Chocolate ganache is almost as versatile as the yoghurt pound cake.
It can be used as a glaze, as a filling in cakes, tarts and pies, or
whipped to make a fluffy chocolate frosting. Small balls of ganache,
whipped or not, can be frozen, then rolled in cocoa to make truffles.
Ganache is most often made with bittersweet chocolate, but semi-sweet,
milk, or even white chocolate can also be used. I prefer using
chocolate chips, because it eliminates the messy step of chopping the
chocolate For the classic version, Ghirardelli 60 percent cacao
chocolate chips are an excellent choice and are widely available.*
- 12 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, OR use an 11.5 oz. bag of
- chocolate chips*
- 1 1/2 c. heavy cream
If
the chocolate is in bar form, chop it into small pieces. In a small
heavy saucepan, heat the cream over medium high heat just until bubbles
begin to form around the edge of the pan. Remove from the heat and add
the chocolate. Stir constantly until the chocolate and cream are
completely combined. You may need to return the pan to the stove over
low heat for a few minutes. If using as a glaze, the ganache should be
just warm enough to pour. It can be gently reheated if necessary. To
use as a filling, let it cool enough that it will hold its shape
without running, but can still be spread. It can also be used as a
filling and/or frosting by chilling it completely, and then whipping it
as one would to make whipped cream. Though the chilled mixture might
initially seem too stiff to whip, it does so easily.
