I made a load of this for a cake a while back & froze the leftovers. I
had TONS left over. First time, so I didn't know how much I needed.

Is it possible to thaw, melt & re-use? Will it set up like it should?

BTW, I used a 50/50 recipe of cream & bittersweet.

But but but.... where is the recipe? Please post!

F.J.

"Denise Lane" > wrote in message
...
>
> I made a load of this for a cake a while back & froze the leftovers. I
> had TONS left over. First time, so I didn't know how much I needed.
>
> Is it possible to thaw, melt & re-use? Will it set up like it should?
>
> BTW, I used a 50/50 recipe of cream & bittersweet.

Fudge wrote (I undid top-posting, which causes crabs):

>> BTW, I used a 50/50 recipe of cream & bittersweet.
>
> But but but.... where is the recipe? Please post!

Do you really not know? Okay, I'll humor you:


50/50 Cream & Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache

50 dekagrams bittersweet chocolate, grated
50 dekagrams cream

Put both ingredients into a double boiler over barely simmering water. Stir
gently until chocolate is melted and fully incorporated into the cream.
Makes 1 kilogram of ganache.

PRECAUTIONS:
Ganache is not a low-calorie food.
Keep ganache away from your dog.
Ganache will stain white suede leather.
Ganache cannot be used as a substitute for brake fluid in your car.
Do not throw ganache at an electric fan.


Bob

I'm not sure freezing was the best idea. But ganache can definitely be
reused once chilled.

What you can do is let it thaw and make truffles out of it. Use a
small spoon or small ice cream scoop to scoop out the truffles. Roll
until round in your hands and chill until firm again. Then toss them
in confectioner's sugar, regular sugar, cocoa powder, chopped roasted
nuts, or redip in melted chocolate or ganache. Should work fine even
if it was a 50% ratio. They'll just be softer than normal.

Ciao,
T.

Denise Lane > wrote in message >...
> I made a load of this for a cake a while back & froze the leftovers. I
> had TONS left over. First time, so I didn't know how much I needed.
>
> Is it possible to thaw, melt & re-use? Will it set up like it should?
>
> BTW, I used a 50/50 recipe of cream & bittersweet.

I'm not sure freezing was the best idea. But ganache can definitely be
reused once chilled.

What you can do is let it thaw and make truffles out of it. Use a
small spoon or small ice cream scoop to scoop out the truffles. Roll
until round in your hands and chill until firm again. Then toss them
in confectioner's sugar, regular sugar, cocoa powder, chopped roasted
nuts, or redip in melted chocolate or ganache. Should work fine even
if it was a 50% ratio. They'll just be softer than normal.

Ciao,
T.

Denise Lane > wrote in message >...
> I made a load of this for a cake a while back & froze the leftovers. I
> had TONS left over. First time, so I didn't know how much I needed.
>
> Is it possible to thaw, melt & re-use? Will it set up like it should?
>
> BTW, I used a 50/50 recipe of cream & bittersweet.

Bob wrote:
> Fudge wrote (I undid top-posting, which causes crabs):
>
>>>BTW, I used a 50/50 recipe of cream & bittersweet.
>>
>>But but but.... where is the recipe? Please post!
>
> Do you really not know? Okay, I'll humor you:
>
> 50/50 Cream & Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache
>
> 50 dekagrams bittersweet chocolate, grated
> 50 dekagrams cream
>
> Put both ingredients into a double boiler over barely simmering water. Stir
> gently until chocolate is melted and fully incorporated into the cream.
> Makes 1 kilogram of ganache.

Actually, how I was told was 16 oz Bittersweet chopped finely and 16 oz
heavy cream. Bring the cream to a simmer, and then pour over the
chocolate. let sit for a few minutes. Stir (not whip) together. let
sit & cool till slightly thickened & ready to pour over a cake.

