split your chocolate)

    continue to whisk until the mass is smooth.  Hope this helps
     
  4. Mar 31, 2010 #3
    french fries

    french fries

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    That's really helpful, thanks a lot. I will try again by almost melting the chocolate and pouring the cream over the chocolate. I've also read that boiling the cream for a couple of minutes would lower its moisture content and less water would in the end help the emulsion. Is that what you do too? 

    Finally, do you pour the boiling hot cream over the almost melted chocolate, or do you let the cream cool a few minutes first?

    Thanks again!
     
  5. Mar 31, 2010 #4
    cakeface

    cakeface

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    No don't over heat the cream, let it come to a boil gently - not an angry boil, and simply pour onto the chocolate.  If it has come to a gentle boil you do not have to wait for it to cool or for bubbles to subside.  I wrote a chocolate ganache recipe for you with your other thread.  The ganache can be used straigh away or stored in the fridge where it will thicken and form a mass which can be cut and used as a rich dessert.  You can also gently reheat in the microwave or a bain maire and use a coating for mousse cakes etc.  good luck, glad I could be of help
     
  6. Mar 31, 2010 #5
    french fries

    french fries

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    OK great, thanks for your answers.