Passion fruit & Ganache
 

• Bakers note: To get that dreamy, airy texture in your ganache, use a high-quality white chocolate, such as one with 28 to 35% cocoa butter content. Something like Callebaut Velvet 32% is a solid pick for melt-in-your-mouth perfection.
   
• Baker's Note: When making passion fruit ganache, it's essential to select the right fruit to ensure the best flavor. Always opt for passion fruits with a vibrant orange pulp, as these are the ripest and most flavorful. The outer skin should be slightly wrinkled and deep purple or yellow. Tasting or visually inspecting the color can help determine if the fruit is at its peak ripeness. Using under-ripe passion fruit, which has a paler, whitish pulp, can result in a duller taste, more akin to a tart lemon flavor, and won't bring out the rich, tropical essence needed for a delicious passion fruit ganache.
   
•  Coarsely chop 150-gram good quality white chocolate; a serrated knife is best for the job. Place the chopped white chocolate into a heat-proof glass, such as a high-measuring mug, and set aside for now.
   
• Soak 3 gelatine leaves (5 grams) in just enough cold water to cover them, and leave them until they feel like soggy plastic wrap. Adding gelatin to this ganache provides flexibility in terms of texture and usage, from a soft and creamy consistency. 
   
• Bakers Note: Try to have the passion fruit mixture and gelatin ready at the same time. If the gelatin softens quickly, squeeze it out and let it rest in a clean bowl, ready for the hot passion fruit mixture. Oversoaked gelatin leaves dissolve and lose setting efficacy.
   
• Bakers note: Passionfruit is mysterious; some are laden with pulp, others less juicy. So you never know how much pulp each fruit yields. Start with 8 passion fruits and use the extra two if some of the two look a little dry.
   
• Cut 8 passionfruit in half and scrape the pulp into a fine sieve and press out as much passionfruit juice as you can. For this recipe, you need 100 grams of fresh passionfruit juice without the seeds.
   
• Combine 100 grams fresh passionfruit juice, 20 grams glucose (optional), and 250 grams heavy cream in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil until it reaches 80C°/176F°. Remove from the heat immediately, squeeze excess water from the soaked gelatine, and stir it into the warm passionfruit cream mixture; stir with a spatula or small whisk until the gelatine leaves are completely dissolved.
   
• Quickly pour the warm passionfruit cream over the chopped white chocolate. Let the mixture sit for about 1-2 minutes before stirring. Then stir slowly with a small long spatula until smooth in the middle, and emulsify the cream and chocolate if you have an immersion blender or a stick blender, Emulsify with a hand blender until smooth.
   
• Pour the warm passionfruit ganache into a clean bowl or container. Cover the top of the ganache with plastic wrap.
   
• Refrigerate ganache overnight to firm up and to deepen the passion fruit flavors.
   
• Bakers Note: The placement in your fridge matters more than you might think. The coldest parts of your fridge, often at the bottom or near the back, can cause the ganache to cool unevenly or too rapidly. This can lead to a texture that’s less than ideal when it's time to whip it, sometimes making it grainy or too firm to achieve that perfect, smooth consistency. For best results, aim to place your un-whipped ganache in the middle of the fridge where the temperature is more consistent and not as cold as the bottom. Also, be mindful of the fridge temperature—it should be cold, but not as cold as a freezer. An overly chilly fridge can cause the ganache to set too hard, potentially leading to a grainy texture. Allowing the ganache to set properly without becoming too hard. When the ganache has cooled gently to the right consistency, it whips up beautifully, creating that silky, luscious texture. 
   
• Unwhipped frosting can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container with plastic wrap against the surface of the cream. If made with super-fresh cream, it will last for 3 to 5 days. 
   
• Take the bowl/container with the passionfruit ganache out of the refrigerator. The consistency is thick but will loosen up as soon as you stir into the mixture.
   
• Once you're ready to use the ganache, transfer the chilled passionfruit ganache to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip it on high speed for about one minute. Then, stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Continue whipping for another minute. After that, give it one more scrape with the spatula to ensure it's thoroughly mixed and fluffy, just how you like it.
   
• Use the whipped passion fruit ganache immediately, or store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. If made with super fresh cream, it will last for three to five days. Before using it again, re-whip it until fluffy, which should take about a minute or two.