Chocolate Ganache 101

Chop. Pour. Stir. Those three basic steps are all there is to making an irresistible batch of ganache. Despite its French name, ganache is nothing elaborate — chopped chocolate melted in heated heavy cream, with just a bit of salt to bring out the flavor — and it can be used in a multitude of ways.

Our basic ganache recipe (which can easily be multiplied) is the base for all the variations that follow. First, coarsely chop 8 ounces of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (we like 61 percent cacao). A serrated knife is best for the job; its sawlike teeth grab the chocolate, breaking it up.

Bring 1 cup heavy cream just to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate and add 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt. Let stand for 10 minutes (don't stir — doing so will cool the ganache too quickly, making it grainy).

Stir with a whisk until smooth and shiny to break up any pieces and emulsify the cream and chocolate.

Chocolate will often settle on the bottom or sides of the bowl. Scrape the dish with a rubber spatula to incorporate all of it.

If the fat starts to separate from the cream, much like the oil in a vinaigrette, fret not. To bring a "broken" ganache back, whisk in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is smooth and emulsified again. Resist the impulse to add cream, which will disrupt the ratio of chocolate to fat (generally, one ounce chopped chocolate for every fluid ounce of heavy cream — plus 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt for every eight ounces chocolate).

While it's still warm, ganache can be poured directly from the bowl over a cake for a can't-fail glaze. Or piped into tartlets. Or it can be cooled to room temperature and whipped into a fluffy frosting or whoopie pie filling. Mixed with some peanut butter, chilled, and rolled, it turns into truffles.

While ganache is still hot and fluid, it makes a showstopping pour-on cake glaze or a glossy filling for tartlets. Before pouring the ganache, set cake on a wire rack over a baking sheet. The excess will pool in the tray and you'll be able to cleanly lift the cake away (and equally important, reuse any leftovers).

For more precise applications, such as filling tartlets, use a disposable pastry bag with a small opening, which will provide control as you pipe the liquid.

When beaten at room temperature, ganache fluffs up like whipped cream (which, given its heavy-cream content, makes perfect sense). For a smoother and denser frosting, whip the ganache less; for a fluffier, lighter one, whip it longer.

Ganache that has cooled to room temperature can be used as a whipped filling. As it cools, stir often for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Beat it with a mixer on medium-high speed until paler and fluffy, 2 to 4 minutes. (1 1/2 cups ganache will yield about 2 cups when whipped.) Transfer to a disposable pastry bag with a large opening and use it as a filling for mini whoopie pies.

Alternatively, spread whipped ganache frosting over cupcakes.

Refrigerated and firmed up, ganache has the perfect texture for rolling into truffles. The batch here was flavored with peanut butter. Adding liqueur or a flavored extract is another option, as is rolling straight-up chilled ganache.

Immediately after making the ganache, add it little by little to 1 cup smooth peanut butter, whisking constantly, until smooth. Refrigerate in a 5-by-8 1/2-inch glass loaf pan, covered, until firm, 4 hours to overnight. Scoop with a 1 1/4-inch ice cream scoop and roll into smooth balls with your palms. (If mixture softens, refrigerate until firm.) You will have about 28 truffles.

Roll each in unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, tapping gently to remove excess. Refrigerate in mini baking cups for 30 minutes (or up to 4 days).

Just when you think you've run through all the possibilities, there are more: You can alter the richness depending on the percentage of cacao beans in the chocolate. And not a drop should go to waste. When you glaze a cake and some spatters off to the side, scoop it up and serve it over ice cream or crepes. Or mix it with warm milk, and tuck into a nice cup of hot chocolate.

For more recipes and tips, check out MarthaStewart.com:

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