Chocolate and Cream

 Get into a Valentine’s mood with Chocolate and Cream recipes from Simran Dhanju

Chocolate Brownies with Sour Cream Frosting 

Ingredients:                                  

• 185g dark chocolate, chopped
• 125g butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½tsp vanilla essence
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

For Ganache:

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 170-degree Celsius and line 9” square baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Melt butter and chocolate together in a bowl over double boiler, remove from heat and add sugar and vanilla essence. Lightly beat the eggs, pour it in the mix and combine well.
3. Sift flour, add to the chocolate mix, and fold it gently until well combined.
4. Add chopped walnuts and mix well. Pour in prepared pan, bake for 23-25 minutes. Leave in pan for 5 minutes, invert on rack and cool completely.
5. To make chocolate ganache, melt chocolate in double boiler and remove; add sour cream and combine well.
6. Pour sour cream frosting on top of the cake, level with flat spatula. Keep in refrigerator for 30 minutes to set frosting. Cut in squares, hearts or desired shapes.
7. Mix sugar and water to make paste, pour in piping bag, cut the tip and pipelines or swirls or design your own. Garnish with strawberries and raspberries.

Chocolate Orange Truffles

Ingredients:

• 12oz dark chocolate, chopped
• 4oz cream
• 1tbsp orange zest from one orange
• 3tbsp pistachios, chopped
• 3-4tbsp desiccated coconut
• 2tbsp cocoa powder

Method:

1. In a heavy based saucepan, pour cream and bring to boil.
2. In a heatproof bowl put chocolate and pour hot cream on it; cover with plastic wrap, stand 5 minutes until chocolate is melted.
3. Uncover, gently mix chocolate with rubber spatula, incase of chocolate lumps, heat bowl over double boiler and melt the remaining chocolate bits; remove from heat.
4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, leave to cool at room temperature for 4-5 hours.
5. Once cool, add orange zest and combine well.
6. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, with the help of two dessert spoons, make mounds of chocolate about 1” big. Leave to cool in refrigerator for 10 minutes.
7. In separate bowls put cocoa powder, pistachios and coconut.
8. Roll each mound in your hands and shape them into balls, drop them in either cocoa, pistachio or coconut to coat well and place them on decorative foil cups and impress your loved ones.

Simran is a celebrated chef and a winner of multi cooking competitions; she creates visual delights artfully by merging traditional flavours