| RECIPE
OF THE MONTH |
 | CHERRY FILLED CREPES | | Easy Pancake served with Cherry Sauce. | | Read More.. |
|
|
Master Ganache
|
Can deep, dark, intense, rich, velvety smooth chocolate be a spiritual
experience? It certainly is heavenly when mixed with cream. Praise the
pastry angels and pass the bonbons! This is the basic ganache recipe.
Use it for truffles, tarts, fillings, you name it. Follow the same
technique when adjusting the recipe for firm and soft ganache. An
alternative food processor method is given, which can be applied to any
ganache recipe in this chapter. My desire is not only to introduce you
to ganache but also to make it a staple in your refrigerator. As long
as you don't eat it all as a midnight snack, it can be available to
help you throw together dessert at a moment's notice.
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
Using a serrated knife, finely chop the chocolate into 1/4-inch pieces. Don't be lazy here. Big chunks will not melt.
Traditional method: Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.
Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boiling
means the cream will actually rise up in the pan and threaten to boil
over.
Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chopped chocolate. Tap the
bowl on the counter to settle the chocolate into the cream, then let it
sit for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, slowly stir in a circular
motion, starting from the center of the bowl, and working out to the
sides. Be careful not to add too much air to the ganache. Stir until
all the chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. It may look done after 1
minute of stirring, but keep going to be sure it's emulsified.
Food processor method: Place the chopped chocolate in a food processor
fitted with the steel blade. Bring the cream to a boil in a small
saucepan over medium heat (or bring to a boil in the microwave.)
Immediately pour the hot cream into the food processor, on top of the
chocolate. Let sit for 1 minute, then pulse the machine 3 times. Scrape
down the sides with a rubber spatula and pulse 3 more times, until all
the chocolate is melted. This smooth, silky chocolate is now ganache.
Transfer the ganache to a bowl.
Let the ganache sit at room temperature until it cools to 70 degrees F.
In a 65 degree F room, this will take approximately 4 hours or 2 hours
in the refrigerator. You can speed up the process by pouring the
ganache out onto a clean baking sheet (thinner layers cool faster.)
Once the ganache reaches 70 degrees F, it is ready to be used. At this
point it can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2
weeks.
Recipe courtesy Sherry Yard, The Secrets of Baking, Houghton Mifflin, 2003
Show: Sara's Secrets
Episode: Tricks of the Trade
|
| back to recipe list |
|
| WEB
SEARCH |
Search
The Web with
 |
|
