Equipment Needed
- Small saucepan
- Heatproof bowl (glass or metal) that fits snugly over the saucepan
- Fine-mesh sieve (optional, but helpful)
- Whisk
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Small cookie scoop or two spoons
- Fork or dipping tools (for coating in chocolate)
Step-by-Step Instructions
First, I make the cherry puree if I’m not using a pre-made one. I take about a cup and a half of pitted dark cherries (fresh or thawed frozen) and blend them in my food processor or blender until they are as smooth as possible. I sometimes press this through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any stubborn skin bits for the absolute smoothest ganache, but it’s not strictly necessary. I set this puree aside. Then, I finely chop my 8 ounces of chocolate and place it in my clean, dry heatproof bowl. The finer the chop, the easier it will melt later.
Next, I pour the heavy cream and the full cup of cherry puree into a small saucepan. I set it over medium heat and bring it just to a simmer, stirring occasionally. I watch for small bubbles to form around the edges—this is crucial. You don’t want a rolling boil. As it heats, the mixture turns a beautiful pale pink and the incredible smell of warm cherries and cream fills the air. The moment it simmers, I immediately remove it from the heat. I’ve learned that overheating can cause the cream to scald or the puree to break down in a weird way.
Now, for the magical part: I pour the hot cherry-cream mixture directly over the bowl of chopped chocolate. I let it sit, untouched, for a full three minutes. This patience allows the heat to gently melt the chocolate from below. After three minutes, I take my whisk and start stirring slowly from the center, gradually incorporating more chocolate until I have a smooth, glossy, and beautifully pink ganache. If I see any stubborn bits of unmelted chocolate, I can place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water (double boiler style) for just 30 seconds to finish it off, but usually, the hot cream does the trick.(See the next page below to continue…)