Chocolate Ganache

Definition Ganache refers to a variety of icing, fillings for pastries, and glazes. It is typically made from chocolate and cream. One of the simplest and most familiar of chocolate preparations

To Make A Ganache The cream is scalded and poured over finely chopped chocolate which is melted to form an emulsion. The phase of this mixture, is a syrup made from the cream’s water and the chocolate’s sugar. Suspended in the syrup are the milk fat globules from the cream, and the cocoa butter droplets and solid cocoa particles from the chocolate.

Emulsion The idea of mixing two ingredients seems simple. But mixing chocolate and cream is equivalent to mixing oil and water, which can't normally be done. This process of mixing two unmixable ingredients is called emulsification. An emulsion is when fats (from choc and cream) are suspended in a water based solution (water from the cream). Cocoa butter and butter fat are suspended in the water phase of the cream by emulsifiers present in the chocolate.

Ganache is simply made by heating heavy cream pouring it over chopped chocolate mixture is stirred or blended until smooth Flavor can be enhanced with extracts, alcohol, herbs, zest, etc. **Depending on the kind of chocolate used, amount of chocolate should be adjusted to reach desired consistency.

To make it work… The fat needs to be liquefied. Hot cream is combined with the chocolate, melting the fat into liquid form. Stirring breaks down the fat into microscopic droplets, small enough to be suspended within the water.

Other factors affecting texture… Temperature If it is not controlled, the result will not be smooth. The optimal emulsification temperature is 90 degrees to 110 degrees F. If the temperature rises above 110 degrees F, the cocoa butter gets too hot. Droplets of fat will pool together and rise to the surface, separating from the mixture. When this occurs, the ganache is referred to as "broken“.

Broken Ganache Emulsified

Repairing a Broken or Grainy Ganache Divide in half. Put one half over a double boiler and bring to 130 degrees F. The fat will melt and pool at this temp, making the mixture thinner. Cool remaining half to 60 degrees F by stirring it over ice. The fat in this portion will begin to solidify, causing it to thicken. When both halves have reached their temps, stream the hot mix into the cold and stir to combine. The mixture will not fall below 90 degrees F during this procedure, so there is no risk of creating a grainy texture. Combining the two portions of ganache in this way averages the temperature into the optimal working range, and the fat droplets will be suspended evenly in the water.

Chocolate Truffle made with a chocolate ganache center coated in chocolate or cocoa powder, usually in a spherical, conical, or curved shape. For a chocolate truffle base, made from dark chocolate, you would use 1:1 (1 cup cream to 1 # of chopped chocolate.) Don’t forget, depending on the fat content in the chocolate, your amount of cream will vary.

Adding Flavors You can add flavors to ganache by Infusing the cream with: Fresh herbs Vanilla bean Zests Spices Put cream in saucepan, add flavoring and bring to a boil. Let steep (as if steeping a tea bag in water) for 10 minutes and strain hot cream through a fine mesh sieve over the chopped chocolate and proceed with recipe. If using extracts, add after cream and chocolate have been combined.

Some of the many uses for Ganache Can be used for: Filled chocolates Filled pastries Chocolate truffles Cake fillings and Icings Glazes Souffle base Hot chocolate base Sauces

Once ganache has cooled it can also be whipped to lighten its richness and used as an icing or a filling for cakes and pastries