The first time I made ganache, it was smooth and light and tasted amazing. It turns out that I made it correctly by fluke because I have not been able to replicate it.

The recipe I used calls for chopping up chocolate, then pouring cream that has been simmering gently over the chocolate and letting it sit for 15 mins, after which, the chocolate is supposed to be completely melted. Fat chance. This does not happen for me. I chop the chocolate up very finely as well, but it does not seem to help.

I end up with ganache that has small pieces of chocolate still intact. My latest attempt today was the same.

Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

What kind of chocolate are you using? If it the same chocolate you used the first (successful) time? If you are using chocolate chips some of them contain wax which will affect how they melt.

Are you letting your cream come to a boil? I let mine come to a boil on medium temperature and then pour it over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then I whisk it and let it thicken.

This is the chocolate that I use. I break the pcs so that I have two attached and take my really sharp chef's knife and cut mine into almost slivers instead of chuncks or chips. I then boil my cream to the point it will rise in the pot. I stand there to watch and once that happens I quickly remove it (so not to boil over) and then slowly pour into my chocolate as I am whipping.

HTH and you figure it out

I actually dont even let it sit, I just pour it in and whisk it, and it's smooth and melted immediately. Another option of doing it is put your chocolate in a food processor and slowly pour in the cream while pulsing until smooth. Hope you get it worked out

Hi,

I am using the same chocolate as the successful attempt. I do not whisk it, I just let it sit and then stir it gently. I guess that's my problem! I also remove the cream the minute it starts to bubble in the pot - how long should I let it boil? For some reason I was under the impression that cream should not boil.

How briskly do you whisk once the cream is poured over the chocolate?

I let mine get to the point where it wants to boil up and then I pour if over my chocolate and then whisk like I would if I was scrambling eggs.

I actually always heat my cream to steaming, then put the chopped chocolate right in the pot with the cream. Turn off the heat and let it sit a minute, then whisk until it is smooth. Sometimes I don't let it sit and just start whisking, but it does help to let it have a head start on melting in the cream. If you have little pieces of melted chocolate, just stir/whisk until those pieces melt too. You can always heat it gently over a double boiler again if you need to, but you shouldn't have to do that.

I pop my chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds, take it out and stir, back in for 30 more seconds, stir. Meanwhile my cream is on the stove coming to a full boil. Once it reaches a full boil I pour it into the chocolate and stir. Perfect and creamy every time! I love ganache and try to always have some made up, just incase.

I have the same issue. My chocolate never melts all the way through just from the heat of the cream.

I use about a kilogram of chocolate at a time, and after I pour the cream in, I let it sit about a minute, then sti with a spoon. It is nowhere near incorporated at this stage. Then I microwave it for 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time. I usually need to do that 4 or 5 times before all the chocolate is melted.

I let my cream come just to a boil then pour over my chocolate. I mix with a spatula until it is mostly melted. Then here is the key...let it sit for 15 minutes and then stir some more until completely smooth. Good luck!

I melt my chocolate over a double boiler while my cream comes to a simmer, then add cream to chocolate while still on the double boiler. then once the cream is incorporated I add a TBsp if butter, and it seems to help it come together smoothly.