How to understand basic chocolate terms

What is a ganache?

• A ganache is a mixture of chocolate and cream, or chocolate, cream and butter.

• Some ganaches contain additional flavoring such as fruit, spice or alcohol. Ganache is a filling; it’s fairly soft so it has a lot of butter and milk in it.

• A ganache can also be the foundation for a truffle - a ball of ganache rolled in a coating, such as cocoa powder or nuts.

Is there a different term to describe chocolates filled with cherries or liqueur?

• The normal term to describe a chocolate containing alcohol is a ‘cordial’, especially if it has fruit.

What is a praline?

• Praline is a word the Belgians use to describe a small candy that is typically called a bonbon. It’s a candy, not a bar.

• You may see the word praliné with an accent over the e, it’s pronounced prah-lee-nay. Praliné is caramelized nuts that are ground up into a fine paste and added to the chocolate.

• Pralines can also be flavored with spices such as the cinnamon praline featured here.