MAKES: About 11/2 cups
TIME: 15 minutes
Ganache, one of the most useful of all dessert sauces, sounds far more difficult than it is, thanks to its French name. But it’s a snap to make and can take on a number of different guises.
You can use milk or white chocolate in place of bittersweet chocolate; just decrease the cream to 3/4 cup.
1 cup cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Put the cream in a pot and heat it until it’s steaming. Put the chocolate in a bowl, pour on the hot cream, and whisk until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the cream.
Use immediately as a sauce or coating or let cool to room temperature and whip to a smooth frosting.
Variation
Chocolate Glaze or Frosting. Use ganache as it is, or beat in confectioners sugar 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture is the desired sweetness and consistency.
5 Ways to Flavor Ganache
Here are a few simple ways to make the flavor of ganache more complex.
- Orange zest, grated or finely minced
- Crystallized ginger, minced, or peeled and very finely minced fresh ginger
- Ground spices, like cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, and star anise
- Earl Grey tea (steep in the hot cream for about 10 minutes or so, then strain)
- Freshly brewed espresso or instant espresso powder