Bob wrote:
> Fudge wrote (I undid top-posting, which causes crabs):
>
>>>BTW, I used a 50/50 recipe of cream & bittersweet.
>>
>>But but but.... where is the recipe? Please post!
>
> Do you really not know? Okay, I'll humor you:
>
> 50/50 Cream & Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache
>
> 50 dekagrams bittersweet chocolate, grated
> 50 dekagrams cream
>
> Put both ingredients into a double boiler over barely simmering water. Stir
> gently until chocolate is melted and fully incorporated into the cream.
> Makes 1 kilogram of ganache.

Actually, how I was told was 16 oz Bittersweet chopped finely and 16 oz
heavy cream. Bring the cream to a simmer, and then pour over the
chocolate. let sit for a few minutes. Stir (not whip) together. let
sit & cool till slightly thickened & ready to pour over a cake.

TP wrote:

> I'm not sure freezing was the best idea. But ganache can definitely be
> reused once chilled.

Hrm, I froze because I knew I wouldn't be using it anytime soon & didn't
want to waste it.

I suppose my question is, can it be brought back to use as a pourable
glaze.

> What you can do is let it thaw and make truffles out of it. Use a
> small spoon or small ice cream scoop to scoop out the truffles. Roll
> until round in your hands and chill until firm again. Then toss them
> in confectioner's sugar, regular sugar, cocoa powder, chopped roasted
> nuts, or redip in melted chocolate or ganache. Should work fine even
> if it was a 50% ratio. They'll just be softer than normal.

Yummy.

I also just watched on Good Eats that I could whip it & use it as a
frosting. I think if I did that I'd want to put an extract or liqueur
in it.

at Sat, 30 Oct 2004 08:09:59 GMT in >,
(Denise Lane) wrote :

>
>I made a load of this for a cake a while back & froze the leftovers. I
>had TONS left over. First time, so I didn't know how much I needed.
>
>Is it possible to thaw, melt & re-use? Will it set up like it should?
>
>BTW, I used a 50/50 recipe of cream & bittersweet.

Don't melt it in an attempt to re-use. What will happen is that the cocoa
butter will separate and you will be left, once everything cools, with a
congealed cocoa butter mass and a thick chocolate paste. It will become
very obvious that things are separating during the melting process,
probably causing panicked and desperate attempts to get them to re-
integrate, usually employing some kind of frenetic stirring. It *can* be
rescued, but you'll have to temper the mix, just like chocolate, by rapidly
cooling some of the mix carefully while constantly spooning it around, then
stirring with the remaining mix, and cooling the whole until it becomes
smooth again. However, at that point it will be closer to spreadable than
pourable.

But 50-50 ganache is infinitely versatile. You can use it as an easy
frosting or filling. Just spread in place. It's good for making hot
chocolate - pour warm milk over the mix and stir. You can use it as a
decadent bread spread. It's good for making frosting-like decorations,
because you can put it in a pastry bag and pipe it onto desserts. You can
stir ground nuts into it for a dense, delicious confection appropriate at
this time of year (hazelnuts are the best). It's not difficult to figure
out thousands of variations.

Frost/fill cookies and cakes only when they're completely cool, because it
will otherwise melt and separate.
--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

at Sat, 30 Oct 2004 08:09:59 GMT in >,
(Denise Lane) wrote :

>
>I made a load of this for a cake a while back & froze the leftovers. I
>had TONS left over. First time, so I didn't know how much I needed.
>
>Is it possible to thaw, melt & re-use? Will it set up like it should?
>
>BTW, I used a 50/50 recipe of cream & bittersweet.

Don't melt it in an attempt to re-use. What will happen is that the cocoa
butter will separate and you will be left, once everything cools, with a
congealed cocoa butter mass and a thick chocolate paste. It will become
very obvious that things are separating during the melting process,
probably causing panicked and desperate attempts to get them to re-
integrate, usually employing some kind of frenetic stirring. It *can* be
rescued, but you'll have to temper the mix, just like chocolate, by rapidly
cooling some of the mix carefully while constantly spooning it around, then
stirring with the remaining mix, and cooling the whole until it becomes
smooth again. However, at that point it will be closer to spreadable than
pourable.

