Rich, silky and smooth. Perfect filling for delicate truffles or an excellent topping for that rich devil’s food cake recipe. You simply can’t go wrong with a fabulous ganache. And quick and easy chocolate ganache is so simple to make!
Learn how to make quick and easy chocolate ganache. Ganache is a simple recipe of cream and chocolate. They are heated together to form a rich filling, spread or mouse. It is generally either an 1:1 or 2:1 ratio. For filings and candies like truffles, it’s typically 2 parts chocolate to 1 part cream.
For glazes such as on opera cakes, it’s typically one part cream to chocolate. However, to save money as we are all about saving money and still have a fabulous filling with the 1:1 ratio. So what does that mean? For an 1:1 ratio, you will need equal amounts of chocolate and cream. As an example, for an 8 ounce bag of chocolate you will also need 8 ounces of cream. For a 2:1 ratio, you will need 16 ounces of chocolate and 8 ounces of cream.
The key is in using a good quality chocolate. If you use less a chocolate that has less than 50% cocoa, you may find the ganache is too runny and doesn’t set well. Above 70% and you may need to add a smidge more cream to prevent it from being too thick or splitting. I recommend looking for a 55-70% cocoa blend and just practicing. You’ll find you have a preference in flavor and quality. Start with a 1:1 ratio and judge it after it cools completely.
It’s also as simple as warming the cream to a gentle simmer while stirring occasionally and adding chocolate. Here is the important step. Wait a few moments before stirring and stir gently. Don’t be vigorous here. Think gently folding, not making whipping cream.
Then, you let it cool to slightly above room temperature so you can pour it over desserts. Don’t worry that it is very runny right now. It’s supposed to be to make it nicely pourable. For truffles or other desserts where it is required to be hardened, you place let it cool for several hours, or simply place it in the fridge overnight. Just be sure to cover the top with plastic wrap as it tends to get a film on it like pudding does if you store it in the fridge. Didn’t I tell you that this truly is quick and easy chocolate ganache?
Some will claim you can safely leave chocolate ganache out on the counter for days. I will give you input on the research I did and you can decide. It has been recommended to refrigerate cream based ganache after 2 hours by most health departments. Many of the cottage laws that allow home bakers to sell baked food to the public disallows ganache from being used in desserts for sale. This is a precaution to prevent food based illnesses. Some will claim pasteurization will prevent these types of issues. Science doesn’t care about one’s opinion, however. Err on the side of caution.
So knowing this, what is the real reason many bakers and professionals ignore this advice? Sometimes it’s ignorance, sometimes it’s the belief it tastes better. But often, it is because refrigerated ganache losses that gorgeous sheen. It will dull slightly. And looks sells. Just look at all the ads out there with attractive men or women promoting silly things like toothbrushes. People eat with their eyes and a shiny, glossy ganache looks better. But can you make a shelf stable ganache? Absolutely. Use water instead of cream. Check out this guy’s video for an explanation.
Actually, if you purchase homemade goods from an individual, learn your local state cottage laws. If the laws prohibit ganache, cream cheese or other items and that person is selling them anyway, walk away. If they are willing to break laws that are in effect for the welfare of the general public, you have to wonder how clean they are being in the kitchen. After all, if they are willing to sell you milk based food after sitting out for 5+ hours, what else are they willing to do to make money?
Quick and Easy French Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
- 8 oz chocolate
- 8 oz heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Chop chocolate into small pieces and set aside.
- Pour milk into a saucepan and simmer until it just starts to steam and bubbles form on the sides. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Let sit 2-5 minutes or until most of the chocolate is melting.
- Gently stir until all the chocolate is combined.
- Let cool to room temperature 10 – 20 minutes before pouring onto desserts or covering storing in fridge up to one week.
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