ganache

{{short description|Glaze, icing, sauce, or filling for pastries made from chocolate and cream}}

{{Infobox food

| name = Ganache

| image = 00 Ganaché de chocolate.jpg

| caption = Chocolate ganache being poured into a bowl

| alternate_name =

| country = France

| region =

| creator =

| course =

| type = Chocolate

| served =

| main_ingredient = Dark semi-sweet chocolate, cream

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

}}

Ganache ({{IPAc-en|ɡ|ə|ˈ|n|æ|ʃ}} or {{IPAc-en|ɡ|ə|ˈ|n|ɑː|ʃ}};[http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/Ganache "Ganache"]. Merriam-Webster Online, accessed 27 July 2023 {{IPA|fr|ɡanaʃ|lang}}) is a glaze, icing, sauce, or filling for pastries, made from chocolate and cream.{{cite book

| last = Rombauer

| first = Irma S.

| author2 = Marion Rombauer Becker

| author3 = Ethan Becker

| title = Joy of Cooking

| publisher = Scribner

| year = 2006

| location = New York

| url = https://archive.org/details/joyofcooking00romb_0/page/795

| doi =

| id =

| isbn = 0-7432-4626-8

| page = [https://archive.org/details/joyofcooking00romb_0/page/795 795]

| url-access = registration

| access-date=27 July 2023

}}

In the broad sense of the term, ganache is an emulsion between (melted) solid chocolate (which is made with cocoa butter, the fat phase) and a water-based ingredient, which can be cream, milk or fruit pulp.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zx_5DwAAQBAJ | title=La pâtisserie de référence | publisher=Editions BPI | author1= Zeiher, Pierre | author2=Truchelut, Jean-Michel | year=2020 | pages=301| isbn=978-2-85708-905-6 }} They have a smooth and shiny appearance.{{Cite book |last=The Culinary Institute of America |author-link=The Culinary Institute of America |title=The Professional Chef |publisher=Wiley |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-470-42 135-2 |edition=9th |location=Hoboken, New Jersey |page=1114}} Depending on the ratio of cocoa butter and water in the finished product, ganache can be either semi-solid or liquid at room temperature, which allows its usage in a wide diversity of desserts and confectionery items.{{cite news | url=https://www.mykitchenchannel.com/article/science-chocolate-ganache | title=La science de la ganache au chocolat | work=Fine Cooking | date=May 2019 | accessdate=13 June 2024 | author1=Schloss, Andrew | author2=Joachim, David}}

Preparation

Ganache is a chocolate preparation containing cream. The ratio between these ingredients varies across preparations depending on the final purpose of the ganache: more chocolate than cream will produce a relatively hard ganache appropriate for icing or filling foods, while increasing the ratio makes a "heavy" ganache, appropriate for making truffles.

In preparing a ganache, cream and sometimes butter are heated. If the ganache is being infused with flavorings such as herbs or a tea, they are added to the boiling cream and left to steep for several minutes. After this, liquid is added to bring the ganache to its pre-boiling volume. The heated cream is added to chocolate, left to stand for a few minutes, and then stirred to combine. Finally, liqueurs or flavored pastes are sometimes added.

History

According to Saglio et al, ganache was created accidentally in 1850s France when water was spilled on chocolate.{{Cite journal |last1=Saglio |first1=Aurelie |last2=Bourgeay |first2=Julien |last3=Socrate |first3=Romain |last4=Canette |first4=Alexis |last5=Cuvelier |first5=Gerard |date=October 2018 |title=Understanding the structure of ganache: Link between composition and texture |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1878450X17301373 |journal=International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science |volume=13 |pages=29–37|doi=10.1016/j.ijgfs.2018.05.003 |s2cid=139756329 |access-date=27 July 2023 |url-access=subscription }} Ganache or crème ganache was originally a kind of chocolate truffle introduced by the Paris playwright-turned-confectioner Paul Siraudin, and first documented in 1869.'Jeanne', "Correspondance: Jeanne à Florence", Journal des Demoiselles 37:[https://books.google.com/books?id=nlwEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA27 27] (1869) Siraudin named the sweet after a popular Vaudeville comedy debuted in that year by his contemporary Victorien Sardou called Les Ganaches ("The Chumps").Oxford English Dictionary 3rd edition online, 2015, [http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/34745620 s.v.]

{{cite book

|title=Larousse Gastronomique

|edition=Third English language

|year=2009

|publisher=Hamlyn

|isbn=978-0-600-62042-6|page=488

}}

Ganache-like sweets have probably been made earlier. An example being the German confectioner Jordan & Timaeus, who sold chocolate combining cocoa paste, sugar and fresh milk in 1839 in Dresden.{{cite web | url=https://alumni.tu-dresden.de/magazin/index.php?par=2&vid=223 | title=Rekonstruktion der ersten Milchschokolade gelungen | publisher=Technische Universität Dresden | date=January 2021 | accessdate=16 June 2023 | author=Mayer, Susann | quote=Die Kakaomasse so fein zu mahlen wie heute war z.B. damals nicht möglich. Milchpulver gab es damals nicht, so wurde Flüssigmilch verwendet. „Bei den ersten Versuchen hatte die Masse eher die Textur eines Kaubonbons. Am Ende sind wir bei 60 Prozent Kakao, 30 Prozent Zucker und 10 Prozent Milch angelangt", erzählt Schneider. | trans-quote=For example, it was not possible to grind the cocoa mass as finely as it is today. There was no powdered milk back then, so liquid milk was used. “In the first attempts, the mass had more the texture of a chewy candy. In the end, we ended up with 60 percent cocoa, 30 percent sugar and 10 percent milk," says Schneider.}}

The manufacture of ganache is unregulated, and has been the subject of little academic attention.