But 50-50 ganache is infinitely versatile. You can use it as an easy
frosting or filling. Just spread in place. It's good for making hot
chocolate - pour warm milk over the mix and stir. You can use it as a
decadent bread spread. It's good for making frosting-like decorations,
because you can put it in a pastry bag and pipe it onto desserts. You can
stir ground nuts into it for a dense, delicious confection appropriate at
this time of year (hazelnuts are the best). It's not difficult to figure
out thousands of variations.

Frost/fill cookies and cakes only when they're completely cool, because it
will otherwise melt and separate.
--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Denise Lane wrote:

> I made a load of this for a cake a while back & froze the leftovers. I
> had TONS left over. First time, so I didn't know how much I needed.
>
> Is it possible to thaw, melt & re-use? Will it set up like it should?
>
> BTW, I used a 50/50 recipe of cream & bittersweet.

FWIW, it is advised when thawing frozen chocolates to defrost it slowly in
the fridge to prevent it from going grainy. Since ganache is just melted
chocolate and cream I suppose who could try reheating it.

Denise Lane wrote:

> I made a load of this for a cake a while back & froze the leftovers. I
> had TONS left over. First time, so I didn't know how much I needed.
>
> Is it possible to thaw, melt & re-use? Will it set up like it should?
>
> BTW, I used a 50/50 recipe of cream & bittersweet.

FWIW, it is advised when thawing frozen chocolates to defrost it slowly in
the fridge to prevent it from going grainy. Since ganache is just melted
chocolate and cream I suppose who could try reheating it.

Alex Rast wrote:

> at Sat, 30 Oct 2004 08:09:59 GMT in =
om>,=20
> (Denise Lane) wrote :
>=20
>>I made a load of this for a cake a while back & froze the leftovers. I=
=20
>>had TONS left over. First time, so I didn't know how much I needed.
>>
>>Is it possible to thaw, melt & re-use? Will it set up like it should?
>>
>>BTW, I used a 50/50 recipe of cream & bittersweet.
>=20
>=20
> Don't melt it in an attempt to re-use. What will happen is that the coc=
oa=20
> butter will separate and you will be left, once everything cools, with =
a=20
> congealed cocoa butter mass and a thick chocolate paste. It will become=
=20
> very obvious that things are separating during the melting process,=20
> probably causing panicked and desperate attempts to get them to re-
> integrate, usually employing some kind of frenetic stirring. It *can* b=
e=20
> rescued, but you'll have to temper the mix, just like chocolate, by rap=
idly=20
> cooling some of the mix carefully while constantly spooning it around, =
then=20
> stirring with the remaining mix, and cooling the whole until it becomes=
=20
> smooth again. However, at that point it will be closer to spreadable th=
an=20
> pourable.=20

In my restaurants, we routinely made large batches of ganache and=20
froze what we weren't using that day. Thawing and gently warming=20
rendered them liquid again without separation. We let them warm to=20
kitchen temperature sitting on a worktable, and then warmed them over=20
90=B0F water, stirring now and again. Then use as usual.

Around tempering temperature, but not actually that process.

Pastorio

> But 50-50 ganache is infinitely versatile. You can use it as an easy=20
> frosting or filling. Just spread in place. It's good for making hot=20
> chocolate - pour warm milk over the mix and stir. You can use it as a=20
> decadent bread spread. It's good for making frosting-like decorations, =

> because you can put it in a pastry bag and pipe it onto desserts. You c=
an=20
> stir ground nuts into it for a dense, delicious confection appropriate =
at=20
> this time of year (hazelnuts are the best). It's not difficult to figur=
e=20
> out thousands of variations.
>=20
> Frost/fill cookies and cakes only when they're completely cool, because=
it=20
> will otherwise melt and separate.

at Tue, 02 Nov 2004 00:48:52 GMT in >,
(Bob (this one)) wrote :

