Chocolate Ganache Torte

Over-the-top rich chocolate ganache torte recipe with up to two pounds of chocolate, a stick of butter and a cup of cream. Also called Death-By-Chocolate.

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour
• Yield: Serves 20.

INGREDIENTS

The Shell

• One box “Nabisco’s Famous” chocolate wafers, or your favorite chocolate nut cookies
• 2/3 cup pecans
• Melted butter (1/4 cup or less)
• 9 inch spring-form pan

The Filling

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of the best available semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, well chopped into small pieces (use brick chocolate, not chips)
• More melted butter (up to one stick or 1/2 cup)
• 1 cup (or more) heavy whipping cream

The Sauce

• Melted butter (one stick, a 1/2 cup, or a bit more)
• Cane sugar (a pound or less)
• Heavy whipping cream (1 cup - or more)

METHOD

1 Prepare the crust. Chop/process the wafers and pecans until fine, add enough melted butter to press this into the spring-form pan (along the bottom and halfway up the sides). Bake in oven at 350°F for 20 minutes, put aside.

2 While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. In double boiler melt the butter and then add the chocolate. When chocolate is swirl-able, slowly add the whipping cream, stirring slowly, until mixture is blended and smooth. Pour mixture into the prepared shell. Refrigerate for at least four hours.

3 Prepare the sauce before serving (the sauce, served warm, should accompany the torte, served cold.) Melt butter over fairly high heat. Add sugar until saturated (the heat must be high enough for the sugar to dissolve; when no more will dissolve, the solution is saturated). Stirring only occasionally, let the mixture “burn” just enough to turn into a rich caramel. Add the cream, stirring briskly until well blended and smooth. Strain if necessary for smoothness.