Ganache?

Hello, can someone tell me about Ganache? Is it difficult to make? A recipe I have calls for it and I am not sure how to make it.

Thanks...

[m brown]

ganache is a wonderful and useful item.
It is made with chocolate and boiled heavy cream combined to make a silken paste. it is used to make truffles, fillings, mousses and coatings. the ratios vary from application to application.
you can use white, milk, semi-sweet, bittersweet and bitter chocolate to create your ganache. you can use heavy cream, milk, orange juice or coffee boiled added to the chocolate. ganache can be flavored with fruit purees, alcohols, and extracts.
please post what your recipe is.

[m brown]

ps, chop the chocolate, pour the hot liquid over top. gently combine with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. whisk to pull the fats together and allow to cool.
when working with ganache, believe it or not, it can get tough with over working.
ganache is easy to make and easy to break. if it breaks, add some cooled boiled cream. this should pull the ganache back together.

i always add butter and tahitian vanilla bean that is scrapped to the cream when i make a ganache then strain it into the chocolate to make a more flavorful and richer, therefor better ganache. Its great for truffles.

[m brown]

extra fat and flavor! yum!

butter has a flavor of it's own. it also will carry and soften the vanilla as well as mellow the chocolate.

if the end product is to be a sharp chocolate, butter is best saved for another day.

I was taken to task as a youngster for adding vanilla to a chocolate cream because chocolate, in general, contains vanillian or vanilla. The theory I was told, chocolate is chocolate and the vanilla is vanilla.

lol.(laugh out loud) funny story. theory and technique have come a long way.

[This message has been edited by m brown (edited March 18, 2000).]

Heres a quick recipe for you, 2 pounds chocolate, 1 quart cream.

Hey mbrown, if you are going to listen to those old rules you heard as a youngster, and carry them with you forever, than just stop cooking. Because what people are doing now is things that are different and interestin and exciting. It doesn't always work, and that is where conFUSION cooking comes to play. I just think that if you take chocolate, vanilla butter and cream and work them into a recipe well , than why not? The bottom line is If it tastes great, we've suceeded. Isn't that what we are chefs for? Just try it , you will be converted.
FOR 4 DOZEN TRUFFLES;
3 ounces of heavy cream
6 ounces of unsalted butter
1/2 tahitian vanilla bean scraped
8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate .
Pinch of salt, YES SALT
Procedure; Bring cream sugar, vanilla and salt to a boil over medium heat and pour through a chinois over chopped chocolate, as making a ganache. Then procede as to making truffles. PS you can substitute white chocolate and 2 ounces of rum for another great recipe. If you would like any more Email me! I hope you do.

[m brown]

Well Johnny,
That was the past and just wanted to share. Since than I have used vanilla and butter and chocolate all together and it was GOOD.
I understand WHY it is good and know the applications. If someone asks for a bitter chocolate ganache I will use not only a bittersweet chocolate, but will not soften the edges of flavor with butter and vanilla. Pure flavors are often convoluted these days with TOO MUCH STUFF! I understand your reference to conFUSION.
Thanks for the recipes but we also need to understand why ingredients are paired. It is important for someone who doesn't know what Ganache is to be given backround on the subject so once they try it they can then make it their own.
It's great that we can share our experience and knowledge.
i don't cook, i bake, therefore, i am.
big smiles

[This message has been edited by m brown (edited March 18, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by m brown (edited March 18, 2000).]

[m brown]

Salt in sweet items offsets the sweetness and brings out the other flavors in the recipe for a rounder more complete flavor.

Wow everyone,
Didn't mean to spark a controversy. Great points, I look forward to trying both recipes. I must say though that I tend to agree with the less is more philosphy. Can't stand when people take a beautiful ingredient like say "chocolate" and add more to it than needs to be.

Thanks a lot M Brown, you are an excellent moderator, you always answer my questions!

All the best,

Fred

[m brown]

Fred,
How'd it go?
~mb

I hope this does not sound too upsetting, but I like to make my Ganache with a blender! I find it to be much easier, faster, and klutz proof than slowly stirring it into the hot cream. I first learned of this atrosity from Rose Beranbaum Levy's book "Cake Bible" I also use finely chopped swiss chocolate, and I have found that by adding a little fine Cognac, it with enhance the flavor of the chocolate.

What does everyone think of this method?

Stephen

[m brown]

cool.

If you don't have to wash the blender yourself, why not?

[m brown]

Okay, now that we know what ganache is, what is your favorite flavor combination?

Adding hazelnut or parline paste.
American Sour Mash Whiskey.
Coffee or espresso, kahlua.
Rasberries and Chamboard.
Champagne.
Grappa.
Peach puree.
Lavender oil.
Rum.
Cinnamon.
Star Anis.
Chinese five spice.

the list goes on.....

please add your favorites to the list.