>Alex Rast wrote:
>
>> at Sat, 30 Oct 2004 08:09:59 GMT in
>> >,
>> (Denise Lane) wrote :
>>
>>>I made a load of this for a cake a while back & froze the leftovers.
>>>I had TONS left over. First time, so I didn't know how much I needed.
>>>Is it possible to thaw, melt & re-use? Will it set up like it should?
>> ...
>> Don't melt it in an attempt to re-use. What will happen is that the
>> cocoa butter will separate and you will be left, once everything
>> cools, with a congealed cocoa butter mass and a thick chocolate paste.
....
>In my restaurants, we routinely made large batches of ganache and
>froze what we weren't using that day. Thawing and gently warming
>rendered them liquid again without separation. We let them warm to
>kitchen temperature sitting on a worktable, and then warmed them over
>90°F water, stirring now and again. Then use as usual.
>

Good method. Yes, that should work. I was thinking the OP would try melting
in the normal way - over a double-boiler. One issue with your method is
that you will have to be careful about getting the right water temperature,
and there aren't too many kitchen thermometers that do a good job of
reading temperature with precision in that range. I'm tempted to say use an
outdoor thermometer (i.e. the ones you use to find out how hot or cold it
is today), but I'd be concerned with safety issues. You can get specific
"tempering thermometers" which are accurate in the crucial range, although
they require some searching. These are ideal.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

at Tue, 02 Nov 2004 00:48:52 GMT in >,
(Bob (this one)) wrote :

>Alex Rast wrote:
>
>> at Sat, 30 Oct 2004 08:09:59 GMT in
>> >,
>> (Denise Lane) wrote :
>>
>>>I made a load of this for a cake a while back & froze the leftovers.
>>>I had TONS left over. First time, so I didn't know how much I needed.
>>>Is it possible to thaw, melt & re-use? Will it set up like it should?
>> ...
>> Don't melt it in an attempt to re-use. What will happen is that the
>> cocoa butter will separate and you will be left, once everything
>> cools, with a congealed cocoa butter mass and a thick chocolate paste.
....
>In my restaurants, we routinely made large batches of ganache and
>froze what we weren't using that day. Thawing and gently warming
>rendered them liquid again without separation. We let them warm to
>kitchen temperature sitting on a worktable, and then warmed them over
>90°F water, stirring now and again. Then use as usual.
>

Good method. Yes, that should work. I was thinking the OP would try melting
in the normal way - over a double-boiler. One issue with your method is
that you will have to be careful about getting the right water temperature,
and there aren't too many kitchen thermometers that do a good job of
reading temperature with precision in that range. I'm tempted to say use an
outdoor thermometer (i.e. the ones you use to find out how hot or cold it
is today), but I'd be concerned with safety issues. You can get specific
"tempering thermometers" which are accurate in the crucial range, although
they require some searching. These are ideal.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Alex Rast wrote:

> Don't melt it in an attempt to re-use. What will happen is that the cocoa

Thanks for all the tips & yummy ideas! I think I'll try to implement
some of them instead of trying to re-use as a pourable ganache.

Alex Rast wrote:

> Don't melt it in an attempt to re-use. What will happen is that the cocoa

Thanks for all the tips & yummy ideas! I think I'll try to implement
some of them instead of trying to re-use as a pourable ganache.

Alex Rast wrote:

> at Tue, 02 Nov 2004 00:48:52 GMT in =
>,
> (Bob (this one)) wrote :=20
>=20
>=20
>>Alex Rast wrote:
>>
>>
>>>at Sat, 30 Oct 2004 08:09:59 GMT in
>,
>>>(Denise Lane) wrote :=20
>>>
>>>
>>>>I made a load of this for a cake a while back & froze the leftovers. =

>>>>I had TONS left over. First time, so I didn't know how much I needed=
=2E
>>>>Is it possible to thaw, melt & re-use? Will it set up like it should=
?
>>>
>>>...=20
>>>Don't melt it in an attempt to re-use. What will happen is that the
>>>cocoa butter will separate and you will be left, once everything
>>>cools, with a congealed cocoa butter mass and a thick chocolate paste.=

