How to Prepare
The Best Chocolate Ganache

• Chocolate tends to lose its delicate flavor when its temperature is over 120 degrees Fahrenheit or 49 degrees Celsius.

• It becomes lumpy or seizing when coming into contact with even a tiniest drop of water.

As a blend of chocolate and hot cream, the popularity of chocolate ganache is largely due to its versatility. It can be used to coat cakes, frost brownies, dip cookies, or as a filling for cookie sandwiches. We can also add butter, liqueur, or other flavorings to create a variety of delicious flavors.

I like to make chocolate ganache in advance and freeze it for later use. If frozen, it can keep for at least 9 months without losing quality. Thawing frozen ganache is as simple as slowly reheating it in a water bath or double boiler. Placing an entire container of frozen chocolate ganache in a pan of hot water also works very well.

The following tips and precautions have helped me a great deal in preparing this sumptuous dessert topping.

• Chocolate chips are not a good candidate for melting because they contain vegetable oil that keeps them from melting properly.

• Chopping chocolate bars or chucks into small pieces to preserve good flavor and ensure a velvety texture.

• Making sure the bowl that will hold chocolate pieces is totally and completely dry.

• Working away from any possible source of moisture such as boiling water.

• Stirring often and gently to assure even melting and avoid overheating.

• Never covering chocolate during and after melting because moisture will condense on the lid, drop into chocolate and cause seizing.

It is great if you have a double boiler for melting chocolate. I usually place a stainless steel or glass-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Just be sure that the bowl is wider than the pot and its bottom does not touch the water.

Chocolate ganache recipe #1 has unconventional melting instructions, and can be found in The Essential Guide to Cake Decorating published by Whitecap books.

• Place chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Make sure that the base of bowl does not sit in water.

• Stir gently with a wooden spoon until smooth.

• Remove from heat and allow it to cool.

This next recipe is great for glazing. It is from Great Cookies - Secrets to Sensational Sweets by Carole Walter

• Heat heavy cream and corn syrup together in a small saucepan over low heat.

• When it comes to a simmer, immediately pour it over chocolate pieces.

• Stir constantly to assure even melting.

• Wait 1 minute before adding vanilla extract and stir again.

• Allow the ganache to cool and thicken. Refrigerate it to encourage thickening if necessary.

Recipe #3 is for white chocolate ganache. It is not ideal for coating dark-colored desserts because of its translucency. It also has a softer set than dark chocolate.

Bring heavy cream to a simmer and pour it over white chocolate. Stir until completely smooth. Allow ganache to cool completely before using. This recipe yields about one and a half cups of white chocolate ganache.

I learned recipe #4 in one of my baking classes, and prepared it most often as a filling for my favorite Parisienne macaroon sandwiches. It is in On Baking - A Textbook of Baking and Pastry Fundamentals by Sarah R. Labensky with Eddy Van Damme, Priscilla Martel and Klaus Tenbergen.

• Bring heavy cream to a boil and immediately pour it over chopped chocolate. Gently stir with a rubber spatula until all chopped chocolates have melted.

• Stir in the liqueur and allow it to cool.

Well, I am sure you have figured out what theobroma cacao means by now. Here is the answer anyhow. :-)

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