Black garlic isn’t really widely known in most of America… yet. You know how some flavors start out fairly obscure and then they start showing up in Trader Joe’s concoctions to the point the flavor starts to get to the precipice of played out? For example ube. For the past several years each spring Trader Joe’s becomes awash with ube tinted and flavored products. I have a feeling black garlic is going to go through that process in the next, say, three to four years. But you can say you were ahead of the curve by investing in making this black garlic dark chocolate ganache now.

What is Black Garlic?

Black garlic is just regular garlic, but aged until specially controlled heat and humidity levels until it becomes dark, sticky, and mellow. The pungently sulfurous bite of raw garlic isn’t there. The flavor sweetens, similar to when you roast vegetables, it brings out the sweetness in them.

There are some health benefits to garlic as well, since it is a fermented food. They have very high levels of antioxidants, which can help with inflammation reduction. Black garlic is also much easier to digest since it doesn’t have the sulphur compounds of raw garlic, which cause it to have that sharp bite. My favorite though is that it can help lower your triglycerides, and mine are always high. So this is for my health.

Black garlic pairs well with chocolate because it deepens the chocolate notes, especially in a dark chocolate. According to the well-known allium hater, my dad, you can tell there’s a hint of garlic in it, but it’s not overwhelming or sharp. The fact that he tried it though, shows he trusted me in this flavor pairing! He however, declined a second bite.

Types of Ganache

In its most simple form, ganache is heated cream poured over chocolate and stirred a lot until the two emulsify. In this format it’s best used for macaron fillings, frostings for things like Buche de Noels or brownies, and if you want to make a luxuriously rich mocha, to name a few. The texture of the ganache changes with the temperature of the ganache, so you will need to either use it immediately while warm if you need it to pour, versus letting it cool down a bit if you need it to spread or set up. Or in the case of the tart, you want to start with it warmer so it’s pourable then let it set up for a while.

When you add the butter to it, it’s ideal four pouring into tarts because it has a lesser water content and won’t make the tart crust soggy quickly. It also sets up more quickly, which is also ideal for using in tarts. Plus it tastes richer, which is what you want for a dessert.

What I did to get the best of both worlds, was to make the ganache without the butter to start, scooped some out to save for coffee, then added the butter for the tarts.

This of course, is only a brief look into the wide world of ganache types and uses.

dark chocolate black garlic ganache tart pate sucree

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Black Garlic Dark Chocolate Ganache

Equipment

mortar and pestle

Ingredients

285 gramd dark chocolate
400 ml heavy cream
2 cloves black garlic peeled
28 grams unsalted butter

Instructions

Break the chocolate into smaller pieces and put into a large bowl with enough room to stir vigorously.
Use a mortal and pestle to grind the two peeled black garlic cloves into a paste. Add to the bowl with the chocolate
In a small saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat until you start to see bubbles break the surface. Once you see the bubbles, remove from heat.
Pour the heated cream over the chocolate and garlic and use a spoon to stir for longer than seems necessary until the chocolate all melts and the mixture has thickened. Smash and rub any unmixed pieces of garlic paste against the side of the bowl with the spoon to help it integrate if needed.
If you're using the ganache for a tart proceed to adding the butter into the chocolate mixture.

Black Garlic Dark Chocolate Tart

Make your favorite pate sucree recipe and blind bake tarts of your size preference. I chose to go with individual tarts here using these 4″ tart pans with removable bottoms.

Pour the butter infused black garlic dark chocolate ganache into the tart shells and leave them on a level surface at room temperature for a few hours until they set. You can then serve or move them to the fridge. If you refrigerate them, set them out to come up to room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with decor of your choice. I went with a piped white chocolate ganache to make a little garlic head shape to reference the unexpected within the tart.

Black Garlic Dark Chocolate Mocha

Remember above where I saved some ganache before adding butter? This is what it was for. Scoop at least a healthy spoonful into a coffee mug, then add hot coffee or espresso. Stir to melt. Add plain sugar, or vanilla syrup and milk or cream to your preference for an unexpectedly decadent start to your day. You can be sure no one else is having as unique a drink as you are!