File under mind-blowing: you can make ganache with puréed fruit instead of cream (the chocolate, of course, remains constant).
I first learned this when I was exploring cream-free ganache varieties for a Craftsy post.
I came across the idea of making ganache with fruit butter, and I thought, gee whiz, in spite of sounding kind of like health food, this additionally seems like a tasty and interesting idea.
And then came the question: what would happen if I made ganache with mashed bananas instead of cream?
So, I mashed up a very ripe banana...
Then I melted some chocolate in a double boiler.
Then I combined them until they were completely mixed.
Since I hadn't actually puréed the banana, I had more just mashed it, there were some textural bits of banana in the mix. I didn't mind at all, though. It was kind of nice in this instance.
The texture was like a thick mousse or frosting. You could probably use/serve it as either; it will eventually set firm.
This ambrosial mixture could be a dessert as-is, could be used as a frosting, as a filling, or as a swirl-in for ice cream.
What happens when you make ganache with fruit instead of cream? Good things.
Here's how to make it happen in your house.
Fruit ganache
Note: this makes close to 1 cup. If you want a larger amount, simply double/triple/quadruple the quantities.
Also, you could substitute any pureed fruit you'd like in the place of banana. Let me know how it turns out if you do!
- 3 ounces banana, mashed (about 1 large)
- 4 to 4.5 ounces chocolate, coarsely chopped
- Mash the banana, or puree it in a blender if you want a really smooth finished result.
- Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. I did a DIY double boiler, placing a heatproof bowl above a pot of simmering water. This also made it easy to add the banana right to the chocolate once it was melted.
- Combine the banana and chocolate and stir until completely combined.
- There you go! Banana ganache. You can let it set until it's firm enough for whatever you want to use it for.
PS. Here's how the ganache looks like after it has "set" - it firms into a set, frosting-like consistency.
