Cream Ganache

Name: Cream Ganache
Ingredients: Scale (measure out) the couverture and heavy cream. For soft and medium ganache, use solid pieces of chocolate. Chop the couverture into ¼-inch pieces and place in a mixing bowl. Small pieces of couverture will melt more easily and thoroughly than larger chunks. For a firm ganache, however, the ratio of couverture to cream will be too high for the heat of the cream to melt all of the couverture, so warm the couverture gently to soften it before adding the cream. To warm it, place the ¼-inch pieces of couverture in the oven or microwave and heat until it is half melted.; If adding butter to the ganache, let the ganache cool to 92°F/33.3°C, then add the butter. (If the ganache is too warm when the butter is added, the butter will melt completely and the mouthfeel of the ganache will change.) Mix the butter in by hand, or use an immersion blender. When using an immersion blender, care should be taken to keep the blade at the bottom of the container and to gently move the blender in small circles starting at the center of the container. (Keeping the blade at the bottom helps reduce the introduction of unwanted air bubbles into the mixture.); Let the ganache cool to 94°F/34.4°C. If adding a liquor to the ganache, add it once the ganache has cooled and mix in either by hand or using an immersion blender. (If the ganache is too warm when the liquor is added, the alcohol will evaporate.); For filling truffle shells or molded pralines: Cover the surface of the ganache with plastic wrap. Allow to rest undisturbed at room temperature, ideally at 68°F/20.0°C, until the ganache reaches 84°F/28.8°C for white chocolate shells, 86°F/30.0°C for milk chocolate shells, or 88°F/31.1°C for dark chocolate shells.

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Art of the Chocolatier

By Ewald Notter

Published 2011

About

Cream is the most widely used liquid for ganache. Cream contains both butterfat and water, necessary components for the formation of an emulsion. The fat in the cream combines with the cocoa butter in the chocolate, providing a creamy texture and velvety mouthfeel. If the overall percentage of fats is too high, however, the ganache will separate. As a general rule, select cream containing 35 to 40% butterfat for optimum results. Adjustments to ganache formulas may be necessary to achieve th

Method