October 12, 2012

No Bake | Date & Prune Chocolate Truffles … truffles on a diet don’t get better than this #festivefood

“Life is like a box of chocolates … You never know what you’re gonna get.” Forrest Gump

Date, Prune & Walnut Chocolate Truffles are something I never thought I’d make. Yet a chance FB update sighting a while ago set me on the track. And my, what a great idea. Healthy, delicious, a power house of energy and guilt free indulgence, truffles on a diet don’t get better than this!These were fun to make, and so fast track! No bake, no cook, practically no work … almost like instant gratification! I got to step one in a matter of minutes but one bite into it was like, “Ummm nice, but something was missing, not indulgent enough“. Into the fridge they went!They sat there bugging me the next morning. Thought of adding some dark chocolate to the truffles and running them in the processor again but the task of remaking the little balls bothered me! Seemed daunting for a fast track dessert.Next idea, and it turned out to be a good one. The dark couverture I had ordered reached that same morning. Melted some in the microwave and had such a great time dunking each little ball into luscious, thick, satiny melted dark chocolate.Melted ooeey gooey dark chocolate is strangely therapeutic. Is it just me? Whatever, but I really enjoyed this part and was rewarded in a while.These were GOOD! The teen loved them till the junior told her they had dates. “I don’t like them“, she declared, but soon was back digging into the bowl. ‘These are really good,” she declared. “Butter?” … the diet goes on, very conditional though!! {Note: Thank you Sangeeta for the wooden board above. I ♥ it!}These make for good gifts in the festive season. They were a great addition to the Porcelain Buono Decoration Plate Silver from Urban Dazzle. It’s quite reasonably priced too. This was one of the many products I received for review which I shared when I made one bowl cocoa wholewheat almond brownies .About the truffles. They have a wonderful texture. You can play around with the combinations since both prunes and dates afford a good sticky base. Don’t like walnuts, use almonds. Don’t like nuts or are allergic to them, use dark chocolate, crystallised ginger, candied peel. Roll them in sprinkles after the dark chocolate has almost set; jazz them up if you like! Also, thank you Urban Dazzle for giving me a chance to review your Diwali range. I really love the variety and the quality of stoneware, ceramic, porcelain, drinkware and bakeware. You can see some of the range in my picture up there. I did wholewheat gingerbread men the other day and they looked so HAPPY on the platters, ornamental & ceramic.I also did a vanilla panna cotta in three flavours paired with three dessert sauces – coffee with a dark chocolate sauce, raspberry with a raspberry lime sauce, and saffron with salted caramel saffron sauce! Then did mini panna cotta in these tiny little white ceramic bowls, three on a plate {The honeycomb plate is from a set my sis sent me from the US. White love!}The bowls are really versatile. Dipping sauces look great served with them. Else a good extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and queen olives with a sour dough bread served on a matching Mediterranean inspired ceramic platter! So much inspiration …

Recipe: Date & Prune Chocolate Truffles

Summary: Healthy, delicious, a power house of energy and guilt free indulgence, truffles on a diet can’t get better than this!

Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Ingredients:

Truffles
100g dates {seedless}
100g sundried prunes
100g walnuts
20g cocoa powder {3 tbsp}
15g extra virgin olive oil {1tbsp}
Chocolate coating
100g good quality dark chocolate melted {I used a 53%}

Method:

Truffles
Place dates, prunes and walnuts in bowl of processor and process for a minute or so until everything gets chopped fine. Taste and adjust sweetness if required adding more dates or prunes. {Thermomix: Speed 8, 30 seconds, repeat if necessary}
Add the cocoa powder and olive oil and process briefly to mix. {Thermomix: Speed 8, 20 seconds}
Roll into bite sized balls packing firmly.
Dip into the melted chocolate and leave to set on a parchment lined tray in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

Don’t miss a post Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India

October 2, 2012

Baking | One bowl cocoa wholewheat almond brownies … Alice Medrich {#urbandazzle}

“I am endlessly inspired and challenged by ingredients and flavors; the craft involved both in bringing them together and writing about the process.”
Alice Medrich

