Saturday, July 1, 2017

Simply Decadent Ganache with Raspberries

Hello everyone! Mary Jane here with a simple, but deliciously decadent recipe for those days you need something fancy but foolproof. My dad's seventy sixth birthday was this week and although he loves chocolate, he just doesn't want a big to-do. He's a retired nuclear engineer who loves God, books, the quiet, birds, the forest, hiking, and peaceful moments. Sense a theme??
                                                    
(Mmmmm, like the inside of a truffle!)


  So, what do you get for a man who doesn't want a big fuss, but still deserves a little treat? Well, we brought over the guitar and played some oldies but goodies, and then handed him a perfectly sized treat for him and his wife. They're not the type to want or need a big cake, or even a full pie. But a sweet little ramekin of chocolate with a cookie crust is just their style.
Now, this recipe also made a larger ganache dessert, but be prepared if you're making a cute little dish like we were. Of course, it was no hardship to have TWO, but just a warning that this recipe makes more than the little pie you see.
                                                     
You'll need 2 cups of heavy whipping cream.
                                                 
8 oz of good chocolate...
Some basic sugar cookies (not pictured, but imagine about ten cookies crushed).
Mix the crushed cookies with 2 TBS of melted butter. Press into the ramekin. Bake at 275F for 10-15 minutes. Let cool.

                                                       
You can microwave the heavy cream and the chocolate, but I'm always afraid I'm going to burn it, so I melt it together in a pan on the stove, stirring constantly over medium heat. When it's all melted, pour into the cookie crust.
                                                      
Let cool overnight in the fridge, or at least two hours. This part is important. Otherwise you just have melted chocolate. When it's chilled, it gives it that velvety smooth texture.

 Line with raspberries or strawberries or chocolate shavings.
                                                          
(Fresh picked berries from down the road!)
We also tried a recipe that included mixing in a few TBS of raspberry jam. Meh. I liked the flavor, but maybe if it was strained... I didn't like the seeds IN the chocolate.
 Oh my goodness. So smooth and chocolatey...
Annnnnnd a close up...

 Ok, that's all for now! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and be sure to stop by my author pages Mary Jane Hathaway or Virginia Carmichael for all my book news!










6 comments:

  1. I never thought of using a ganache as a pie filling... and now I'm in love! What a great idea, Mary Jane!

    And yes, just enough.... for my breakfast. And then the other one for second breakfast. And then perhaps a third for elevensies????? :)

    Wonderful ideas and I love the fresh fruit topping... But I could also see a strained raspberry pie filling topping being wonderful, too... and then the chocolate shavings.

    Now I'm hungrier.

    And inspired!

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    1. Mmmmmm, strained raspberries with a little gelatin, then chocolate shavings sounds PERFECT.

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  2. Hmmm...just the name 'ganache' sounds decadent. When you say good chocolate do you mean you can use any high quality chocolate? Instead of baking chocolate? And I'm guessing if it's baking chocolate you'd use semi-sweet? Must try this. I was trying to make up a Boston Cream kind of pie a few weeks ago and couldn't figure out how to make the chocolate topping and this sounds like it would be perfect!

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    Replies
    1. The recipes I read all said do NOT use baking chocolate. Not sure why. We use it all the time. But I took that tip to heart and just grabbed a few bars of higher quality chocolate. Good luck!

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  3. Oh my goodness, this looks so yummy!! I must try this!!

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  4. Mmmm....ganache....

    I think I could live on ganache. :)

    And it makes such an elegant dessert!

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