Chocolatey goodness

Happy March! I hope spring comes to us soon. In the meantime, let's talk ganache! A fabulous cake is elevated to a magnificently fabulous cake when you add a depth to the final product - a layer of ganache cake achieve this beautifully, whether inside or on top of the cake. Ganache is so simple to make, yet people go nuts over it. Essentially you just about boil heavy cream, pour it over chocolate. Let it sit a few minutes and whisk. Voila! Once you've mastered that, try adding different flavors, like vanilla or rum. Alcohol can transform a ganache into a more sophisticated version! Not too much though. Depending on the ratio of chocolate and heavy cream, try adding flavors 1 teaspoon at a time and taste (use a separate spoon each time, please!). Here are some basic recipes to get you started:

Chocolate Ganache
(Gourmet 2001)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

20 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), finely chopped in a food processor

Directions
Bring cream to a simmer in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate until smooth. Transfer ganache to a bowl and chill, covered, stirring occasionally, until thickened but spreadable, about 4 hours. (If ganache becomes too thick, let stand at room temperature until slightly softened.)           


Chocolate Ganache
(Colette Peters recipe)

Ingredients

1. 24 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2. 2 cups heavy cream

Directions

1. Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. In a medium saucepan, bring the cream just to a boil over low heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate, cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk the ganache gently until silky and smooth.
2. To make the filling, transfer 1 1/2 cups of the ganache to a medium bowl. Set the bowl over ice and whisk the ganache gently until thick and spreadable.