Cocoa Wholewheat Almond Brownies are a sweet opening to October, plated on the new Diwali/festival gift collection from Urban Dazzle. Baked out of desperation since I had no good quality baking chocolate on hand, the wholewheat brownies were ~~good~~ unbelievably good!! They are adapted from a recipe by Alice Medrich – author, dessert chef, chocolatier.Alice Medrich is an iconic baker who changed the way we looked at food, desserts, chocolate and baking of course. She’s written a series of cookbooks, the latest one Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts. Of the 9, Bittersweet and Pure Dessert are two of my favourites. Food weaves a magical pattern. I baked an adaptation of her Orange & Olive Oil Cake in 2008. Some time later I made delicious Dark Chocolate, Walnut & Craisin Scones from a recipe @ David Lebovitz , another hugely talented cookbook author, dessert maker, ice cream man, story teller. Turned out that recipe was an Alice inspired one too.In late 2008, me, a very timid and shaky food blogger in far off North India, virtually met Alice via the Daring Bakers Caramel Cake with Caramelised Butter Frosting. Her Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels was an optional part of the challenge. Those caramels didn’t happen as we were just back from a trip to Sydney where the daughter fell ill with jaundice, was hospitalised …. and what not! Yet, it was another intriguing window into the creative world of Alice Medrich.Did I just forget to mention the Pebbly Beach Fruit Square cookies pictured above? Adapted from her cookbook “Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy: Melt-In-Your-Mouth-Cookies”, these are typical Alice style. Classic, comforting and high on taste. The fruit squares recipe is highly adaptable.

Buono Decoration Plate Silver

So when I craved baking brownies and googled for a cocoa version, one of the first matches was a Medrich recipe. There was no looking further. I experimented with substitutions mainly because of the high-ish butter content. Using just whole wheat flour and almond meal instead of plain flour, they turned out to be brownie heaven – deep, dark, chewy, moist! Importantly, one bowl cocoa wholewheat almond brownies; hand whisked and with minimal clean up! The bell rang while the brownies were cooling off, and it was the new festive Diwali range of products from Urban Dazzle. Seemed like an early Christmas as I got a staggering array of their recently launched festive ware which includes stunning stoneware, ceramics, porcelain and much more.Stoneware is right up my street and the colours and texture hold instant appeal, the quality excellent too! The soothing blue stoneware platter above with a Mediterranean appeal; and cups, mugs, soup bowls all in pretty colours, stuff you can mix and match. The good thing is the almost inexhaustive choice. You feel like grabbing it all. And that’s the good part! If you love it, others will to.Urban Dazzle is quite a dynamic online option. An e-venture based in New Delhi, they are constantly adding aesthetic, stylish and reasonable kitchen accessories and home decor items. With Diwali around the corner, they promise to take some burden of gifting off your shoulders… though the extensive range promises to overwhelm you with what to choose & what not!You might like these stunning glasses, or a banquet footed platter, chic Borgonovo bottles, pot bellied jugs and carafes … the variety is endless!A while ago someone inquired about these white ribbed fruit plates that I recently used for the Empanada Gallegas. I got mine all the way from Sydney two years ago. Imagine my surprise when I saw them on Urban Dazzle a few days ago! Raise a toast, browse the topsellers, … or then just hit the ‘Sweet Spot’!

Recipe: One bowl Cocoa Wholewheat Almond Brownies

Summary: Single bowl cocoa brownies. Dark, deep, chewy, moist, chocolaty … and made with whole grain. Makes 16-20 squares. Recipe adapted from Alice Medrich.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

140g unsalted butter, room temperature
80g cocoa powder {3/4cup}
110g raw sugar {1 cup}
2 eggs
30g wholewheat flour {1/4 cup}
25g almond meal {1/4 cup}
1tsp baking powder
pinch salt
100g dark chocolate chips

Method:

In a large heat proof bowl, melt the butter, cocoa and sugar in a microwave for 1 minute. Whisk well until smooth.
Whisk in the eggs firmly one by one.
Whisk in the flour, almond meal, baking powder and salt and then whisk briskly for about 1 minute until the mixture becomes smooth and glossy.
Fold in the chocolate chips and pour batter into prepared tin
Bake at 180C for about 25 minutes.
Cool for about 20-30 minutes before slicing {if you like them warm}, else cool, chill and then slice.

Don’t miss a post
Also find me on The Rabid Baker, The Times of India

November 6, 2010

Baking| Cheddar Rosemary Cheese Straws & Chocolate Walnut Fudge … Diwali

“The true essentials of a feast are only fun and feed.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

The past week was hectic, like being on a baking express! It was the festival of lights, Diwali, here in India, and I decided to bake something as gifts for everyone …. Did I say life became H E C T I C?

Diwali is traditionally a festival where people exchange gifts, which include loads of Indian sweetmeats and nuts etc. This year, I gifted home made edibles to most of the near and dear ones … from Buttermilk Pound Cakes to Brownies. For snacks at home, here’s what I made… something savoury, and something sweet.

