This is both easy and versatile. I’ve added the recipe for a chocolate ganache mousse after the basic ganache recipe. The recipe uses gelatin to stabalize the mousse in case you want to make it ahead of time or intend to top it with a fruit compote. If you’re just going to serve it the same day you make it, you don’t need to use the gelatin.
Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
- 216g chopped chocolate (I use semiisweet chcolate chips)
- 240 ml Heavy whipping cream (1 Cup)
Instructions
- Place chocolate in small, heat-proof bowl
- Heat cream in small saucepan over medum low heat until just simmering. Do not boil!
- Pour heated cream over chocolate chips, bing sure to cover the chips.
- Cover the bowl with a small plate and wait five minutes for the chocolate to melt. Do not stir yet!!!
- After five minutes, use a small whisk to stir the chocolate and cream mixture. At first this will look like cream with swirls of chocolate in it, but after a minute or so, the chocolate and cream will form an emulsion. That's your ganache!
- Let the emulsion cool. How long depends on what you're going to do with it. See below.
Notes
For a drip cake, let the emulsion cool about 20 minutes or to about a temperature of 90F. The same cooling time works if you are using the ganache as a base for a chocolate mousse.
If you want to whip the ganache and use it as a frosting, the same cooling time works. The whipped version at room temperature has a texture somewhat like butter cream frosting but with less sugary sweetness. It makes a great frosting for cookies.
Chocolate Ganache Mousse
Ingredients
- 1/2 TSP unflavored gelatin
- 1 TBSP Cold water
- 1 C Cold heavy whipping cream
- 1-2 TBSP Powdered sugar
- 1/2 TSP Almond extract (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the ganache as above and pour it into a mixing bowl to cool. The bowl should be large enough to hold your mousse since this is where you will prepare it..
- Chill the mixing bowl and the beaters you will use to whip the cream. Ten minutes the refrigerator should be fine. You can do this while you're waiting for the ganache to cool.
- Bloom the gelatin in the cold water in a small, heat-proof bowl. Let it sit for five minutes until it forms a sponge
- Microwave the the gelatin for 5-8 seconds until it melts into a clear liquid. Let it cool for 2 minutes. I must be liquid but not hot.
- Whip the cream and sugar in the chiilled bowl until it just begins to thicken. It should still be lilquid, not soft peaks.
- Stream. While the mixer is running on slow speed, drizzle the liquid gelatin directly into the cream. Avoid the beaters or the sides of the bowl.
- Finish the whipped cream. Add the almond extract if using and whip the cream to soft peaks. Avoid stiff peaks since that will result in a grainy texture for the mousse.
- Loosen the ganache. Now place one third of whipped cream in the bowl with the cooled ganache. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the cream and ganache together to loosen the chocolate..
- Finish the mousse. Fold the remaing whipped cream into the bowl with the ganache. Use sweeping motions, folding the mixture over itself and rotating the bowl as you repeat. Stop when chocolate streaks disappear and the air is still trapped inside.
- Spoon or pipe the mousse into your serving dish. That could be a pre-baked pie shell, serving glasses for a parfait, or a cake mold.
- Chill at least four hours to set.
Notes
Using gelatin gives youy a more stable mousse that should last at least 24 hours in the refrigerator, even if you top it with whipped cream or a fruit compote.
I’ve used this to make a French silk pie instead of the usual filling, which requires eggs. It’s not quite as rich, but still quite good. French silk pie is traditionally topped with whipped cream, so using geliatin in the mousse keeps the topping from bleeding into the mousse.
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