at Mon, 24 Nov 2003 14:08:58 GMT in <7435f6f0.0311240608.286b6c09
@posting.google.com>, (bugbear) wrote :

>A long time ago I had a "hit" at a meal with a simple
>chocolate sauce...
>I can remember these elements being involved:
>
>* Premium Chocolate (70 % solids, I used Lindt)
>* Unsalted butter.
>* A liquid - when this was added the sauce became very
> "granular". This was temporary, but very frightening.
>* I think the liquid was double cream, ...
>
>Can anyone identify a recipe...

Sounds to me like a classic "sauce ganache". One of the simplest and best
of the chocolate sauces. You can use a double-boiler if you like, although
it really isn't necessary. Anyway, here's what you do:

2 cups cream (I recommend "whipping cream" for the USA)
8-9 oz. bittersweet chocolate (get the best you can find. I recommend
Guittard or Michel Cluizel 72%. Use 8 oz with pure cream, 9 oz with
cream+butter)
(optional) 2 tbsp butter

Grate the bittersweet chocolate in a bowl. Mix butter and cream and heat
over low heat until the first bubbles just barely break the surface. Pour
over the chocolate and stir with a rubber spatula, using a folding motion,
until the mixture is smooth. Either chill if wanted cold, or use if wanted
warm. It's actually better, if you want it warm, to chill it all the way,
then reheat in a double-boiler, but it's a lot of extra effort for only
marginal reward unless you like to make big batches ahead of time. If you
prefer, you can melt the chocolate and butter in a double-boiler first,
then pour the scalded cream over the melted mixture - this avoids the
hassle of having to grate it but there's a risk the ganache may "break" and
stay grainy. The butter is a matter of taste. It makes for a thicker
ganache, but it's best to match fat percentages in cream with the type of
ganache you're making - the stiffer the ganache, the heavier the cream. So
truffle ganache is best with double cream, frosting/filling ganache with
American Heavy Cream (40% fat), sauce ganache with American Whipping Cream
(36% fat). I recommend mixing single and double creams in the UK for the
type of sauce you're making.

--
Alex Rast

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