Thursday, December 3, 2015

Cyber Monday Continues: 2 Recipes for the Price of 1!

By: Amy Weinberg

This time of the year is all about a good deal (among a few other things), and what better deal than a 2 for 1? Entering Winter means leaving behind the pumpkins and picking up just about everything else. But because we do love pumpkin so much in this country, I have for you 2 INCREDIBLY easy sauces to begin the pumpkin swan song.

There are few flavor combinations out there that are more flavorful, and more classic than pumpkin and chocolate.

Chocolate ganache is one of those things you hear about everywhere but sounds way fancier and more complicated than it really is. All you really need is some chocolate, heavy cream, and a set of eyeballs. The first, and basically only, step is to boil a cup of the heavy cream over medium high heat. You need to make sure to watch the pot because as soon as the cream starts to boil, it'll boil right out of the pot (this is where your eyeballs will come in handy). Once the cream starts to boil, pour it over 9oz of semi-sweet chocolate morsels and mix until completely combined. 


Let that settle in the fridge for a few minutes and viola! Fancy chocolate ganache. 

In the few minutes the ganache is in the fridge, you be able to quickly whip up the second sauce. I swear, these have to be the 2 simplest ways to take our coffee cakes to an even higher level. The maple pecan glaze may be even easier to make. The recipe call for a whole 3 ingredients: maple syrup, powdered sugar, and pecans. First, pour 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup into a bowl and gradually start mixing in the sugar. Once it is completely mixed and you have the right maple-to-sugar ratio for your taste, let it hang out with the chocolate ganache in the fridge for a few minutes. The outcome will be a beautiful neutral color to match my neutral colored countertop and yellow kitchen lighting. 


While your sauces chill, finely chop up a handful of pecans to top off your dessert. Once your sauces are chilled and your pecans are chopped, use a spoon to drizzle on to the pumpkin spice coffee cake. 

I decorated the chocolate ganache slice with some whipped cream and white chocolate. 


And whipped cream and pecans for your maple pumpkin dessert!