Bourboning up a ganache
I'm making this bete noire for tomorrow: La Bete Noire I have yet to screw up this recipe. It's easy, and will satisfy most hedonists.
It is a little one-note though. I'd like to add some bourbon to the ganache, which is just 1 cup heavy whipping cream and 8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped, in the original recipe.
How much bourbon would be safe to add, and do I need to alter the recipe in any other way? It would be bad if it failed to set.
Best Answer
The rule of thumb when spiking a ganache is to
- either reduce the cream by the same amount or
- add double the amount of chocolate (by weight).
So for one ounce of alcohol you either leave out one ounce of cream or add another two ounces of chocolate.
That said, yours is a slightly lighter ganache than the usual 1 part cream / 2 parts chocolate and a slight variation in texture probably won’t be much of an issue as long as it doesn’t flow down, so I wouldn’t worry too much. Aim for an adjustment roughly as given above and you should be fine - start with one shot, see how that turns out. Too much alcohol is probably overwhelming rather than interesting, but there’s no absolute scale for taste.
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How do you sweeten chocolate ganache?
You can sweeten it slightly by adding a tablespoon of granulated sugar to the heavy cream. As the cream warms, the sugar will dissolve and blend beautifully into the ganache. Also, a tablespoon of corn syrup works wonderfully for adding a slight sweetness. Plus it adds a gorgeous shine to the chocolate ganache.How do you stabilize ganache?
Heat the cream Pour over the chopped chocolate and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the hot cream to melt the chocolate and to allow the overall temperature to reduce because emulsions like ganache form better at 90 to 110\xb0F. The higher the fat content of the cream, the richer and more stable the ganache will be.How do you stiffen ganache frosting?
The more chocolate the better when it comes to thickening ganache. According to the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), thickening a ganache is as easy as simply adding more chocolate. The consistency of your ganache will depend on the ratio of heavy cream to chocolate.How do you fix Overwhipped ganache?
Over-whipping your ganache can ruin its soft, mousselike appearance and give it a grainy texture. You can salvage and fix your grainy whipped ganache, rather than letting it go to waste, by reheating, melting and whipping the mixture again. Pour the grainy ganache into a stainless steel bowl.The Science Behind Chocolate Ganache - Kitchen Conundrums with Thomas Joseph
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