Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Ganache

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Finely grate the zest of the lemons into the cream. In a saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over medium-high heat, then lift the pan and let the boiling subside. Place the pan back over the heat and bring the cream back to a boil; again, take it off the heat and let the boiling subside. Repeat a third time. Put the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand 30 seconds to soften the chocolate. Stir slowly and gently with a spatula from the center of the bowl outwards. When the chocolate is melted and the cream is incorporated, pour the ganache into the prepared pan. Spread to make a smooth 1-inch layer. Let cool 12 hours, or overnight.

Ganache with Mint

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over medium-high heat, then lift the pan and let the boiling subside. Place the pan back over the heat and bring the cream back to a boil; again, take it off the heat and let the boiling subside. When bringing to a boil for the third and final time, add the mint leaves to the cream. Let simmer for 1 minute to infuse the mint into the cream. Put the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and strain the hot cream over the chocolate; discard the mint leaves. Let stand 30 seconds to soften the chocolate. Stir slowly and gently with a spatula from the center of the bowl outwards. When the chocolate is melted and the cream is incorporated, whisk the chocolate for 1 minute. Pour the ganache into the prepared pan. Spread to make a smooth 1-inch layer. Let cool 12 hours, or overnight.

Ganache with Raspberry

Boil the raspberries with the water and sugar until the raspberries are soft. Puree, then strain through a fine-meshed sieve.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over medium-high heat, then lift the pan and let the boiling subside. Add the raspberry puree. Do not stir. Place the pan back over the heat and bring the cream back to a boil; again, take it off the heat and let the boiling subside. Put the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand 30 seconds to soften the chocolate. Stir slowly and gently with a spatula from the center of the bowl outwards. When the chocolate is melted and the cream is incorporated, whisk for 1 minute. Pour the ganache into the prepared pan. Spread to make a smooth 1-inch layer. Let cool 12 hours, or overnight.

Ganache with Ginger

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over medium-high heat, then lift the pan and let the boiling subside. Place the pan back over the heat and bring the cream back to a boil; again, take it off the heat and let the boiling subside. Grate the ginger into the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil a third time. Put the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and strain the hot cream over the chocolate, pressing the ginger to extract all the juice. Discard the ginger solids. Let stand 30 seconds to soften the chocolate. Stir slowly and gently with a spatula from the center of the bowl outwards. When the chocolate is melted and the cream is incorporated, whisk for 1 minute. Pour the ganache into the prepared pan. Spread to make a smooth 1-inch layer. Let cool 12 hours, or overnight.

To coat any of these ganaches:

Heat a knife in hot water, wipe dry, and cut the ganache into 1-inch-by-1-1/2-inch pieces, dipping and drying the knife between each cut.

Put a wire rack over a sheet of waxed paper.

Put the chopped chocolate in a dry bowl and place over hot water. Let the chocolate melt, measuring the temperature with a thermometer. Do not let the temperature exceed 115 F. Stir until smooth, then take the bowl out of the water and set on a towel to anchor it. Stirring gently, add the grated chocolate a spoonful at a time, stirring until smooth between each addition, until the chocolate has cooled to at least 90 F, but no cooler than 86 F. (If you decide to use milk chocolate, cool to between 83 and 86 F.) Place the chocolate bowl in a pan of warm water to hold it between 86 and 90 F (or, in the case of milk chocolate, 83 and 86 F).

Use a chocolate dipping wire or some similar holder you have made yourself, or even a small fork. The idea is to have a small handled “platform” which will barely touch the ganache piece as it is dipped, then placed on the wire rack.

With your dipper, lift a piece of ganache and dip into the hot chocolate. Place the coated piece on the wire rack and let any excess drip onto the waxed paper. As long as you hold the temperature of the chocolate between 86 and 90 F, you can reuse the chocolate drippings. Chef Linxe says the coating should be thick enough to enable you to pick up the piece of candy, but so thin your teeth do not notice the change from coating to filling.