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Chef Shiraiwa explains TREHA® benefits for Bonbon Chocolates and Truffles.
Caramel Vanille: Enjoy the exquisite balance between the filling and chocolate shell.
In this blog, we touch on diverse topics about Japanese food cultures, practices together with the culinary secret, TREHA®, and its important role in the Japanese food industry. We hope our blog helps you obtain in-depth knowledge of the secrets and science behind Japanese cuisine, shared from our kitchen, to yours.
Chocolate exhibits a variety of flavor profiles depending on its raw material; cacao beans, like coffee beans, determine the flavor of the coffee. Chef Shiraiwa cherishes the taste of the raw materials to create his artisan chocolates with the motto "Simple, Pure, Natural."
Chef Shiraiwa was pleased with the benefits of TREHA® in Bonbon Chocolate and Truffles.
TREHA® retains the shape of the ganache by increasing consistency. This benefit allows me to shape the ganache in a shorter time frame. (Refer to Comparison Test A). Especially for soft ganache containing white chocolate, TREHA® does a great job of improving work efficiency by adding appropriate thickness. TREHA® also retains the water content, preventing the product from shrinkage and sugar crystallization, directly contributing to making a better quality product with a soft and silky texture (Refer to Comparison Test B).
This is what Chef Shiraiwa’s shared with us:
When it includes higher water content to achieve a texture that melts in the mouth, the ganache becomes difficult to handle during the production process. However, adding TREHA® makes the ganache easier to work with and reduces the resting time before the shaping process. Besides, TREHA® retains the ingredients’ flavors and colors during the healing process. Thanks to the functionality, matcha becomes more vivid, and the fresh fruit flavor becomes more prominent in the ganache made with fruit puree. The high water content makes the product more susceptible to molding, but I discovered that TREHA® could support the quality control by mitigating the issue. (Refer to Comparison Test C). I significantly rely on TREHA®, especially in the busy season around Valentine’s Day.
Comparison Test A: TREHA® creates appropriate consistency in ganache.
The ganache containing TREHA® was cleanly removed from the transparent sheet after tempering.
Comparison Test B: TREHA® reduces shrinkage in truffles.
The cross-section surfaces of truffles were observed after storing for a month. The truffle made with sugar started to shrink, showing a gap between the chocolate shell and ganache filling, which would allow molding. (See Comparison Test C.)
Comparison Test C: TREHA® contributes to quality control.
Truffles with or without TREHA® were preserved under the same environment. The truffle with 50% TREHA® did not show an increase of fungi, while mold multiplied beyond a measurable amount in the truffle containing sugar only.
The exquisite balance between the filling and chocolate shell is only achievable with TREHA® in Caramel Vanille.
A soft caramel filling lies in the center of Caramel Vanille. This unique piece features the rich and aromatic taste of the caramel that spreads over the palate, followed by the chocolate ganache with intense acidity, which lingers in the mouth. The perfect balance was achieved by the use of TREHA® in the caramel filling, which ensures that the overall taste is not overwhelmed by sweetness.
TREHA® and glucose syrup enhance thickness in the caramel, which is adjusted to the optimal firmness so that it oozes out from the ganache yet stays in place without dripping. No matter what is created, the primary ingredient is always the chocolate for the chocolatiers. Many special functions of TREHA® are indispensable to portrait the characteristics of chocolate. (Click here for the recipe.)
This is what Chef Shiraiwa shared with us:
The caramel filling employs four different types of sugars. The granulated sugar is used to enhance the caramelized aroma. TREHA® is used to reduce the sweetness to bring out the chocolate’s intense flavor and increase the thickness for the filling to stay put in the ganache. TREHA® is also formulated in the ganache to maintain moisture during storage in a display case. Dryness is the biggest enemy of artisan chocolates because it can cause a gap between the filling and the ganache resulting in mold growth. With the help of TREHA®, chocolates can be maintained for a month in excellent condition, whereas the products without TREHA® can last only for two weeks. TREHA® is an indispensable ingredient for my products to secure storage stability.
We hope you will enjoy using TREHA® to elevate the quality of your products.
Please check out our previous articles: Cacao plus TREHA® Part I and II.
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