Another question - this time about Ganache

[Grace]

I know real ganache is made with whipping cream. Problem is, I don't have any on hand, and I need to make the chocolate topping for eclairs. Does anyone know if I can use 1% milk and maybe butter or something instead of the heavy cream? Or do I really have to trek out to the store JUST for a small container of cream? :rolleyes:

[RebeccaT]

Grace, I have only ever seen ganache made with equal parts whipping cream and chocolate, and sometimes a tablespoon of light corn syrup. I did a search on epicurious, and out of 44 ganache recipes every single one of them used whipping cream!

Sorry I couldn't help! I am sure that's not the answer you wanted to hear!

Editing to add this recipe I found, but I have no idea if the consistency is right or if it's what you want:

Sweet Chocolate Glaze
3 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons orange juice or water
3 tablespoons unsalted margarine or (if not keeping glaze pareve) butter
3 tablespoons sugar

Cook all ingredients in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, whisking until smooth. Cool 5 minutes and then pour warm glaze over cake.

Makes about 1 cup.


Found one more:

Chocolate Glaze
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup sugar
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped coarse

In a small saucepan bring water, corn syrup, and sugar to a simmer over low heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, swirling pan to submerge chocolate in hot syrup. Let chocolate stand in syrup 2 minutes and whisk until smooth.

Makes enough to glaze a 10-cup bundt cake or other tube cake.


Gourmet
February 1997



Gourmet
April 2000

[MinEaston]

I am no expert on ganache, but I'm sitting here thinking you could give it a shot with the milk/butter, since the worst that could happen is that you have to eat the chocolate concoction if it doesn't work out :D

[claire797]

If you have some confectioner's sugar on hand, you could turn it into a chocolate glaze. That's what I'd do. I think lots of eclair recipes call for chocolate glaze rather than ganache anyway.

Or you could just use melted chocolate and butter. Again, it would be a glaze, but it would be yummy.

[MKSquared]

I asked the (really, really cute!) chocolatier at the market about this once. I wanted to make a ganache using hazelnut milk instead of cream. He assured me that you could make ganache using water if you wanted to. (He brought me a tape of Jacques Torres doing it, but I was too chicken to talk to the guy again!)

[Grace]

Thanks for all your replies, guys. All this information gave me the courage to go ahead and try it with milk and butter. It worked fine. As wonderful as ganache? Maybe not. But the taste is just fine. It probably won't be as shiny as ganache either, but believe me, for the completely non-foodie chow hounds down at the office, they won't give a rats you-know-what about whether or not the ganache was shiny...:rolleyes: They'll stuff them in their faces and be gone before they'll even notice. :D

Thanks for your help!