Chocolate Ganache

Ganache is the name of a kind of approach which means adding whipped cream (and other ingredients you like) in chocolate, and it is widely used in nama chocolate, truffles, stuffing, and paste. Nama chocolate is from Japan and the word ”nama” signifies “fresh”. Chocolate Ganache has many specialties. For example, the quality of the chocolate is very soft, smooth and easy-melted. It emphasizes the original taste of chocolate and that’s also why this dessert is so wide-spread.


Last week I went home and made this dessert with my younger sister, and I found that it was not as difficult as I had thought before.

The basic ingredients are only chocolate and whipped cream but you can add some sugar, nut, wine, tea, or something. It's up to you. The ratio of chocollate and whipped cream is 1:1 and if you want your ganache softer, you can change the propotion to 1:1.2.

First, mince the chocolate and put it aside in reserve. Heat whipped cream and don't make it boil. Formal recipe has strict limits toward the temperature of all the ingredients and the environment, but in here I just make the cream hot without measuring the real temperature.



Turn off the stove, and put chocolate into the whipped cream. Cover the chocolate with cream as possible as you can.

Next, leave it alone for three minutes. It is said that this is a crucial step which determine the flavor of ganache.


After three minutes, stir the mixture in the same direction until its thickness looks like mayonnaise (美乃滋). When the mixture blend well, pour it into models.



The last step is to place it in the refrigerator, and dice it after chocolate becomes solid. The white parts are cooking paper, it prevents ganache from sticking to the model.



If you have cocoa powder, sprinkle some on the finished product because the powder not only makes it tasty but also prolong the expiration date.


Most surprisingly was that when my sister and I shared the chocolate with my "desserts-resistant" Mom, she also loved this dessert!

pot stickers (pan-fried dumplings)

I believe that almost everyone, especially students, has a packet of dumplings in the refrigerator for it's really convenient. Whenever you're hungry, a plate of hot dumplings will be served within minutes. Besides, freezing dumplings are not only easy to buy but also very cheap in Taiwan. The best of all is that although there are a variety of stuffings, poaching them doesn't take you any efforts and skills.

As a result, I have a packet of dumplings, too. However, only poaching is a little bit boring and flat. Therefore, I decide to chllange cooking pot stickers. Coincidentally the articles in this blog are only about desserts so far and it's time to do something different.

Actually I had tried to make this dish several times before and unfortunately, what I got was either a plate of poor broken dumplings or a miserable dirty pan. After these experiences, I find that a good stainless pan and some common and influential tips will help you a lot. Please don't use cheap or bad pan or you will definitely go mad.


First of all, get some dumplings from your refrigerator and give them five minutes to "warm up." Because of the ice which adheres to the surface of dumplings will melt into water if you put them into pan directly and it makes your dumplings stick to the pan. (It will drive you crazy when washing the pan.)

At the same time pour some oil into the pan and turn the stove to low flame. The quantity of oil depends on whether your pan is stainless or not.



Line up the dumplings and remember to keep some distances between each other for they will inflate later. Make sure that every dumpling is stained with oil. Then turn the stove to medium flame until the surface of every dumpling become gold and crunchy.







Take a bowl and pour water in it, and add some flour. The flour-water doesn't have to be thick. Pour the mixture into the pan and it should flow one third of the height of dumplings.



Next, cover the pan and turn the stove to low flame. Waiting for ten to fifteen minutes (it depends on the size of your dumplings) and the dish is finished! I recommend you to shovel them instead of using chopsticks.




Pot stickers smell and taste good and amazingly, the number of the dumplings which makes me full is lower than poached dumplings.