Hot Chocolate Fudge

This hot fudge sauce is thick , rich, inexpensive and easy to make. You can use it over your favorite ice - cream, brownies or cake and it also will last for a while. Place any unused finished sauce in a glass jar and store it in the refrigerator.

When you want to re-use it, a few seconds in a microwave will do the work and your fudge will be warm enough to use it over

This basic recipe is inspired by Martha

Ingredients

Dutch coco powder : 1/2 cup
Light cream: 1/4 cup
Light corn syrup: 1/2 cup
Sugar: 1/2 cup
Salt: A bing pinch - its important
Butter: 1.5 Tbsp
Vanilla Essence: 1/2 tsp

To go about......

- In a pan mix in coco, cream, corn syrup, sugar and salt
- Bring it to boil for about 3minutes over medium heat
- Remove from fire and add in vanilla extract and mix
- Add in butter to help you keep the sheen
- You can immediately use it over your favorite treat

Note:

For a more richer version you can use full cream, but then mind the calories
I am not a big fan of corn syrup, but to keep this sauce malleable its important. Sugar syrup will tend to crystallize once it cools down
In case you do not find dutch coco powder, try using any normal Hershey s un sweetened dark coco powder or any good brand that you trust

Why Dutch coco powder - prefer it because it is neutral and does not react with soda. Its usually called in for baking, unless there are other acidic ingredients such as lime / lemon used. It has a reddish brown color, mild flavor and is easy dissolved in liquids

You can pour it over my favorite Brownie posted earlier created to satisfy my urge for a sizzling brownie

Honey Grilled Pineapple with Pineapple Granitée

I have tried this dessert of 2 different occasions....the recent was for the New year eve 2011 Finale ....and both the times, by the time I set the plate , it just disappears.....so try this for performing the trick " Vanishing Plate " :)

All you require for the Grilled Pineapple

4 -5 slices of pineapple - cut into any shape of your choice

1tsp Lemon juice

1/4 tsp ground / grated cinnamon

4 Tbsp honey

In a deep dish , line  the pineapple and drizzle it with honey and lemon juice and sprinkle the cinnamon

Let these get married for 2 hours....allow it to marinate 

Cover it with a wrap and keep it aside

For Pineapple Granitée

1/3 cup sugar

2 cups pineapple juice

To prepare the granitée, mix the sugar, 1 cup of the juice in a saucepan over medium heat and heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally

Stir in the rest of the juice, and allow to cool

Pour the juice into a flat, covered container and freeze

Once it is solid, break it with a fork so that it becomes flaky

After 2hours..........

Grill the pineapple on a grill top / grill pan over medium heat

Grill on both sides until the glaze caramelizes and grill marks form, about 2 minutes per side

 To Serve:

In a serving plate , place the grilled pineapple piece and drizzle it with honey

Top t with a scoop of ice cream ( I preferred Vanilla)

And place a spoon of the granitée

Addition:

I also plated some crushed peanut brittle along with some fresh fruits such as strawberry - cherry and grapes

And for the second instance I had serves some carrot halwa along with this 

Will surely try to click a pic of the plated portion the next time

Chocolate Brownie

Sunday and it's continuously raining out here in NYC.........past 24hrs.......and my urge for having a sizzling brownie has been haunting me dawn to dusk.........so here is the first step to satisfy my urge....BROWNIE....All i needed was

STEP 1

1cup  flour
1 cup  powdered sugar
2Tbsp unsweetened coco powder
1tsp baking powder
Some choco chips - optional

Sift all the ingredients ( except the choco chips)
Add the choco chips to the sifted ingredients and mix

STEP 2

4Tbsp Butter
1bar Chocolate ( I just brought a Hershey's milk with almonds) - but you can select any bar of your choice - dark / milk / unsweetened

Chocolate bits and butter - ready to be melted 

Melted chocolate n butter .....whisk it well

Melt the above ingredients in the microwave and whisk it well to form a smooth mixture



STEP 3

1Tbsp Vanilla essence
1/2 cup milk

Combine Step 1 + 2 = dry ingredients + the melted butter chocolate along with Vanilla essence and milk
Pre heat oven to 355F / 180C
Line a baking tray with parchment paper / grease the tray
Pour in the mixture in the tray and place in the oven and spread it evenly by tapping the dish or with the help of a spatula
Bake for 30 - 35 mins / until the toothpick is out clean

And the final result was

I no longer had patience to sccop out / arrange the platter..............

Poached Figs with Rose Syrup - Dessert

Serves 4

200g Sugar
1 orange, grated zest & juice
6 cardamom pods, just crushed
8 ripe figs
1Tbsp rose syrup ( you can find the same in Indian store - try Haldirams, Roohafaza....)

1Tsp Gulkand - dried rose petals
Plain thick yogurt

Put the sugar, orange zest and juice and cardamom pods into a pan with 250ml cold water

Heat gently until the sugar have dissolved and then bring up to the boil for a few minutes.
Reduce the heat to a simmer, add the figs

Cook for 6-8 minutes until the figs begin to soften, remove the parchment and then remove the figs form the syrup to a serving plate

Drizzle in the rose syrup while warm

Mix Yogurt with Gulkand and serve it along with the figs

Note:

If you want it more sweeter carry on simmering the syrup for another 7-8 minutes to reduce t, add the rose syrup and drizzle it over the figs

You can also eliminate the curd and serve it with a dollop of cream for a complete dessert

Digestive Biscuit Cream Cake

This is one of my favorite dishes........and may be one of the earliest experiments I started off with......So we shall start off with

6 Digestive Biscuits/Marie biscuits/ Tea biscuits
1/2 cup Chocolate Sauce                    
4 Tbsp White / Unsalted butter          
1 Tbsp Coco powder            
2 Tbsp Icing sugar  ( You can also use powdered sugar in case you do not get in icing sugar)
Milk -  to dip the biscuits


And here it goes

- Mix in butter - coco - and sugar to a smooth paste
- Take a biscuit dip it in milk and apply the paste on the smoother surface of the biscuit
- Take another one, repeat the process and stack it over....It might resemble like

- The final or the 6th biscuit should cover the entire stack

- Now pour in chocolate sauce over this ..............I made the chocolate sauce at home(let me know if you want to have th recipe ....its simple and takes just 5-7 mins)

- Freeze it for 15mins and then transfer it to the fridge until you want to indulge in this sinful delight :)


Note:
You can also add in hot chocolate sauce before serving
Garnish it with nuts
Top it with whipped cream
Top it with choco chips - if you want more of chocolate


Quick FIX............

So here is a quick instant way to the above recipe...all you need to buy

Biscuits
Chocolate cream
Chocolate Sauce

Follow the same method as above and what you get is

And now you can decorate it with your own ways....I tried Coco powder sprinkles :)