Some dislike January but to me, it brings the hope of Spring. My chickens started looking for shoots in the still green-yellowish grass before the snows came. "Not yet," I told them. "We must wait during the cold months of January and February."
They have hope. I, too, have hope.
Where January symbolizes hope, February symbolizes love. Love of nature, life, people, home, knowledge, food, drink, gardening...what's not to love? It is our opportunity to give love to everything.
Hope and love are two beautiful forces that are one and the same. Chocolate is the physical manifestation of these two. I believe hope, love, and chocolate are the same force. They are my version of the three musketeers.
To me, chocolate bonbons with passion fruit ganache filling embody hope, love, and chocolate. Love is represented in the heart-shaped bonbons while hope is represented in the passion fruit filling. And of course, there is chocolate in all its glory: dark chocolate for the shell, milk chocolate for the ganache, and white chocolate for the decorations. Sometimes, I like to be creative and decorate my bonbons as though they are works of art.
My wish for you is to taste love, hope, and chocolate in each of these bonbons.
Chocolate Bonbons with Passion Fruit Ganache Filling
To watch how to make them, go to this link:
Chocolate Shell
1,000 g Tempered dark chocolate (I prefer the seeding method:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bydThAkiHzI&index=8&list=PLAWpIBpOvRSJa8KNjNwUtSojHovkMX2Ul)
Passion Fruit Ganache Filling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bydThAkiHzI&index=8&list=PLAWpIBpOvRSJa8KNjNwUtSojHovkMX2Ul)
Passion Fruit Ganache Filling
Yield: 460 grams
Enough for 60 bonbons
100 g Cream
10 g Honey
250 g Milk chocolate, chopped
100 g Passion fruit puree at room temperature
20 g Butter, cubed
Decorations
Gold luster dust
Gold leaf
Red and white chocolate
Small brushes
Procedure
1. Place milk chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat cream and honey until the mixture simmers.
3. Pour cream over milk chocolate and let it rest undisturbed for 5 minutes.
4. With a small whisk, gently emulsify the chocolate, honey, and cream. Begin by whisking the mixture in the center only. Then, gradually broaden your whisking to incorporate all the chocolate in the bowl.
5. Continue gently whisking until the chocolate is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth and shiny.
6. Set aside to cool to slightly warmer than body temperature (100 degrees F) so it will be easier to pipe.
Procedure for the Bonbons
Enough for 60 bonbons
100 g Cream
10 g Honey
250 g Milk chocolate, chopped
100 g Passion fruit puree at room temperature
20 g Butter, cubed
Decorations
Gold luster dust
Gold leaf
Red and white chocolate
Small brushes
Procedure
1. Place milk chocolate in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat cream and honey until the mixture simmers.
3. Pour cream over milk chocolate and let it rest undisturbed for 5 minutes.
4. With a small whisk, gently emulsify the chocolate, honey, and cream. Begin by whisking the mixture in the center only. Then, gradually broaden your whisking to incorporate all the chocolate in the bowl.
5. Continue gently whisking until the chocolate is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth and shiny.
6. Set aside to cool to slightly warmer than body temperature (100 degrees F) so it will be easier to pipe.
Procedure for the Bonbons
1. Use clean, dry bonbon molds. Quickly pour the tempered chocolate shell into the mold. Make sure each of the individual sections are completely filled.
2. Remove excess chocolate from the top of the mold with a spatula into a bowl.
3. Tap the bonbon mold with the handle of your offset spatula to remove air bubbles. Once all the air bubbles are removed, pour the excess chocolate from the mold into a bowl. You want there to be a thin layer of chocolate in the mold for the bonbons.
4. Flip the mold upside down on a baking rack for about 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, clean the excess chocolate off using a scraper. Make sure the chocolate is flush with the mold so no excess is sticking up. This will ensure uniform bonbons.
5. Cut a small hole in a pastry bag (there is no need to use a piping tip for this). Pour the ganache in a pastry bag and pipe small mounds in each bonbon shell 3/4 of the way full. Make sure to leave space so the bonbon can be sealed with chocolate.
5. Cut a small hole in a pastry bag (there is no need to use a piping tip for this). Pour the ganache in a pastry bag and pipe small mounds in each bonbon shell 3/4 of the way full. Make sure to leave space so the bonbon can be sealed with chocolate.
6. Pour tempered dark chocolate over the top carefully just to completely cover the bonbons.
7. Once covered, tap the mold to remove air bubbles. Carefully scrape the excess chocolate into a bowl so the bonbons will be flat on the bottom. Keep your scraper flush with the mold to avoid disrupting the ganache filling.
8. Put the bonbon mold in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. When the molds look somewhat clear, the chocolate has shrunk away from the mold. They are ready to be unmolded.
9. Remove the mold from the refrigerator. Turn the mold upside down to turn the bonbons out.
10. Using a small brush, decorate the bonbons by brushing them with red or white chocolate. Gently brush gold luster dust or place gold leaf decorations for added effect. Enjoy!
10. Using a small brush, decorate the bonbons by brushing them with red or white chocolate. Gently brush gold luster dust or place gold leaf decorations for added effect. Enjoy!
