Bittersweet Ganache Frosting

[rising_moon]

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
16 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1/3 cup light karo syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Heat cream to a boil. Shave/chop the chocolate blocks into tiny shards and put them in a mixing-bowl.
Pour cream into mixing bowl, stirring the chocolate as it melts. Stir until the chocolate is smooth and shiny. [NB: At this point you have a ganache.]
Mix in the karo syrup. Let stand for 3 minutes.
Mix in the vanilla. Chill, stirring occasionally, for about an hour, until thick but still spreadable.

Voilá.

Comments

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

Sounds nice and easy! For my own use, I think I'll try subbing sugar-free almond syrup for the Karo....

[coraline]

...almond syrup? i am intruiged! what is it?
(i too was wondering what if anything to subtitute for the karo, because i'd never seen a ganache recipe that included it before...)

[dreda.livejournal.com]

I suspect it's because the recipe is actually billed as "Chocolate Cream Frosting," and presumably it adds some sort of stability? Not sure - it's from The Best Recipe, but it's a variation on something else so I don't think they wrote up why. I can look, though...

[coraline]

interesting. i'll have to go check my copy (and the website) and see if they say anything useful about the chemistry involved :)

(mmmmmm cook's illsutrated.)

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

...almond syrup? i am intruiged! what is it?

Also known as orgeat or orzata. I first discovered it at the Sated Tyger ::mumble:: years ago....

There are quite a number of brands of flavored syrup to add to coffe, or mix with soda water; we use Da Vinci Gourmet because they also have a sugar-free line sweetened with Splenda.

[coraline]

oh, so just a sugar syrup flavored with almond. i assumed you meant syrup made from almonds which would be much more interesting :)

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

Harrumph. Well, if "interesting" is a priority, I suppose you could start with some almond milk, add sugar, and heat as you would to make a simple syrup :-) (IIRC, there's a recipe for something like orgeat syrup in one of the Catalan sources; unfortunately, gremlins seem to have made off with part of my copy of Libre de Sent Sovi, so I won't be able to check right away....)

[coraline]

oo except that comment obviously should have had this icon:

[katasutra.livejournal.com]

<3-ing the icon, and suddenly missing the book!

[madmikey.livejournal.com]

shovel into mouth until gone or heart failure occurs.

[rising-moon.livejournal.com]

Yup. (*erp*)

[katasutra.livejournal.com]

My favorite thing about this post (aside, yes, from the tantilisation of its contents) is the fact that I keep (mis-)reading "Bittersweet" as "Banana." So I have this quick flash of, "Banana Ganache? How'd they do that? Oh right." Followed by quick, internal forehead smiting.

:)

[rising-moon.livejournal.com]

Bittersweet/Banana. No smiting. Sounds very Chunky Monkey and quite possible.

That's the danger of a little knowledge. One taste of my Lady's cayenne truffles and you think, what else could we put in a ganache? Mwahahaha...

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

That would go great on my "All-American Chocolate Butter Cake"...

(the only kind of cake I've ever made from scratch, but not the last now that I know the difference)

[oneagain.livejournal.com]

Hi there! I just saw Leo's wishes for a happy birthday. The username seemed familiar so I looked at your profile--I know who you are! I used to live in Dedham with a woman you made music with (who I don't speak with any longer) if gives you a clue. And I am close with gravitrue, who also used to live in Dedham with me. If you have not figured out who I am, drop me a line and I will reveal myself. Oh--and you came to look at a room I had for rent in Winter HIll a while back.

How do you feel about being friended by the likes of me?

[rising-moon.livejournal.com]

Well hello there! I do know who you are, and would be delighted to make your LJ acquaintance. :)