Chocolate Linguistics Part 5: Ganache

In defining the terms "truffle" and "bon bon" for Chocolate Linguistics Part 4 all three of my respondents mentioned "ganache." I decided to continue the Chocolate Linguistics tradition by asking three ganache gurus for their input. The question:


In your own words, how do you define " ganache"?



Michael Recchiuti
Owner of Recchiuti Confections and writer of the Recchiuti chocolate blog

Ganache can take on many forms, based on its application as a medium. Ganache can be made with only using chocolate and cream, in a variety of viscosities. This very basic version is normally used for the glazing of cakes, éclairs, or a basic truffle interior. Other forms of ganache are made with chocolate, cream, and butter. This combination will give you a much silkier mouth feel with a higher fat content. Ganache can be made and cooled to a consistency of cake frosting, and used to ice and decorate a cake, or to do something as simple as pipe onto a muffin or cookie.

What I'm trying to say about ganache is that it's extremely versatile and temperature sensitive, which affords you an array of decorative applications. You can always make ganache, and just eat it with a spoon with friends, yum...

John Doyle
Owner of John and Kira's and the man behind the Valentine Lovebugs

Ganache is a little bit of chocolate magic – a delicate emulsion of chocolate and cream perfectly combined with butter and natural flavorings. When done correctly, the silken texture is absolute divinity.

Andrew Shotts
Owner of Garrison Confections and favorite at the James Beard House

A ganache is an emulsion of Chocolate, Cream, and Butter. Now, with that said, one could argue, and I am sure some will as those who read this blog or who have been asked to participate are very passionate about chocolate so therefore they are emotionally wrapped up in chocolate therefore very opinionated about chocolate, that it could have other things included, and I agree. You could steep tea in the cream, add fruit to the emulsion, blend in some praline of some sort. There are infinite possibilities to what a ganache could be flavored with. At the end of the day what you want is a chocolate of some sort blended with hot cream, until dissolved, and cooled to the proper temperature and finished with butter. What we call a well made ganache, here in our kitchen, is "beautiful chocolate mayonnaise." It has the same texture, elasticity, and shine, you just can't make a sandwich with it.....wait a minute....hold that thought and I will get back to you.