Sharmila Chand
Looking for a delicious energy boost? What better than Chocolate to the rescue? Loaded with a generous dose of carbohydrates, fats, and maybe a touch of caffeine, chocolate offers a quick mood enhancer.
One bite of the creamy nutty delightful piece and there you are with a pep in your step. It not only enhances the flavors and beautifully garnishes the dishes, but also is rich with numerous nutrients. So, how best to make the most of the World Chocolate Day?
Gooey Molten Chocolate – Ditas
Simple. Savour delightful pleasure as you indulge in the sinful chocolate dishes curated by ace chefs. From traditional recipes to fusion creations, they share their favorite recipes for you to try.
Recipes
Vegan Chocolate Mousse
By Rollin Lasrado,
Executive Chef, Smoke House DELI – West
Ingredients
250 gm dairy-free dark chocolate, plus more to taste on the side as well
350 gm silken tofu
80 gm maple syrup
Method
On a double boiler, place a heat-proof bowl, ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
Break the chocolate into pieces, place it in the bowl, and allow it to melt slowly. Then set it aside.
In the meantime, place the tofu on a tea towel in a bowl and drain the excess water.
Then place the tofu in the mixer with the syrup and blend gently to combine. Add a pinch of sea salt as well. You could add a little lime zest, some rum, and vanilla.
Pour it into the chocolate mix, and blend till smooth and creamy, and silky. You will be tempted to taste. Remember you need to let it chill in the fridge too for some time and keep some for that special someone!
Divide the mixture into 6 small bowls or ramekins and keep in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow it to set.
Note
You could use avocado and coconut milk instead of tofu.
You can eat it when it isn’t completely set, and dip it in your favorite biscuits/cookies/fruit as well.
GOOEY MOLTEN CHOCOLATE
By Ravi Ranjan
Executive Chef
Ditas, Mumbai
Ingredients
Refined flour- 150g
Coffee powder- 9g
Cocoa powder- 35g
Baking powder- 4g
Baking soda- 2g
Dark chocolate- 110g
Feuilletine crunch- 100g
Breakfast sugar- 250g
White butter- 50g
Vegetable oil- 100ml
Water- 250ml
Organic eggs- 5 no’s
Method of preparation
Take a saucepan and put water, coffee powder, white butter, and dark chocolate, bring this to a boil on induction. Let it cool down.
Put this mixture into the dough mixer machine. Add eggs into the mixture and start the machine with a whisk attachment.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder gradually and whisk this well till the mixture is of smooth and fluffy texture, add oil while finishing.
Take eight numbers molten cake ring and put the mixture into it. Bake at the temperature of 165 degree Celsius for 35 to 40 minutes. Let the molten cake cool. Make a hole in the center.
For the dark chocolate sauce
Callebaut dark chocolate – 400gm
Hazelnut paste- 100gm
Cooking cream- 1 liter
Method
Take a heavy-bottom saucepan on a hot plate. Put cooking cream, make it boil, and remove it from the hot plate, add chocolate into it and whisk well until it becomes a saucy texture.
Milk Chocolate Sauce- milk chocolate- 500g, cooking cream- 1 liter
White Chocolate Sauce-white chocolate- 500g, cooking cream- 1 liter
Note- use the same method for making white and milk chocolate sauce.
Plating and presentation
On a serving plate place cake in the center.
Put feuilletine crunch on the base of the cake.
Fill the hole with dark, milk and white chocolate sauce.
Cover the cake with sauce and garnish with cocoa dust completely and serve along with coffee ice cream.
Nama Chocolate
By Avantika Sinha Bahl
Vegan Pastry Chef,
Founder Kampai
INGREDIENTS
• 400g good quality dark chocolate (70% cacao)
• ¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream
• 1 Tbsp liqueur of your choice
• Dutch-processed cocoa powder
Method
• Chop the chocolate into smaller pieces so that they will melt faster and more evenly.
• Line an 8“ x 8“ (20 x 20 cm) baking dish with parchment paper.
• Add the heavy cream into a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat the cream to ALMOST a boil.
Tip: Overheating the cream may cause the chocolate to separate in the next step.
• When you see small bubbles form around the edges of the saucepan, remove it from the heat.
• Next, add the chocolate pieces to the cream and stir. Tip: Make sure your utensil is completely dry.
• Mix until the chocolate is melted and there are no more lumps.
• Now, add the liqueur of your choice(optional).
• Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth the surface.
• Tap the baking dish to make sure the chocolate is evenly distributed. Refrigerate until firm, about 4–5 hours.
To Cut the Chocolate
• After chilling for 4–5 hours, remove the chocolate with its parchment paper.
• Warm up the knife with a hot towel. Then, cut the chocolate slab into 1” (2.5 cm) strips.
• Next, cut the strips into cubes. Remember to clean and warm up the knife before each cut.
• Using a sugar duster or fine-mesh sieve, sprinkle the cubes on top with the cocoa powder.
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Corbett Chocolate Forest Tart
By Chef Tijo Thomas,
Executive Chef,
Taj Corbett Resort & Spa, Uttarakhand
Enjoy the Corbett Chocolate Forest Tart on Chocolate Day when you want to indulge in rich, chocolatey goodness.
