Ganache is a cornerstone in the world of baking and patisserie for its versatility and
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What is Ganache?
In its most popular form, ganache is typically an emulsion of chocolate and heavy-cream, though milk and even plant-based milks can be used as substitutes, so long as the proper adjustments are made to properly stabilize the emulsion.
How to Prepare Ganache?
What Type of Chocolate to Use in Ganache?
As usual, I recommend using coverture chocolate for its higher cocoa butter content for maximum creaminess and a glossy finish. If you don't have coverture available, you can use a bar of "real chocolate" chocolate bar, chopped finely. I don't recommend using chocolate chips, melting wafers, or compound chocolate in general, as these use additional oils and ingredients that result in an inferior taste and texture.
Flavoring Ganache
Reasons to Make This Recipe Today
Ingredients
Real chocolate (preferably coverture) -- the extra fat content from cocoa butter in real chocolate, rather than the oil substitute used in chocolate chips and melting wafers, help provide a creamier, richer ganache. Coverture chocolate contains even more cocoa butter than regular chocolate, and this is my preferred chocolate to use.
Heavy cream (at least 36% fat content) -- heavy cream provides the highest-quality product, in my opinion, due to its high fat content.
Butter (optional, but recommended) -- if you're using milk or fruit puree as your water-based liquid, then we definitely recommend adding butter to increase the overall fat content of the emulsion, otherwise the ganache will break.
Tips for Success
- When pouring the cream over the chocolate
- To make the emulsion, rapidly stir the mixture in small circles, starting from the center of the bowl and working your way outwards, gradually increasing your circles' circumference. As you stir, you will start to see the emulsion taking shape by the cream suddenly resembling brownie batter. Keep stirring until the entire bowl looks like brownie batter.
- You can substitute the heavy cream for another type of water-based liquid, such as milk or pureed fruit. As mentioned before, just be sure that if you make this substitution, you add butter to increase the overall fat content. And if you're using heavy cream, adding butter will add an extra layer of silkiness and shine to the final product.
- Contrary to many sources, do NOT put the ganache directly in the fridge, as this unnecessarily introduces moisture to the chocolate, which shortens the ganache's shelf life and can even cause bloom to form. Instead, leave it to "chill" at a cooler temperature, preferably between 60-70F. I always let ganache set on a shelf in the basement where the temperature steadily registers at 62F.
- For confections like hand-dipped pralines, it is recommended to let ganache fully set between 15 and 24 hours for the best quality. Ganache made for icing and fillings fully cools much quicker, about 2 hours.
Detailed Preparation Instructions
Pour the unmelted chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream until it starts to generate small bubbles around the edges.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully pour the cream over the chocolate. Let stand undisturbed for 90 seconds to allow for the heat to melt the chocolate.
Beginning in the center, rapidly stir the chocolate and cream together in small circles until the center homogenizes into a creamy, smooth consistency resembling brownie batter.
While maintaining the same speed, begin stirring in larger circles to incorporate the rest of the cream into the emulsion in the center of the bowl. Add the chopped butter, if using, and continue stirring to evenly distribute.
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