Something I realised is that I need to nail down some of the basics recipes...stuff that isn't a complete item in it's own right, but something you do a lot of. Pastries, sponges, jams...and ganache. There are lots of recipes out there, however I need to stick to one recipe and technique that works for me.
The most common mistake with ganache is getting it too hot, and splitting it. the way I overcome this is to break the chocolate up into small pieces, and leave it for a few minutes after the cream is added to the chocolate to allow everything to melt, and even up in temperature. This recipe produces a ganache that will firm up, and be pipe-able while holding it's shape. The other mistake is trying to pipe it when it's too fluid, so it runs everywhere. I find it's easier to judge the viscosity of it when it's in a piping bag, and you can give it a good squeeze to judge the thickness.
Chocolate Ganache
- 200g dark (50%) cooking chocolate
- 150g double cream
1) Chop the chocolate up into small pieces. I find that if you just break it into chunks, you may get some bits that do not melt into the cream. If you want to be really careful, wheel out the food processor and whiz it.
2) Put the chopped chocolate into a small heatproof bowl
3) Weigh the double cream into a small pan
4) Heat the cream gently, stirring with a spatula
5) Just before the cream starts to boil, remove it from the heat
6) Pour the cream over the chocolate, making sure that it is all coated
7) Leave the mixture for 3-4 minutes without stirring, to allow the heat to disperse evenly throughout the mixture
8) Using a spatula or a whisk, vigorously mix the ganache together until smooth and glossy
9) Leave to cool, while stirring occasionally, until it begins to thicken
10) I find it easiest to use out of a piping bag, so transfer to a small piping bag
11) If required leave to cool until slightly thicker (you can get a good feel for the consistency by squeezing the bag). Once it feels more viscous, you can pipe it.
Note - if you make too much, put the left-overs in a jar, and keep it in the fridge. When you want to use it, put it in a heatproof bowl over a bain-marie, and carefully stir until it goes fluid again. Be very careful not to overheat it, you just want it to loosen up, and then you are back to step (9) above.
Something I realised is that I need to nail down some of the basics recipes...stuff that isn't a complete item in it's own right, but something you do a lot of. Pastries, sponges, jams...and ganache. There are lots of recipes out there, however I need to stick to one recipe and technique that works for me.
5) Just before the cream starts to boil, remove it from the heat
