Coconut Banana Truffle Ganache

Sometimes in the kitchen things come together so well that you can't believe the end result. Normally, I shy away from dealing with melted chocolate (well, any time away from the holidays) because it's finicky, and since I'm only buying the good stuff (i.e. Callebaut) for my cookies and muffins at home, I'm loath to shell out huge sums for something that may not adequately showcase the quality. But the dregs of a birthday / Easter basket also included two bars of Green & Black's 70% that were begging to be used. Then, one of the bananas in the ripening bag I was keeping them in decided to leap to what would have been a rather unfortunate death in any other circumstance, and I was getting tired of staring at the end of a can of coconut milk my mom had used for a Thai curry earlier this week.
  
It was really the appearance of the banana and the chocolate that made me think of a recipe I had spotted on Specialty Cake Creations the other day. Regina had come up with an ingenious way to bring the fresh fruit and natural sweetness of a ripe banana to the rich indulgence of a truffle ganache. I did make changes to her recipe, thanks to what I had (or didn't have) on hand - I used the whole banana (because who has half of one lying around?), added an extra ounce of chocolate (my bars were 3.5 oz each, and I can't eat them :-( ), and since I had no more condensed milk left after the Multilayer Bars, I used up that premium coconut milk - which is not only thick and rich, but lightly sweet naturally - not cloying like sweetened condensed.

While my chocoholic mom was "taste testing" spoonfuls right out of the bowl and pan, I suggest actually making the truffles once your ganache is chilled down. Roll small balls of this heaven and either dip them in chocolate or dust them with unsweetened cocoa for a delicious gift (for anyone, including yourself!).

Shared with Wellness Weekends and Gluten Free Fridays

Coconut Banana Truffle Ganache
Adapted from Specialty Cake Creations
Makes enough for 24 truffles
7 oz bittersweet chocolate (I favour 70%), chopped
5 tbsp full fat coconut milk
1 medium, over ripe banana, mashed completely smooth (or pureed in a food processor)
pinch sea salt

1. Combine the chocolate and coconut milk in a medium, microwave safe bowl and melt until smooth, being careful not to scorch the chocolate.
2. Add the mashed banana and salt and mix well with a spatula until thoroughly incorporated.
3. Scrape into a loaf pan and smooth.
4. Cover surface directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to 2 days.
5. Scoop teaspoon-sized balls of the ganache and either immediately coat in unsweetened cocoa or chill before dipping in melted chocolate.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 73.0
Total Fat: 5.0 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 8.8 mg
Total Carbs: 6.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.2 g
Protein: 0.8 g 

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