What is CHOCOLATE GANACHE ? Whether you know it or not, that creamy, delicately flavored chocolate stuff found in the center of a rich truffle is called ganache. You may also recognize it as a glaze on a cake, as a whipped filling or frosting or as a piped decoration. 

All ganache starts out with a rich mixture made from varying proportions of chopped chocolate and boiled heavy pastuerized cream, cooled to various degrees of temperature and mixed in certain ways, yielding different uses. Ganche can be flavored, have extra ingredients added, such as butter for richness, and corn syrup for shine!   

HOW GANACHE WORKS:

At first glance, it appears that ganache is a simple mixture of just two ingredients, heavy cream and chocolate. But, there's a lot more science going on behind the scenes to give you a successful ganache mixture that won't separate, become grainy, hard, crack, curdle or firm. (Problems and Solutions)

Ganache is a really a complex combination of an emulsification and a suspension that occurs between the chocolate and cream ingredients. An emulsification is a suspension of small globules of one liquid in a second liquid with which the first will not mix, ie: an emulsion of oil in vinegar or cream is an emulsion of butterfat in water. A suspension is a material in which a substance is dispersed in a liquid in clusters or particles consisting of many molecules. Nonfat milk is a suspension of milk-protein particles in water. The continuous phase of the mixture, or the "appearance" of its molecules or matter (ie: solid, liquid or gas), is a syrup made from the cream's water and the chocolate's sugar. Suspended in the syrup are the milk are the cream's fat globules and the cocoa butter's fat droplets and solid cocoa particles from the chocolate.

To emulsify the chocolate and cream, the cream is first heated which reduces its water content. The hot cream is poured over the chocolate and it melts after sitting for a few minutes. They are slowly mixed together. The waiting time also serves to bring down its temperature down because emulsions form better at 90 degrees to 110 degrees F. The emulsification takes place by the combination of work or stirring, which breaks down the fat in both the cream and chocolate into microscopic droplets, small enough to be suspended within the water  - and the use of an emulsifier to stabilize the system, or fatty acids present in the milk.

As a general rule, the higher the fat content of the cream, the richer and more stable the finished ganache will be. (The milk solids in the cream also help thicken the ganache and the butterfat lends smoothness and moistness). I like to use heavy whipping cream to make ganache. Even crème fraîche or sour cream can be used instead of heavy cream. 

I recommend using a high quality dark chocolate, such as Valhrona or Dove, but find a chocolate you like and stick with it. If using milk or white chocolate just note that they are more temperamental; they contain milk or milk fat, unlike dark chocolate, making them more susceptible to damage from heat. Because of the milk, they also make "softer" ganache, so adjust the proportion of cream downward.

In my opinion, this is a technically perfect ganache recipe.

Storage: A classic ganache can generally stay at room temperature for 2 days, as long as it's kept in a cool place. But, there are lots of exceptions to this rule - see also important discussion about storing ganache. If in a bowl, always place a piece of plastic wrap firmly against its surface so a film does not form or it won't form a sugar crust on its surface. It is perfect to use for a cake or wedding cake that has to sit out -- to store, place under a covered cake saver or inverted bowl so as not to mar its surface. Freeze for up to 3 months.

TO MAKE GANACHE THE TRADITIONAL WAY (VERSUS MAKE IN A FOOD PROCESSOR):

1. The chocolate is chopped and weighed before using.  I like to use Valrhona 56% cacao chocolate (available from specialty and cake decorating stores). Instead of chopping the chocolate yourself, you can also purchase pure chocolate wafers, weigh and use as is -- they look like large chocolate chips. They are available at any outlet that sells good, pure  chocolate. Don't confuse them with courverture or compound chocolate. 

2. Place chopped chocolate in a large and wide, heatproof bowl; you don't want to use a deep one because it will take longer for the chocolate to melt. If I am making whipped ganache, I place mine in my stand-mixer bowl. This way I can melt the chocolate and then whip it, using only one bowl.  

3. In a large, deep, heavy bottomed pan, on medium-low heat, bring heavy cream to a boil*. Turn down the heat and let the cream continue with a slow boil for a full minute. Stir often, making sure the cream does not burn and you don't want the cream to foam and reach the top of the pan. The Founder of La Maison du Chocolat in Paris, boils the cream three times -- he believes that makes the ganache last longer. I have never tried it; if you do, compensate for the extra evaporation by starting with a little more cream.

4. Immediately take the cream from the heat and pour all over the chopped chocolate all at once. (Pour through a strainer when using the crème fraiche or sour cream.) Never add cold liquids to the chocolate as it will seize and lump. The cream must cover all of it and will melt the chocolate. Briefly mash the large pieces down into the cream with a wire whisk. DO NOT STIR. The mixture should sit for at least 2 to 4 minutes (or more) until the chocolate starts to melt. 

5.  When the chocolate has somewhat melted, stir the ingredients together with a heatproof rubber spatula. Begin stirring in the center in concentric circles, and gradually widen it towards the edges of the bowl to pull in more chocolate. You do not want to whip air into it, but you want to mix it thoroughly until combined. If you can't get all of the chocolate to melt, keep stirring from the center out. If you use an immersion blender, it must be fully submergered. Don't overwork the chocolate mixture beyond combining, as it can curdle and turn into a gray, grainy mess.  And, avoid incorporating air bubbles into the mixture. If you do, strain through a fine mesh strainer when done.

6. When mixed, you should end up with a smooth, glossy liquid called ganache. At this point, add in liqueurs and other liquid flavorings, all at room temperature, and gently stir to incorporate. 

7. Ganche can be left as is and poured, cooled and thickened, piped, or whipped. 

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES: Chocolate truffles are ganache in its simplest form. Truffle candies imitate Perigord truffles covered with earth. The goal is to make them small so they look like their namesakes, freshly dug from the earth. 

Truffles are small balls of ganache, not golf-ball or egg-sized, which become the centers -- silky smooth, light and creamy -- and then are coated with tempered chocolate, which gives it its crisp outside. 

After truffles have been dipped in chocolate, they must "set" one or two minutes before they can be optionally rolled in cocoa powder, powdered sugar or chopped nuts or left as is and optionally drizzled with tempered chocolate over its top. But once the chocolate is firmly set, additional decoration cannot be added unless you want to start over again by re-dipping in chocolate. 

Classic French-style truffles are usually small, irregularly-shaped spheres of a dark chocolate ganache, dipped into melted dark chocolate, then dusted with cocoa powder.

Make a batch of "truffle" ganache. After making, press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface and place it in the refrigerator or let sit for an hour if the room is cool. The plastic wrap prevents a skin from forming. After about 15 - 30 minutes, remove the chilled and firm ganache from the refrigerator.

Make sure the ganache is very firm so it can be easily formed. Make the shapes no more than 3/4- to 1-inch wide in diameter or length and width because the ganache is so rich.  There are several ways to form truffle centers:

Finish truffle centers by coating with tempered chocolate and optionally decorating. Make sure it remains in the "temperate zone" while using. 

There are several ways to cover a truffle:

There are several ways to finish a covered truffle:

Store finished truffles in an airtight container, best kept in the refrigerator. If a truffle is filled with a cream-like center that is perishable, it must be refrigerated. If frozen, truffles are good for a month or so, depending on your freezer.