Dark Chocolate Recipes: Ganache And Bark For Valentine's Day

Decadent and delicious, chocolate is loved by aficionados everywhere. Here are some tempting recipes to try your hand at making this delicious treat.

Basic Dark Chocolate Ganache

This basic ganache recipe can be used to make dipped chocolates or as a filling for petit four cups or truffle shells.

500 g (1 lb) 35 per cent cream

60 g (2 oz) good-quality honey

125 g (1/4 lb) unsalted butter, room temperature

Dark chocolate (only one of the following):

750 g (1 1/2 lb) semi-sweet (55 per cent cocoa solids) OR 675 g (1 1/4 lb) bittersweet (72 per cent cocoa solids)

Chop chocolate into fine pieces for easy emulsion. (Many manufacturers now make chocolate in pellet form to eliminate the chopping.)

In a saucepan, bring cream and honey to a boil; remove from heat.

Add chopped chocolate in three portions. Add first portion and stir until fully dissolved before second addition. Repeat with third addition. It may be necessary to return to low heat briefly, just add a bit of warmth to the ganache so all the chocolate will melt.

Add butter and let it melt into ganache, stirring occasionally to make a smooth emulsion. (The ganache should have a smooth and silky texture.)

Pour into a bowl to let ganache cool slightly, until it starts to set ever so slightly (still pourable but not runny).

Option 1: Line a stainless-steel frame (if you have one) with parchment paper. You also could use a cafeteria tray, small jelly roll pan or shallow rectangular pan lined with parchment paper. Pour ganache into pan and smooth top to spread it evenly. (Do not cover because that could hold in some of the heat, impeding the smooth and consistent recrystallization of the ganache.) Leave to set overnight at room temperature and cut into desired shapes with a warm knife. Use a dipping fork to dip pieces into melted chocolate. (See note.)

Option 2: After ganache has cooled to the consistency of mayonnaise (thick but still capable of being piped), pipe it into petit four cups or truffle shells. Let set at room temperature.

Note: Never melt chocolate over direct heat. Melt it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water.

Source: Alan Kehl

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Chocolate Bark

Making bark is a good way for the novice chocolate maker to get a sense of how chocolate behaves and to use creativity with the flavourings.

What you need:

A large piece of parchment paper to spread the chocolate on

Tempered (melted, then cooled) chocolate (milk, dark or white)

Ingredients to stir into the chocolate

Suggested options:

—White chocolate with chopped sun-dried cranberries and toasted chopped pistachios

—Milk chocolate with Skor pieces and chopped dried apple

—Dark chocolate with toasted coconut

—Milk chocolate with toasted almond slices and toasted coconut

—Dark chocolate with chopped sun-dried cherries and crispy rice cereal

In a double boiler over simmering water, melt chocolate.

Remove melted chocolate from heat and pour into a bowl to cool slightly (it should still be stirrable but not runny).

Stir in your desired flavourings.

Pour mixture onto parchment paper and spread out with a cake decorating pallet knife or spatula.

Let set and either break off in pieces or cut with a warm knife.

Source: Alan Kehl

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Luscious Chocolate Truffles

These delicious chocolates will win the heart of any Valentine.

750 ml (3 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

50 ml (1/4 cup) orange-flavoured liqueur or 5 ml (1 tsp) orange extract

1 tub (450 g) creamy chocolate frosting

15 ml (1 tbsp) shortening

Finely chopped nuts (optional)

Finely chopped dried apricots (optional)

125 ml (1/2 cup) white chocolate wafers or chips (see note)

In top of a double boiler over simmering water, melt 500 ml (2 cups) of the chocolate chips , stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in orange liqueur and frosting; blend well. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or until firm.

Form mixture into 2.5-cm (1-inch) balls and place on a baking sheet. Freeze for 30 minutes.

In top of a double boiler over simmering water, heat shortening and remaining 250 ml (1 cup) chocolate chips, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth; remove from heat.

Dip truffles one at a time into chocolate. Return to baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle nuts and apricots, if using, over some of the truffles. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until coating is set.

In top of a double boiler over simmering water, heat white chocolate wafers, stirring constantly, until melted. Drizzle over some of the truffles. Refrigerate until set.

Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Makes 24 truffles.

Note: White chocolate wafers are similar to white chocolate chips but they do not contain cocoa butter. They melt easier than white chocolate chips. White chocolate chips can be substituted for white chocolate wafers.

Source: General Mills Canada, lifemadedelicious.ca