I recently asked my Facebook friends to send me flavor combinations that they would like to eat in their truffles. It seems like an easy question. It generated quite a few responses. From the list of combinations, I then started to think about which flavors might work.
First there is the compatability factor. If you are mixing ginger with lemon, will it taste good? If you are mixing ginger with lemon and adding it to chocolate will it taste good?
Then there is the "will this work" factor. If you add an ingredient to the ganache will you be able to taste it? One example is adding a flavor to the ganache. When the flavor isn't strong enough, it will get lost in the ganache. Or, if you try to add something crunchy to the ganache, e.g. adding pretzels, will the pretzel keep it's crunch or will it get soggy? Sometimes, it's a chemistry issue. If you roll ganache in Pop Rocks they will pop when you put them into your mouth on the first day. By the third day, the popping will be gone and the ganache will be coated in a puddle of candy, all the effervescence gone.
Lastly, there is the "consumer" factor. This is the idea that one person may LOVE a specific flavor, but they might be the only one of a few. There probably aren't too many people out there that want to eat a dark chocolate truffle with a sorbet ganache.
As a chocolatier, it is fun to play with the flavors and see what works. Sometimes the results are surprisingly delicious!
Yours in chocolate!
Emily
The Truffle Lady
