Ganache

Ganache (/ɡəˈnæʃ/ or /ɡəˈnɑːʃ/;^[1] French: [ɡanaʃ]) is a glaze, icing, sauce, or filling for pastries, made from chocolate and cream.^[2]

Ganache

Chocolate ganache being poured into a bowl
Type	Chocolate
Place of origin	France
Main ingredients	Dark semi-sweet chocolate, cream
Media: Ganache

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.^[3] They have a smooth and shiny appearance.^[4] 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.^[5]

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.^[4]

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.^[4]

History

According to Saglio et al, ganache was created accidentally in 1850s France when water was spilled on chocolate.^[6] 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.^[7] Siraudin named the sweet after a popular Vaudeville comedy debuted in that year by his contemporary Victorien Sardou called Les Ganaches ("The Chumps").^[8][9]

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.^[10]

The manufacture of ganache is unregulated, and has been the subject of little academic attention.^[6]

Gallery

• 
  Ganache being poured atop a cake
• 
  Peanut butter fudge covered in ganache
• 
  A chocolate cake with ganache frosting
• A video of making ganache
• 
  Shiny appearance of ganache

See also

• Food portal

• Enrobing — a chocolate coating process
• Chocolate tempering