Inspiration: How to use Valrhona fruit couvertures

 

Deliciously fragrant, slightly sour and naturally colorful, Valrhona’s fruit couvertures are pure indulgence. Exquisite as a snack, these products are also ideal for making delicious desserts. Many of you want to know how to use our Inspiration range and have been asking us for recipes. Your wish is granted: here is everything you always wanted to know about our fruit couvertures! 

How are the products in the Inspiration range manufactured? 

Without artificial colorants, preservatives or flavors, our fruit couverture chocolates are the result of a complex blend of cocoa butter, sugar and fruit. A very simple list of ingredients for a recipe that required five years of research and development. Why did it take so long? Quite simply because cocoa butter does not like water, and fruit is mainly made up of water! As a result, combining cocoa butter and fruit was therefore a real challenge!

How do you melt Inspiration beans? 

Whether you choose Strawberry, Passion fruit, Raspberry or Yuzu inspiration, the principle of how the beans are melted remains the same. Traditionally, two techniques are available to you: Microwave: set it to low power (450 W maximum), place the bowl containing the beans in the microwave and remove it once every minute to mix the beans until they have completely melted. In a bain marie: dip the bowl containing the Inspiration beans into the pan of simmering water and stir them out of the heat until completely melted. 

Two important tips: never add water or any other liquid to melt the fruit couvertures and make sure that the temperature of the Inspiration beans never exceeds 115°F (45°C). 

How do you temper Inspiration beans? 

To temper the beans in our fruit couvertures, we recommend the “seeding” method: this consists of dividing the chocolate drops into thirds and adding the final third after the first two have already melted at 115°F (45°C). Once the beans have melted, blend for a few seconds with an immersion blender. The fruit couverture is now tempered. 

How to glaze an ice pop with Valrhona fruit couvertures 

Great question ahead of summer! Melt the beans at 115°F (45°C), then add grape seed oil (for 200g of Inspiration, you will need 20g of grape seed oil, or 10% of the total weight of Inspiration beans). Before using the glazing, check two things: firstly, that its temperature is between 95 and 115°F (35°C and 45°C). Secondly, that it is applied to a frozen product so that it freezes immediately. 

How to make a ganache from a Valrhona fruit couverture 

At first, the process for making a fruit couverture ganache is identical to that for making a chocolate ganache. For those who want to watch the video of Frédéric Bau’s technique for a perfectly made ganache again, here is the link. For those who prefer the written version, here it is: the secret to a smooth and creamy ganache is to pour the cream in at least three separate times over pre-melted drops (in a bain marie or microwave). 

To do this: boil the 30% fat cream then pour the first third onto the melted beans, before stirring the mixture using a spatula. Add the second third when the first third is well mixed with the beans and stir again. Do the same with the third and final addition of cream. To stabilize the emulsion, blend as soon as possible using a hand blender. To make a tart, pour this ganache directly onto a cooked tart crust and leave to set for a few hours. To make macarons, allow the ganache to harden for at least 3 hours before decorating your shells 

What flavors and Valrhona chocolates can I use to complement the Inspiration range? 

t all depends on your choice of fruit couverture! For example, Strawberry Inspiration pairs beautifully with pistachio, Vanilla, red berries and Ivoire 35% white chocolate. Naturally, Passion Fruit Inspiration blends perfectly with exotic fruits as well as rum, strawberry and Dulcey 35% blond chocolate.

Why not combine the sour side of Yuzu Inspiration with citrus fruits, nuts and Azélia 35% milk chocolate? Finally, the delicate Raspberry Inspiration blends perfectly with red berries, lemon, pistachio and Manjari 64% dark chocolate. 

What can I bake with the products in the Inspiration range? 

Now that you know everything about our Inspiration range, here are some recipe links so you can make beautiful, delicious and colorful desserts to delight your family and friends! Roc Azélia hazelnut strawberry coating: a delicious individual dessert made using Strawberry Inspiration. Red berry pavlova: a delicious, fruity and fresh recipe made using Raspberry Inspiration! Passion Fruit Inspiration iced mousse: this recipe can be made without using an ice cream maker, and will no doubt be one of your favorite desserts this summer. Also try out Yuzu macarons: this recipe is a combination of a French pâtisserie classic and the tangy flavor of the iconic Japanese citrus fruit. 

Find other inspiring recipes created by L’Ecole Gourmet Valrhona with our range of fruit couvertures here and tell us which ones you plan to try! 

And what do pastry chefs think of our Inspiration range? 

The verdict seems unanimous! Eric Verbauwhede, a pastry chef at Maison PIC in Valence, France, says he loves its intense taste and enjoys experimenting with creamy or crunchy textures.  

We also interviewed Josep Maria Rodriguez Guerola, the 2011 World Pastry Cup champion. When he discovered our fruit couverture chocolates, the Barcelona pastry chef was greatly surprised by the natural taste and intensity of the beans, as well as by the range of possibilities offered by this Inspiration range: it was the perfect opportunity to foster his creativity. But it was chef Nicolas Bacheyre who summed it up best: “The Inspiration range is a product like no other: it is incomparable!”. That says it all!