Murder with Ganache: Lucy Burdette

Today in honor of her new mystery, Murder with Ganache, and for Valentine's Day, I welcome Lucy Burdette. Love it when my mystery and chocolate worlds collide!  

Lucy Burdette is the author of the Key West food critic mysteries. MURDER WITH GANACHE is in bookstores now!.The book has Hemingway cats, and cupcakes, and wedding angst, and a murder mystery, but most of all it's about finding and embracing your family in whatever form they come.

LUCY BURDETTE:
How to Make Ganache in Honor of MURDER WITH GANACHE 

When you have a new book out called MURDER WITH GANACHE, it's a crime not to try making that chocolate delicacy. I wanted to concentrate on the ganache itself, rather than getting all wrapped up in what was lying underneath it.

So I baked my grandmother's One-Bowl Chocolate Cake, which is delicious on its own. And then I made the ganache topping and drizzled, dripped, dribbled rivulets of molten chocolate over the top and down the sides.

You could do many things with this ganache, including something as simple as pouring it over ice cream. It's only got two ingredients--chocolate and cream--so the trick is using the good stuff.

Ingredients: 
8 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate
8 oz good quality whipping cream

Crush the chocolate into small pieces. (Larger ones won't melt, resulting in a lumpy product.)

Meanwhile, empty the cream into a pan and heat until it's just boiling. Watch this closely so it doesn't burn or bubble out of the pan. Remove the pan from the stove and pour the hot cream over the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. With a wire whisk, whisk the cream and the chocolate... Until it's smooth and shiny. That's ganache!

It may seem thin at this point, but it will thicken as it cools. If you want to hurry this along, put the bowl in the refrigerator.

However, this can result in hardening. But don't panic! Just reheat the bowl of chocolate over a pan of simmering water and whisk again.

When the chocolate is at the right consistency, drizzle it over your cake or ice cream--and watch the chocoholics in your life swoon. And that's what we call MURDER WITH GANACHE :-)

Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib) is the author of 12 mysteries, including the latest in the Key West series featuring food critic Hayley Snow. Her books and stories have been short-listed for Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. She's a past president of Sisters in Crime. facebook,  twitter, pinterest,  website