How To Make Chocolate Ganache

How can you not love a recipe that only has two ingredients? And tastes divine. And has so many uses. You have to love chocolate ganache my friends. You can try not to love it but you will fail.

That said, I’m surprised at how many people I know who had never heard of chocolate ganache until they met me. I am sad for anyone who is so deprived and I am here to spread your culinary horizons if you are one of the underprivileged.

So here it is: chocolate ganache is made of equal amounts of chocolate and heavy cream. That’s it.

But here’s the tricky part–get the best heavy cream and the best chocolate you can find.OK, heavy cream from the store (lucky you if you know a farmer who can provide you with fresh cream) is all kind of the same unless you’re talking about the half-gallon of Darigold heavy cream that you can get at Costco. That stuff is killer and practically free (comparatively speaking).

The chocolate is another story. Get the best. Period. I love Guittard semi-sweet but I have recently discovered Kirkland brand semi-sweet (Costco) and it is really good too as well as cheap which makes me extra happy. Just pick your favorite brand of chocolate and don’t judge mine, OK?

A digital kitchen scale really helps here and if you don’t own one get it on your birthday/Christmas/Groundhog Day wish list right now. Put it right after Immersion Blender (see Nutella Overnight French Toast). You will thank me later.

Get a microwave safe bowl and pour in the cream. For this recipe I used 12 oz. of cream because that is the size of a bag of chocolate chips. Raise or lower the amounts as long as they stay the same as each other. Heat the cream in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until cream is very hot but not boiling. In my microwave it took about 2 minutes total. Now pour in your chocolate and leave it for two minutes. I said leave it!!

Since you were good and left it alone for two minutes so the chocolate could soften, you are now allowed to stir. Actually, now that I think about it you should probably whisk…harder. Keep going, keep going. Okay good, if it’s all incorporated you can stop. Unless…

…you’re into chocolate mint. That would be me. Sometimes I add two drops of Peppermint Essential Oil to the batch for chocolate mint ganache. Yum.

I only use and recommend therapeutic grade essential oils because that means they are means they are pure enough to take internally. I use EOs in cooking all the time and the flavor is out of this world. They are very strong, so go slow when using them in a recipe. You might even want to start with one drop here and then taste before adding the 2nd drop. If you use another brand just make sure it says FOR INTERNAL USE on the bottle.

Now put in a container, store it in the fridge and your done. I usually split mine between a small plastic container with a lid and one of those condiment squirt bottles. You’ll need to heat it up in the microwave for 30-45 seconds before it is liquefied but then you can squirt it on anything. Think of the possibilities, people. (Yes, directly in your mouth is a possibility).

This is what it looks like when it’s cold. Imagine the texture of a soft fudge. Or the inside of a truffle (the chocolate not the mushroom). Now imagine the best tasting fudge or truffle you’ve ever had…

…which is why this is what I often find when I go to get a new batch out of the fridge. All four men in this house deny it but I know it’s not me and some day I am going to catch one (or all) of them red-handed.

What the world needs now is…
So assuming you don’t just eat it by the spoonful, what do you do with all this yummy chocolate ganache? Here are a few ideas:

Hot—chocolate sauce for ice cream, donut glaze, in warm milk for hot chocolate, homemade milkshakes, chocolate fondue, chocolate crepes, pancake/waffle topping, brownie glaze
Room Temp.—put in a bowl, beat until fluffy and you have the best chocolate frosting ever (cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, etc.)
Cold—in your mouth, by the spoonful. I’m watching you, gentlemen!

Update—Last week I heard my 13-yr. old son yell from the kitchen “do we have any chocolate ganache?” to which I said “no, but you can make some.”
A few minutes later I heard the microwave running. For all the times I think I’ve failed as a mother, that moment was pure triumph. Plus I got ganache. 🙂