http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/dining/chocolate-ganache-an-easygoing-french-treat.html 2014-10-05 01:30:41 Chocolate Ganache, an Easygoing French Treat Elegant and simple to make, ganache is the most impressive thing you can serve over ice cream. === Chocolate fudge and hot fudge sauce are American classics, but let’s face it: Fudge is fussy. Fudge seizes if its sugar crystals get too large, stiffening up like a toddler in tantrum mode. It’s uncooperative in humid weather. Fudge has to be stirred constantly while it boils, then immediately pulled off the heat at soft-ball stage, which requires simultaneous access to a candy thermometer, a cup of cold water and a It’s time to embrace something lower maintenance, easygoing but elegant. In short, something French: ganache. Chocolate ganache is a fixture on dessert menus and sounds daunting, but in truth is just a melted-together mixture of chocolate and cream. It takes about five minutes to put together, can be adjusted to taste like a classic fudge topping or a sophisticated dark chocolate drizzle and is easily the most impressive thing you can serve over homemade ice cream, or use to transform store-bought ice cream or present on arrival as a house guest. There are plenty of recipes for fake “fudge sauce” with cocoa powder and corn syrup and butter, but the pure, straight-ahead chocolate flavor and the ease of ganache make it unbeatable. And the sauce is just the beginning. “Ganache looks like a million things you want to make,” said the cookbook author • Thin it with hot water to make a pourable sauce that becomes chewy and mouth-filling when it hits cold ice cream. • Pour or pipe it warm over a cake, cupcakes or cookies; it will set as it cools to a soft, rich glaze. (If the icing loses its gloss as it sets, Ms. Greenspan advised, “Hit it with some heat from a blow dryer.”) • Scrape it into a tart shell or pie crust, then let set at room temperature before refrigerating: It will firm up into a dense, velvety filling. • Pour into a parchment-paper-lined baking pan, sprinkle with chopped nuts or coarse salt and let set at room temperature. Refrigerate, then cut into diamonds or squares to make bite-size bonbons. Serve cold. • Let it come to room temperature, then whip it in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to make a fluffy cake frosting, or a filling for homemade sandwich cookies. • Chill it, then use a melon baller to scoop, roll into balls and dust with cocoa powder to make truffles. Ganache seems to have been invented at around the same time as fudge, in the late 19th century, when chocolate was just coming on the mass market. French and Swiss chocolatiers experimented with blends of chocolate and dairy until they had a thick, plush, moldable cream that could be tweaked in numberless ways. At the time, even the best chocolate was inconsistent, so making ganache was a touchy business, best left to professionals. Ms. Greenspan said she learned to make it from the French pastry chef Today, because top-quality chocolate is consistent and widely available, and because commercial cream is pasteurized and homogenized, ganache is nearly foolproof. It is equally good whether made in a $300 copper saucepan or in a measuring jar in the microwave. As long as you don’t burn it, ganache can endure rough handling and even neglect. (It lasts nearly forever in the refrigerator.) A chilled jar of it can be reheated several times in a saucepan of simmering water or in the microwave. If the sauce becomes grainy, a little hot water or cream and a whisk will restore its texture. For any chocolate sauce or ganache, always use top-quality chocolate with plenty of real cocoa butter, like In France, ganache is usually made with crème fraîche instead of sweet cream, giving it a tangy brightness. The cream can be infused with spices like cinnamon, ginger or black pepper; with herbs like mint or lavender; with extracts like vanilla, coffee, almond or orange. Rum, brandy and most other liqueurs are ganache friendly. If instant gratification is the goal, This sauce may or may not be a ganache in the end, but you will hear no complaints. Pour with abandon. Recipe: