Chocolate Truffles

Diwali (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali) is a traditional Indian festival of fireworks, lights and sweets. One of the best part of Diwali is exchange of umpteen varieties of sweets amongst family, and friends. Somehow indulging in sweets during Diwali does not even seem guilty!

My family is huge fan of dark chocolate.  Hence we decided to make these decadent dark chocolate truffles to complement the traditional Indian Diwali sweets.



We realized that the beauty of making truffles at home is that you can mix your custom flavors,  and control the intensity of each one of them. Flavored syrups, nuts, expresso, tea, cardamom, cinnamon..the list is endless!

Recipe

Ganache:
2 cups chocolate
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp butter

Tempering:
Dark chocolate

Step 1
Ganache (the soft truffle center)

• Chop good quality chocolate dark with sharp knife or use 60% chocolate chips
• In a pan bring 1/3 heavy cream just to a bare simmer
• Pour over chocolate,  and let it stand till the chocolate melts
• At this point, add different flavors
• Whisk until well blended
• Set it in the fridge for 3 hours
• After it is set, use a small melon baller to scoop out round balls of chocolate
• Use hands to roll it smooth

Work quickly so that they don't melt with the heat of your hands
Bit messy but fun!

Roll the truffle balls in coating of your choice: cocoa, toasted almonds, coconut etc. 
Refrigerate and Enjoy!

If you want some more adventure, go ahead with step 2.

Step 2 (optional)

Tempering
If you need to dip the truffles in chocolate coating, you have to temper it.
Tempered chocolate gives the truffle a smooth, shiny finish and a snap. Not to forget the professional look!

Temper chocolate as below.
http://www.ghirardelli.com/bake/chocolate_tempering.aspx
Dip the cocoa dipped truffles in tempered chocolate and lay it on the parchment paper.
Sprinkle some chocolate sprinkles, and luster dust. (http://www.amazon.com/Super-Gold-43-1233-Luster-Dust/dp/B0000VLH8S)   
Indulge in a guilt-free decadence. Watch it disappear right before your eyes!

A Book Cake

I enjoyed baking this cake for my friend's son's Annaprasana - ceremony of a baby's transition to solid foods.

It was the right time to flip the page and embark upon a new chapter in his life.
Bookmarked for easy reference!

Cake: Pound cake
Frosting: Simple buttercream topped with homemade fondant
Picture: Printed with edible ink on sugar sheet

My first 3-D cake!

I wanted to make my husband’s 40th birthday a memorable event. Since he is very passionate about photography, I figured that a camera cake would be the perfect surprise for his special day!

It turned out well although some imperfections can be seen on the surface. But considering that it was my first time making and working with fondant, I was satisfied with the outcome.

My husband was in awe and even now adoringly remembers this memorable gift!

Making of the cake

My husband’s camera and camera-cake!

 

Tropical fruit salad

While browsing at the local Asian supermarket yesterday, I stumbled upon an exotic fruit which brought back memories – strolling in Hilo’s farmer market in Hawaii’s Big Island, when this fruit had first caught my eye.

One of the local farmer was happy to cut the fruit and let us sample it.  The mild sweetly-flavored white pulp inside was a strong contrast to the vibrant exterior, and tasted like a cross between a kiwi and a pear.

The Dragon fruit is a cactus fruit actually native to Central and South America. It comes in three varieties – red skin with red flesh, red skin with white flesh and yellow skin with white flesh. The pulp can be easily scooped off the skin. Low in calories and high in antioxidants, it is a good source of nutrition - Vitamin C, minerals (especially magnesium and phosphorus). They are also low in calories and high in fiber.

Best eaten raw and chilled, combine it with any tropical fruit and add a few pomegranate gems. It imparts color and a sweet-tart  crunch that goes well with sweet papaya and the dragon fruit.

The colorful peel can serve as a visually stunning platter!

Baby Shower Fruit Salad Surprise

My good friend Anisha’s baby shower was scheduled just 1 hour after I landed from a long India flight. She had postponed her shower as much as she could to have her few close friends and her family together all on the same day.  I just could hardly make it to the shower all jet-lagged, and could not do anything special for her that day.

On the positive side, since the baby shower had already happened, she was unlikely to expect another surprise. So the hope was that this Fruit-Salad for the wonderful couple Anisha and Shashi would be a pleasant surprise.

The party was impromptu – could not plan it till a perfect oval watermelon was found (not an easy task given most stores sell the round types). On finding one, we arranged for a potluck the same day with one fruit as a must-bring by everyone. My friend Anisha (without any insight into what was going on) asked me if we could wait till the weekend for the potluck…Well, it was the beginning of the week and I was sure the watermelon could not last that long! Luckily I knew how to get her in…her favorite dessert!

My wonderful friends cooked up great dishes in a jiffy at such a short notice, while still wondering what the urgent need of potluck was that day. We cut up the fruit together, with Anisha just watching a basic fruit salad being made. While she was kept busy talking, the fruit was assembled in the watermelon carriage along with the apricot baby in a lettuce blanket, and presented to the couple.

The smiles on their faces just made everybody’s day!

Aren’t Baby showers fun to give!