This mother recipe is a breeze as long as you follow the steps and understand when ingredients are added and why. Melted together, the white chocolate and butter create a basic bond. The addition of glucose, needed for the texture it imparts, then breaks that bond. Cold heavy cream comes to the rescue, emulsifying the broken bond and forming a new, stronger bond. The pumpkin puree and seasonings are added last for flavor and additional body. Note that you must use a hand blender in this recipe, and for the other ganaches in this chapter.
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 340 g (1 1/4 cups)
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Combine the white chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe dish and gently melt them in the microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring between blasts. The result should be barely warm to the touch and totally homogenous.
Step 2
Transfer the chocolate mixture to a container that can accommodate an immersion blender—something tall and narrow, like a 1-quart plastic deli container. Warm the glucose in the microwave for 15 seconds, then immediately add to the chocolate mixture and buzz with the hand blender. After a minute, stream in the heavy cream, with the hand blender running—the mixture will come together into something silky, shiny, and smooth.
Step 3
Blend in the pumpkin puree, salt, and cinnamon. Put the ganache in the fridge to firm up before using, at least 4 hours, or, ideally, overnight. Stored in an airtight container, pumpkin ganache will keep fresh in the fridge for 1 week. Serve cold.
notes
Step 4
In a pinch, substitute 18 g (1 tablespoon) corn syrup for the glucose.
