Ingredients

1 pound bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons corn syrup

Finely chop the chocolate and place in a stainless steel bowl. Heat cream and corn syrup to a boil and pour over chocolate. Gently stir mixture until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is completely smooth. Makes 1 1/2 pounds.

Directions

To glaze a cake:

Set cake on a cardboard round. Place the cake on a wire rack that should rest on a clean sheet pan. Pour or ladle ganache over the cake. Quickly spread the ganache with a spatula to completely cover the sides of the cake. This step must be done fast, before the ganache begins to set, to avoid leaving marks from the spatula.

Gently tap the wire rack on the sheet pan to remove excess ganache from the cake.

Note: Use up extra ganache as a chocolate sauce to pour over brownies or dip cookies. Or place it in a fondue pot and dip fresh fruit such as strawberries, grapes and sliced bananas. Store unused portions in an airtight container under refrigeration for up to two weeks.

Nutritional information per 1/2-ounce serving: 50 cal., 1 g pro., 7 g carbo., 3.5 g fat, 0 mg chol., 0 mg sodium. Recipes adapted from "The Professional Chef, Seventh Edition," John Wiley & Sons, 2001, $65. Recipe adapted from "The Professional Chef, Seventh Edition," John Wiley & Sons, 2001.