any good chocolate will work.
I've used hersey and ghiradelli chips (prefer ghiradelli)
can even use dark chocolate chips.
comes down to:
1) what your taste buds like
2) what your pocketbook/wallet can afford! (some of those better chocolates are SO pricey but yummy)
I use Ghirardelli, too. I have a 10 pound bar that I bought at Trader Joe's, which I cut into smaller blocks. I just chop up a block or two into little pieces when making ganache.
I don't know what everyone else uses to chop chocolate, but I have never found anything that works as well as my Alaskan Ulu knife. It just slides through that chocolate as if there was nothing there.
I use anything with a high coco content. Some people like to use chocolate with at least a 70% coco content. I personally find this too bitter and like to use chocolate with a 46% coco content. You should buy a few different brands with different coco contents and see which ones you like! HTH
I've used Cadbury. Basically, you want to use the kind of chocolate that you would eat out of hand. Just use your favorite brand!
The best you can find.. I use Ghirardelli because it's the best I can get from my grocer. I just made some bittersweet chocolate ganache using Green&Black's organic 70% cacao dark chocolate.. it's yummy, but you have to like bittersweet chocolate. I am using it on homemade eclairs so there plenty of sweet to cut it. I use semi-sweet or a blend of semi and bitter for most applications. It's REALLY good if you dip strawberries in it..
I second the don't overbeat your whipped ganache.. it goes from perfect to a complete mess in no time. 
I use the Ghirardelli 60% cocoa bittersweet baking bars that you can find in the baking aisle in the grocery store. 
I use nestle and anyone who has tried my ganache tells me how good it was. I read a cooking mag that rated chocolates, Hershey was lowest on the list...the pros said it was too chemically tasting. The best was something called sp? schaffren-berger and neste was up there somewhere. Good luck and have lots of fun. Yeah, I did the overwhipping thing on my first try and it was very frustrating. Be careful!
The whipped chocolate Ganache on this website is delicous. Has anyone ever done this using
Rich's bettercream in place of the whipping cream?
I am looking for a whipped cream substitute and have the bettercream on order. Never tried it though.
The ganache seems like it will never thicken up when you make it, it took a day or so for me, but then was o.k. to whip it.
On the Ghiradelli 60% chocolate, do you need to add any sugar to the recipe?
No.. don't add any sugar to it. I love dark chocolate and eat 70-80% cacao chocolate plain.. you have to like bittersweet chocolate. I use semi-sweet if I am making it for others. My 6 year old loves dark chocolate too though.. and will eat my 60% chocolate ganache with glee.. LOL.. so you never know. 
No.. don't add any sugar to it. I love dark chocolate and eat 70-80% cacao chocolate plain.. you have to like bittersweet chocolate. I use semi-sweet if I am making it for others. My 6 year old loves dark chocolate too though.. and will eat my 60% chocolate ganache with glee.. LOL.. so you never know.
I grew up on NEstle choc chips, so for the record I like them.
But I had some open bags of Ghiradelli laying around and I was munching them here and there (come on.... open bags of chocolate? 
). After spending about 4 days coating my taste buds with Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate, I reached into my Nestle choc chip stash and snacked on a few of those.
OMG .... so nasty after getting used to Ghiradelli! I could taste the sugar rather than tasting the chocolate! What a weird sensation, especially since I love (uh, past tense, loved!) Nestle!
So be careful.... good chocolate is VERY addicting!!
Gosh indydebi ain't that the truth!! Once you go good you never go back! LOL I use Ghirardelli chips in my chocolate chip cookies too. I wish they made mini chips though because I don't like big chips as much, but it's a small price to pay for the better flavor. I am almost scared to try the really good ones.. I'd have to have my kids snacking on Vahlrona all the time.. hehehehe 
I will get some someday though..
On the Ghiradelli 60% chocolate, do you need to add any sugar to the recipe?
No, I've never had to add sugar. Whenever someone orders ganache from me, I offer them a dark chocolate or milk chocolate ganache. I've never had anyone ask for the milk chocolate version, so I always use the 60% cacao baking bar. It's definitely bittersweet (which I don't care for), but I always get rave reviews. In case you're interested, here's the ganache recipe that I use: http://www.joyofbaking.com/ganache.html. I don't add the liquor, but I do add a couple drops of Lorann orange oil. It adds a very subtle orange essence, and it really brings out the chocolate flavor.
I am fortunate to have found a Chocolate Store here (yes, that's right. Kansas, USA) and I use Callebaut or Guittard I have also used a Hawaiian Chocolate. Before that I used the Ghirardelli 60% bars. I know with the pourable ganache you need to use less cream for milk choc or white choc, so I don't know if that will affect the whipped ganache.
My fave filling is Chocolate IMBC made with Cacao Barry cocoa powder, it's great to fill and frost with.
If you have access to a good baking supply, by all means try Van Leer, Cacao Barry or Barry Callebaut. Ghirardelli & Valhrona are also very good. I've found small bars at ALDI with the high cacao content you need for good ganache, in white, milk & dark chocolate very reasonably priced; the cacao content is key. Watch the YouTube video's by InspiredbyMichelle on ganache; she's super!
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I use nestle and anyone who has tried my ganache tells me how good it was. I read a cooking mag that rated chocolates, Hershey was lowest on the list...the pros said it was too chemically tasting. The best was something called sp? schaffren-berger and neste was up there somewhere. Good luck and have lots of fun. Yeah, I did the overwhipping thing on my first try and it was very frustrating. Be careful!
The funny thing about this is Scharfenberger is owned by Hershey.
But I agree, it is soooo yummy.
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