Chocolate Fudge

Melt in your mouth cubes..

I you are from Mumbai, or have been to any of the maharashtrian hill station (matheran, mahabaleshwar, khandala, lonavla). You would have surely brought bag their signature fudge..its gooey, its oily, not very chocolaty..and i would actually call it more of a chocolate walnut halwa, than fudge...whereas fudge in the west is block of soft chocolate, that melts in your mouth....and much better than out maharashtrian version.
Easier to make than truffles (provided you pick the quick n easy recipe) and equally yummy, this candy recipe is perfect as a home made gift or to serve and children's birthday parties, or to just eat.

Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk (400 g)
350 g dark chocolate
150 g chocolate praline/butterscotch chips (optional)
125 g whole hazel nuts
125 g whole almonds
1 tsp vanilla powder
2 pinches salt

you can also add roasted peanuts or pistachios in place of almonds and hazelnuts, or if you have a nut allergy, then you can skip the nuts all together.

Method:
Roast the nuts for 10 mins in a preheated oven at 180 degrees.
melt the chocolate either in the microwave or on a double boiler.remove from heat and add the condensed milk into the chocolate. mix to obtain a thick paste, then stir in quickly hazelnuts, vanilla and salt.
Pour into a rectangular silicone mold or a dish lined with parchment paper.
refrigerate for at least 4 hour and the cut into cubes using a good chef's knife and a cutting board. you could also try setting it in individual silicone mold. although haven'e tried it yet.

Gummy Candy

Who Doesn't love it....

In my world .....everyone loves this, some might act as if they are too old for it, but then quietly sneak a piece when no ones looking, where as others like me are not ashamed of their childish choices when it comes to candy....

I do like gummy candy, but i would never have actually tried it if it wasn't for a packet of lime jelly lying in my kitchen. Someone had given it to me, and lime is not a favored flavor in my house, so i didn't know what to do with the packet or how to use it up.

that was when i came across this recipe, and loved the simplicity of it, i also liked the idea of using fresh fruits n juices (for kids, that's really great)

So this was how i ended up using my packet of lime flavored Jello. And all the kids loved it (I'm like their favorite aunt now)

I don't know where i picked up this recipe, but it was basically the same everywhere, so it really doesn't matter...enjoy !!

Ingredients:

1/3 cup cold water or any fruit juice

1 packet jello (optional)

1 tbsp gelatin (2 tbsp if using juice)

Method:

Put water in a sauce pan, sprinkle the gelatin and jello over it and let it sit for 5 -10 minutes. Simmer over low heat, just until all the ingredients are completely dissolved. Pour into molds and refrigerate for minimum 30 minutes to set. Use un greased molds.

 You can coat the individuals candies with citric acid or granulated sugar.

If using fruit juice, sprinkle 2 tbsp of gelatin over 3 tbsp of water let it sit for 5 -10 minutes, then heat in a microwave for 30 – 45 seconds or until dissolved( can also dissolve over a double boiler). Add the gelatin to the juice, mix well and pour in molds.

Un-mold and Enjoy!!

Chocolate Truffles

what could be the best compliment one can get for something they have made ? ....

any guesses ?? well for me the best compliment i got for these was...people ate them b'fore i had a chance to serve them....confused ?

I made truffles for the first time last Eid and had thought i would serve them in them evening, but in the evening when i opened the fridge, i discover that half of them are already gone !!! My cousins couldn't wait till the evening and they just checked the fridge knowing i would have made something and enjoyed them while i was having a nap...what could be a better compliment..you don't even ave to serve it.

after i made truffles for the first time.. the first thing i thought to myself was that, why haven't i tried this earlier..they are so simple and yet so yummmm.

since this was the first time i tried them, i had made basic chocolate truffles, and the variation was only in the coatings where i used almonds, chocolate sprinkles, cocoa powder and desiccated coconut. i did later try some hazelnut truffles and coffee truffles which were even better.

Ingredients:

400 g of dark chocolate or milk chocolate

200g of fresh cream

Flavoring – coffee/hazelnut powder or almond powder/orange zest/mint essence

Cocoa powder/chopped nuts/crushed toffee/crushed peppermint/crushed biscuits/desiccated coconut for rolling.

Method :

Finely chop the chocolates and place in a bowl.

Heat the cream on slow flame, stirring constantly until boiling. Pour boiling cream over the chocolate, wait for a minute and then mix into a smooth paste.

Refrigerate for 4 -5 hours or overnight so that it gets firm. Use a melon baller or a tablespoon to remove and shape with hands into small balls coat with desired coating and chill.

Coffee flavored – add 1 tsp of coffee powder while boiling the cream.

Hazelnut / almond – add 1 - 2 finely ground hazelnut or almond powder for every 100g of chocolate

Mint – add 1 tsp of peppermint extract to prepared ganache or boil handful of mint leaves with the cream. Let it steep for half an hour. Strain the leaves, boil again and use to prepare ganache.

Orange – boil orange peel with cream; Let it steep for half an hour. Strain the leaves, boil again and use to prepare ganache.