Ingredients:
For Chocolate pâte sablée: Butter, 1000g; Powdered Sugar, 630 gm; 7 gm salt; almond powder, 200 gm; Eggs, 400 gm; Flour 1800 gm; Cocoa, 200 gm; VanillaPowder, 1 pinch;
For Hazelnut filling: Butter (82% fat), Beurre noisette, 150 gm; powdered sugar, 200 g; Eggs, 275 gm;
powdered hazelnuts, 375 gm; Cornstarch, 35 gm; hazelnut praline (50%), 150 gm; Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur. 20 gm; Chocolate. 60 gm
For Hazelnut chocolate Ganache: Cream, 975 g; Chocolate,937 gm; Milk chocolate, 312 g; Invert sugar, 75 g; butter (softened), 250 gm
Method
For Chocolate pâte sablée- In a mixing bowl, blend the butter and powdered sugar using the paddle attachment until creamy / Add the salt, almond powder, cocoa, and vanillin powder, and mix well. / Gradually add the eggs while continuing to mix / Finally, incorporate the flour until the dough comes together / Roll out the dough and line a tart pan, pressing it gently into the edges / Pre-bake the tart shell at 170°C for 10 minutes.
For Hazelnut filling: In a mixer, beat the softened butter until creamy / Add the eggs one by one, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated / Mix in the powdered sugar, powdered hazelnuts, cornstarch, hazelnut praline, and Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur / Finally, fold in the chocolate / Pour the filling into the pre-baked tart shell / Bake the tart in the oven for 10 minutes.
For Hazelnut Chocolate Ganache: In a saucepan, bring the cream and invert sugar to a boil / Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth / Allow the ganache to cool to a temperature of 35°C / Add the softened butter and emulsify until fully incorporated.
To assemble the Corbett Chocolate Forest Tart: Sprinkle the “soil” over the pre-baked tart shell / To create the “soil,” freeze gianduja curls made using a peeler, then crumble them in a thermomixer / Spread 200 g of the hazelnut filling over the tart shell /Decorate with 60 g of chocolate /To create shading, dip spherical silicone molds with a whole hazelnut inside in various types of chocolate / Apply a glaze spray over the tart for a glossy finish.
Chef’s Tip:
* Pre-bake the tart shell at 170°C for 10 minutes to ensure a crisp and fully cooked crust.
* Make sure to beat the softened butter well to ensure a smooth and creamy filling.
* Be careful not to overheat the ganache when adding the butter to maintain a smooth and glossy texture.
* You can experiment with different types of chocolate for the decoration to add variation and visual appeal.
Chocolate Clusters
By Reshma Yashwant Bhosale,
Pastry Chef
The Orchid Hotel Mumbai
“The following recipe is easy to replicate at home. Make them in bigger quantities and pack them in pretty gift boxes for giveaways on special occasions.”
Ingredients:
250 gms milk chocolate
50gms candied almonds + coconut chips
50gms hazelnut figs – roasted hazelnut halved + dried figs halved
50gms fruits and nuts – roasted almonds + raisins + dried fruits
50gms candied orange
Method
1. Prepare the molds by wiping them clean and making sure that it’s completely dry. If available, use a microfiber towel to prevent towel lint from sticking to the mold.
2. Prepare the toppings. (i.e. slice almonds and dried fruits)
3. Temper the chocolate and pour it into a pastry bag or ziplock bag.
4. Pipe tempered chocolate into the mold. Trace the sides first and then pipe in the middle, do not overfill. You need to leave room for the toppings so that the chocolate will not overflow on the sides. After piping the sides, I partially fill the middle. You can always add more chocolate later if needed.
5. Carefully tap the chocolate mold on the sides and then tap it into a flat surface to flatten the chocolate. I prefer tapping the mold on top of a towel.
6. Place all the toppings on top of the chocolate.
7. Place chocolate mold in the fridge for 5 minutes to cool. Leaving the chocolate in the fridge longer exposes chocolate to moisture.
8. If using a polycarbonate mold, check the bottom of the mold first before unmolding the bars. If the chocolate is not dry, you can see wet streaks in the bottom of the mold.
9. To unmold from a polycarbonate mold, place parchment paper (or silicone mat) on a flat surface. Carefully invert the mold toppings side down and lift one side of the mold. The chocolate bar should come off easily.
10. Fold one side of the silicone mold and carefully take the chocolate bar out.
11. Store the bars in an individual plastic wrapper or a ziplock at room temperature. Chocolate has a long shelf life, however, your chocolate bar’s shelf life depends on the toppings you used.
Want to celebrate a bit more, we tell you how.
*Promote the concept of sustainable chocolate production.
*Don’t just consume chocolates, but appreciate their artistic usage as in chocolate sculptures.
* Handmade chocolate are exclusive gift items.
Did You Know?
The word ‘chocolate’ is said to be of Spanish origin and chocolate was originally prepared as a fermented drink from cacao pods. Due to their high value, cacao seeds were used as a form of currency.
*Chocolates are said to have more than 500 flavors. How many have you tasted?
*Chocolate is good for your teeth! Don’t laugh. It is said, chchocolate has an antibacterial effect due to cocoa which prevents tooth decay.
*Chocolate does magic for the brain. It is said the mere smell of chocolate increases theta brain waves, which trigger relaxation. According to a study conducted at Hasselt University in Belgium, the scent of chocolate diffused in bookstores, increased the sale of books, especially those of romance novels. So, eating chocolate leads to happiness!
Now that’s reason enough to celebrate World Chocolate Day!
The author is a Food, Travel, and Lifestyle Writer at chand.sharmila@gmail.com