>=20
> ...
>=20
>>In my restaurants, we routinely made large batches of ganache and=20
>>froze what we weren't using that day. Thawing and gently warming=20
>>rendered them liquid again without separation. We let them warm to=20
>>kitchen temperature sitting on a worktable, and then warmed them over=20
>>90=B0F water, stirring now and again. Then use as usual.
>>
>=20
>=20
> Good method. Yes, that should work. I was thinking the OP would try mel=
ting=20
> in the normal way - over a double-boiler. One issue with your method is=
=20
> that you will have to be careful about getting the right water temperat=
ure,=20
> and there aren't too many kitchen thermometers that do a good job of=20
> reading temperature with precision in that range. I'm tempted to say us=
e an=20
> outdoor thermometer (i.e. the ones you use to find out how hot or cold =
it=20
> is today), but I'd be concerned with safety issues. You can get specifi=
c=20
> "tempering thermometers" which are accurate in the crucial range, altho=
ugh=20
> they require some searching. These are ideal.=20

Once the cream is added to the chocolate, tempering is no longer a=20
question. It can be heated safely to 120=B0F or more with no real=20
damage. Most quick read thermometers will do a perfectly adequate job=20
of it. The temperature of the water just needs to be kept under about=20
130=B0F and it'll be fine.

Tempering only matters when dealing with chocolate, not ganache.

Pastorio

Alex Rast wrote:

> at Tue, 02 Nov 2004 00:48:52 GMT in =
>,
> (Bob (this one)) wrote :=20
>=20
>=20
>>Alex Rast wrote:
>>
>>
>>>at Sat, 30 Oct 2004 08:09:59 GMT in
>,
>>>(Denise Lane) wrote :=20
>>>
>>>
>>>>I made a load of this for a cake a while back & froze the leftovers. =

>>>>I had TONS left over. First time, so I didn't know how much I needed=
=2E
>>>>Is it possible to thaw, melt & re-use? Will it set up like it should=
?
>>>
>>>...=20
>>>Don't melt it in an attempt to re-use. What will happen is that the
>>>cocoa butter will separate and you will be left, once everything
>>>cools, with a congealed cocoa butter mass and a thick chocolate paste.=

>=20
> ...
>=20
>>In my restaurants, we routinely made large batches of ganache and=20
>>froze what we weren't using that day. Thawing and gently warming=20
>>rendered them liquid again without separation. We let them warm to=20
>>kitchen temperature sitting on a worktable, and then warmed them over=20
>>90=B0F water, stirring now and again. Then use as usual.
>>
>=20
>=20
> Good method. Yes, that should work. I was thinking the OP would try mel=
ting=20
> in the normal way - over a double-boiler. One issue with your method is=
=20
> that you will have to be careful about getting the right water temperat=
ure,=20
> and there aren't too many kitchen thermometers that do a good job of=20
> reading temperature with precision in that range. I'm tempted to say us=
e an=20
> outdoor thermometer (i.e. the ones you use to find out how hot or cold =
it=20
> is today), but I'd be concerned with safety issues. You can get specifi=
c=20
> "tempering thermometers" which are accurate in the crucial range, altho=
ugh=20
> they require some searching. These are ideal.=20

Once the cream is added to the chocolate, tempering is no longer a=20
question. It can be heated safely to 120=B0F or more with no real=20
damage. Most quick read thermometers will do a perfectly adequate job=20
of it. The temperature of the water just needs to be kept under about=20
130=B0F and it'll be fine.

Tempering only matters when dealing with chocolate, not ganache.

Pastorio

Denise Lane wrote:

> Alex Rast wrote:
>
>> Don't melt it in an attempt to re-use. What will happen is that the cocoa
>
>
> Thanks for all the tips & yummy ideas! I think I'll try to implement
> some of them instead of trying to re-use as a pourable ganache.

Reuse it as a pourable ganache. It'll be fine.

Pastorio

Denise Lane wrote:

> Alex Rast wrote:
>
>> Don't melt it in an attempt to re-use. What will happen is that the cocoa
>
>
> Thanks for all the tips & yummy ideas! I think I'll try to implement
> some of them instead of trying to re-use as a pourable ganache.

Reuse it as a pourable ganache. It'll be fine.

Pastorio