Stuffed Chocolate Dates!!

Hey Peeps, I am back with a new bust of energy, all set to rock the blog-town. It’s been way   too long since i last posted. You might be wondering where the hell I vanished? May be on a vacation? No I have not been very lucky to enjoy summer vacation this year.

Last month I was on a spiritual-spree since it was the blessed month of Ramadan. Yes i am super greedy when it comes to blessing, and I don’t leave a single stone unturned. And more over I hardly did any cooking last month was enjoying the luxury of my moms kitchen. I am just not in mood to cook while I fast. After Ramadan it was the meet-eat-expand phase for those of you who are confused with my weird expression, It actually was the Eid time. 

Eid is the festive time when Muslims all over the world celebrate. It actually marks the end of fasting through a generous feasting time (as-if-Ramadan was less of a feast).so we meet friends & family, feast together, increase our dress and waist sizes. The merrier time landed me on bed, I was invaded by some unwanted enemies called virus. However, finally after combating a battle which lasted couple of weeks I am back in shape and ready to share some mouth watering recipes with you

Meet my current favorites.. stuffed chocolate dates.A little twist to the normal dates.

Ingredients

• A dozen or two of any soft variety of dates.
•   200gm bar of chocolate
• 200gm bar of  white chocolate
• 1/2 a cup of colorful sprinkles

For stuffing

• 1/2 cup of mixed nuts grounded in coffee grinder.
• Tahina halava (can be found in most middle-eastern grocery shops)
• 1-2 tbsp butter

Method

1. Wash & de-seed the dates by sliding in the center along the length of the date.let it dry
2. Mix the nuts mixture with the butter by gradually adding the butter.till it reaches a pliable dough consistence.
3. keep an empty plate in freezer for 5-10 minute.
4. Now the stuff  half of the dates with a pinch of this mixture.and the rest with the halava.
5. In two separate bowls melt chocolate & white chocolate respectively.Either over a double boiler or in the microwave.
6. Now dip one end of the date in dark chocolate and let it rest over the frozen plate.It begins to harden and then dip the other end in the white chocolate.you can also dip it in the sprinkles before the chocolate hardens.
7. Transfer them to small paper cups and serve with a cup of coffee.

Fruity Lemonade pops!!

With the soaring mercury levels and Mother Nature turning up the heat to full blast.I longed for something to cool off the steaming weather.

Something icy..Something fruity and totally soothing, the only thought I could gather to stop this craving was a refreshing lemonade pop. This Popsicle is slightly tangy & faintly sweet that is equal to freshness unlimited!. Perfect way to chill my afternoon on a summer day. It has all the goodness of fruits and looks to die for. The interesting fact is you don’t even need a Popsicle mold. Just use normal disposable glasses. I am set to beat the heat with these simple heat proof pops!!

 

 Ingredient

• Fresh fruits like..strawberries,blue berries,grapes ,kiwi slices
• Fresh mint leaves
• Lemonade

Method

1. Muddle a few mint leaves in lemonade.
2. Add fruits to the glass fill it half ,you can chop the fruits into big chunks or you can add whole fruits too.Do it the way you  like.
3. Pour lemonade in the glasses half way and place a stick in the center of the glass.
4. Cover it with the foil.Freeze it for a minimum of 3 hours.
5. After its frozen.Dip them in lightly warm water and take them out of the cups.Ready to be served.

Strawberry Pudding

A perfect end to a simple dinner is a fancy Dessert.By fancy i dont mean a dish which requires hours of preparation.I love quick food.Hours of  grueling in the kitchen , just ain't my can of soda.Here i have an easy Strawberry pudding recipe.This one is not meant to give you a massive sugar rush,which is usually what one expects when talking about puddings.A subtle tinge of sweetness is what we are looking for.The sweetness of the fruit overpowers the pudding .The white-red combo effect would make you wonder- the recipe will take numerous hours and might be painstaking. However, on the contrary  this is quite a versatile recipe.You can use different fruits instead of Strawberries.I have experimented with Mango & Kiwi so far.You can also use rice flour instead of semolina, in case of rice flour,just skip the roasting step.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fine semolina  (sooji)
• 1 tbsp ghee/butter
• 4 cups evaporated/Whole milk 
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp white granulated sugar.
• 2 tbsp rose-water (1-2 drops if using rose essence)
• 1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
• 1/2 cup chopped pistachios & coconut powder
• 3 cups chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• 3 tbsp white granulated sugar

Method

1. In a bowl add chopped strawberries & 2-thps of sugar leave it for 5 mins and then mash it with a potato masher.thn heat it on medium heat till it starts to thicken.The sauce should not be of running but thick consistency.pour it into the serving glasses or the dish.Leave it to set in a refrigerator
2. In a pan, on  medium heat,toast the semolina along with ghee till its light golden in color.You will need to continuously stir the flour as it roasts and keep a watch because semolina burns easily.Takes about 5-8 minutes.
3.  In another thick bottomed pan bring milk to boil ,stir to avoid it burning at the bottom.Add cardamom powder.
4. Once it starts to boil ,reduce heat to low,add the toasted semolina by continuously whisking for another 4-5 minutes.Whisking is very important as it prevents it from forming lumps.Semolina forms lumps very easily within seconds.It also starts to thicken as the semolina swells up.Keep whisking till its thick and of running consistency.Remove from the heat.
5. Add sugar,rose water & nuts.Mix well.you notice that the mixture will thin out a little.
6. Let it cool for a while and then top it over the already cooled strawberry sauce.Cover it with a cling film to avoid forming of skin over it .Refrigerate it for 3-4 hours.
7. Garnish it with coconut powder & chopped pistachios.Serve.

• I ran out of pistachios so i used coconut !!

 

Melt-in-mouth-Chocolate truffles

Today marks an important date for the Devilicious Chef.Its my first post !!..Yay!!I thought of a fitting way to celebrate this momentous occasion by sharing one of my favorite Chocolate Truffle recipe.Its quite a simple and quick one ..but the results are quite Fancy!!

Ingredients

• 1 whole packet of oreo biscuits.(I used the classic flavor.But you can use any of the various flavors available)
• 3-4 Tbsp of Cream Cheese.(Softened)
• 1 cup Chocolate chips/chocolate buttons.

      Method

1. Open a packet of oreo and break them in a food processor till they are finely grinded & slightly moist.You can also do this step without a processor by adding the cookies in  a ziplock bag & beating them with a rolling pin.Just take care that once you done with the grinding of the biscuits there will be a few big pieces left which should be picked out .
2. Now add cream cheese gradually 1 thps at a time to the moist mixture of biscuit till it forms a pliable dough.Soft enough to be rolled into small balls.
3. Roll out the dough into small balls.Place them on a tray & cover them with a cling film.place them in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
4. Melt the Chocolate chips on a double boiler or microwave for 1 min ,be careful not to burn it.
5. Line a tray with candy cups.
6. Using 2 forks dip & roll the previously made balls into the melted chocolate and place them safely & gently onto a candy cup.Let them stand undisturbed for a while till the chocolate forms a hard coating  and then transfer them back to the refrigerator.

Voila!!...horribly-horribly addictive truffles are ready.You can transfer them into a fancy box and  Gift away.