Technique: Infusions

Anyone who has ever had a cup of coffee or tea is already familiar with infusions; both of those beverages are infusions of aromatic ingredients in water. Infusing aromatics into cream is a popular and effective method for flavoring ganache. Infusions differ from other flavorings such as extracts or purées because after the flavor is infused, the aromatic ingredient is removed, leaving only its essence behind. Often an extract is not available for a desired flavor, and even when one is, most confectioners agree that the flavor obtained by making fresh infusions is superior to that obtained with extracts. A striking example of this is vanilla beans compared to vanilla extract. Vanilla extract is a commercially prepared infusion and an expensive high-quality product. Few would argue, however, that superior vanilla flavor is obtained by steeping vanilla beans to infuse their flavor directly into a preparation.