Chocolate Ganache w/ Rum
Chocolate ganache is far simpler to make that most assume. You can get out the double broiler and make a whole to do about it. Although there is a quick and easy method that does in fact still make an absolutely delicious chocolate ganache! And that's to simply cut up the chocolate into small pieces, pour hot cream over it, and mix until smooth.
For this Rum Chocolate Ganache recipe, I added just a splash of rum to taste. Too much rum and alter the consistency. Although just a tablespoon is sufficient enough to taste without getting in the way! You can substitute your own liquor here. Just make sure to pick something that's strong enough to taste and goes with the flavor of your chocolate. It's a good idea to use high quality ingredients here because it's not cooked down much and you will be able to taste the difference.
Gallery
Cats cannot eat chocolate. As much as Esmérelda here might be enthusiastic about something new? Don't feed cats chocolate. She is merely window dressing in the background.
Variations of Rum Chocolate Ganache
I honestly don't cook with chocolate all that much. I don't make all that many sweet dishes to begin with. So, even trying to come up with three desserts to recommend that are congruous with chocolate ganache was more of a stretch than I thought that it would be! Although I'm incredibly fond of vegan chocolate mousse, peanut butter blossoms, and homemade power bars.
Chocolate Ganache w/ Rum
Equipment
- Large Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 c. heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz. dark chocolate (two 4 oz. bars)
- 1 tbsp. rum dark
Instructions
- Dice, chop, shred, or otherwise make your chocolate smaller. Add to a large heat-safe bowl.The finer the pieces, the smoother consistency your ganache will be. I left mine still pretty coarse for this recipe. The pieces are about as large as you can go with this and it will still turn out. I was just being lazy! Which is kind of an oxymoron given that I made 3 different cheesecakes in 24 hours because I was feeling it for my birthday. But you do you!
- Heat heavy whipping cream until warm, but not boiling.I did this on the stove and stirred constantly until heated. You can likely do this in a microwave. Although I haven't had a microwave in a decade and haven't the foggiest idea how they work any more. Just make sure that it doesn't boil, foam, or curdle.
- Immediately pour cream over chocolate in the bowl you've prepared.
- Whisk the cream constantly, making sure to scrape the sides and incorporate in all of the chocolate.
- Stir in liquor and mix for 2 minutes. The ganache should be smooth, shiny, and the texture of hot fudge.
- Let cool at room temperature until it reaches the consistency that you need it for.Chocolate ganache will harden as it sets. It will still be delicious at any temperature! Although, if you want to keep it runny enough to pour over something like cheesecake? You're going to want to use it in about 10-30 minutes. Otherwise, it will be too warm and runny or too cool and hard to pour.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
- You can refrigerate ganache. It will harden. Although it will become soft and silky again when warmed. Let it warm at room temperature for a few hours or reheat very slowly on the stove.
- High quality chocolate does matter here. If you're finding that the taste is a little lackluster, it's almost entirely depending on the quality of the chocolate. So, this is a time to splurge on something that you find delicious. It helps if it's 60-75% cocoa and has quality cocoa butter. Quality chocolate will typically have a smoother consistency and better texture than baking chocolate.
- Although chocolate ganache will also work still work with just about chocolate. Just keep in mind that you're diluting the chocolate with heavy whipping cream. This means that a dark chocolate will taste more like a milk chocolate, milk chocolate will taste more like a white chocolate, and a white chocolate will pretty much just taste like pure cream.
- The less cocoa butter, the runnier the ganache will be as well. If you're having trouble getting the chocolate to set, use less cream or chocolate with a higher amount of cocoa butter.
This Page Contains Edited Images
As a general rule, I don't like to edit images. Food styling, editing, alteration, and even faking entirely is just as rampant a problem in the recipe realm. Cooking is a very visual art and you can tell when a lot of foods are cooked based on the color. So, when this is altered and you can't use the coloration as a gauge, it makes it quite difficult to follow some recipes. I have an entire article about Food Styling and Unrealistic Expectations of Recipes. My place has very warm lighting, though. So, sometimes my camera overcompensates and ends up with an unnatural hues. I've adjusted the hues, levels, and/or cropped the following images:
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