Truffles ad nauseum

It is hard to believe that I am well into my third month at Ganache. My comfort level has increased significantly, although I am still prone to the occasional absent-minded mishap. The timing and work flow learning curve have improved greatly but I believe that I still need to be even cleaner in my techniques. The recognition of my improvement has not been obvious to me, mainly because I still view my performance through "pessimist" eyes (a chronic bad habit). This week, however, a new practicum student from Vancouver Community College began her 3 week practicum and this gave me a chance to reflect on how far I have come since January. As a result, I am more confident in my skills and feel more prepared for my Pan Pacific practicum.



On Friday, Cathy, the new student, and I spent the day finishing over 1000 truffles by hand. The ganache (70% dark chocolate) was prepared the day before and piped into small mounds by Chef Peter that morning. Because it is piping consistency at room temperature, in order to form them into rounds, they are chilled in the fridge and then hand-rolled IN THE FRIDGE. We spent the morning shivering in the walk-in fridge, rolling tray after tray of ganache balls. Then, I hand-coated them in tempered dark chocolate while Cathy rolled them in cocoa powder. Undoubtedly, I do not wish to see another chocolate truffle for a long time (the mushroom variety is just fine though!).