I loved these Parmesan Cheese Straws with Rosemary when I saw them at Barbara’s beautiful blog Modern Comfort Food. Each post is well written, the pictures gorgeous. Her recipes are simple, straightforward, and full of flavour. I especially loved the ease of these cheese straws where I ran everything in the bowl of the food processor, and voila … we had dough for the straws!

I didn’t even need to chill the dough as it came together beautifully, smooth and easy to roll. I think I might have browned the cheese straws a little extra, or maybe they have a darker hue as compared to the ones on Barbara’s blog, as I used extra cayenne pepper, and additional red chili flakes. The yogurt dip and balsamic vinegar added a tangy twist to the straws, making them very very addictive.

I had to hide them from the kids to stop them being wolfed down. That’s how good they were. They can be made in advance, and the recipe can easily be doubled {which I think is a better idea because they do disappear too soon}! I didn’t realise that they were meant to be straight. I just noticed this when I went across to get the link from Barbara’s blog… anyhow, I gave them all a good twist!

Cheddar Rosemary Cheese Straws
Adapted minimally from Modern Comfort Food
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1 cup extra sharp mature cheddar, grated
1/4 cup butter, frozen, grated
2 small garlic clove, sliced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon yogurt {I used some yogurt dip}
1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp roasted red chili flakes
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary {or 1/2 teaspoon dried}
Method:
Combine the flour, cheese, butter, garlic, cayenne, red chili flakes, rosemary and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are blended to the consistency of coarse crumbs.
Add the yogurt dip/yogurt and balsamic vinegar. Pulse until the mixture forms a ball. Chill the dough, wrapped, for 30 minutes or more.
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, cut to fit.
On a sheet of parchment or wax paper, roll out the chilled dough to a level 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick rectangle of about 6 inches in width. Using a long knife, dipped in flour, cut the dough into thin strips, as shown in the above photo, and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for approximately 14-16 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Cool to room temperature on cake racks and serve. This recipe can be doubled.

Last year I had made savoury and sweet too… these spicy baked chickpeas from Cathy’s blog, and Rasmalai, an Indian dessert where I used ricotta. This year the time just flew by as I’ve had a busy month, so for sweet I had to pick something express, something fuss free, yet something additive to the sweet tooth! How could I not turn back to chocolate fudge, a fudge with pistachios that my own little Goddess in the making had made a few years ago. Needless to say, times have changed … and how!

That Goddess today decided she was far too busy with her friends, so the Domestic God in the making was roped in. I made him stir and stir, the poor guy, but he was p a t i e n t! He did a great job, concentrated and stirred, while I quickly chopped the nuts on the side, and took a few shots! I had used pistachios the last time, so opted to use walnuts today. Holy yum is the word!

These are absolutely addictive little bites; keep them under lock and key if you know what I mean. The Domestic Goddess not in the making anymore reappeared magically to lick the bowls, spatulas and spoons clean once all the dirty work was done. Then she handed the lad a small scraping to taste, rather disdainfully! The good natured blighter that he is, declared “Condensed milk has never tasted this good before!!“

Chocolate Walnut Fudge
Minimally adapted from recipe by Nigella Lawson
Ingredients:
350gms dark chocolate / roughly broken up
1 can condensed milk
2 tbsp unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
1 cup walnuts
Method:
Melt the chopped chocolate, condensed milk, butter, and salt in a heavy based pan on a low heat.
Put the nuts into a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin, until broken up into both big and little pieces.
Add the nuts to the melted chocolate and condensed milk and stir well to mix.
Pour this mixture into a 9-inch square foil tray, smoothing the top.
Let the fudge cool and then refrigerate until set.
You can then cut into small pieces approximately 3/4 by 1 3/4 inches or cutting 8 by 8 lines in the tin to give 64 pieces.

♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥

I want to thank two great foodies in India who made me feel very special by sending me these gorgeous gifts recently. Gifts from the ♥ that I was so touched to receive.

Thank you Kishi for this absolutely delicious Raspberry Bavarian Cream Cake, as well as a jar of cocoa nibs which is something I have longed to have in my larder. Kishi can be found at Foodaholics. Do check out her customised range of cakes etc for all occasions. She delivers across Delhi and the NCR!

Also a big shout out to Mia in Goa, who blogs at Bright Morning Star, for a delicious bunch of goodies. Gourmet vanilla beans {lots of them; something I can never have enough of}, cookie cutters – fluted, snowflakes, Xmas trees! Also included in the box were Goan curry pastes and some delicious guava jelly. Mia has begun a BLOGGING BY MAIL BUDDY event for Indian Food Bloggers. Do check it out!