Fondants & Fennel Seed Crème Fraîche

Transcription

1 Eggless Mint Chocolate Fondants & Fennel Seed Crème Fraîche There are some flavour combinations that just shouldn t be messed with. Mint and chocolate is one of them. The Mr isn t a fan of desserts. I ll often spend hours in the kitchen trying to perfect eggless and vegan cakes, cheesecakes, cookies and brownies. Yet no matter how happy I am with how one might have turned out (which, I ll be honest, doesn t happen often), he still won t touch it. Unless it s mint chocolate. I ve never met anyone who doesn t like ice cream. That changed when I met my husband. I ll be honest, I thought it was super weird. The one exception to his no-ice-cream rule is mint chocolate, it has to be totally frozen (soft serve is never an option), topped with strawberry syrup and hazelnuts. Just. So. Weird. So here I am. It s Valentine s Day which for the record, I think is a load of old bollocks. We don t do presents and ridiculous extravagant gestures we never have and never will. However, it isn t very often he doesn t work weekends so when we get the chance to spend time together, we make the most of it. Why do people need to prove to the world they love each other on one day of the year? Usually it s for the benefit of their Facebook friends. People should treat their other halves with love and kindness every day. Full stop. Okay, that s my little rant over. This is one of those weekends where we re both home so we decided to spend the day cooking. I love it when we do this.

2 Our ultimate menu of Paneer Butter Masala, Garlic and Coriander Naan, Gujarati Kachumbar and these Eggless Mint Chocolate Fondants and Fennel Seed Crème Fraîche is complete. The latter because it s the only dessert he ll eat. I ve been working on this recipe for a long time and now I m finally ready to share it. The ingredients required are very different from a conventional chocolate fondant but the result is spectacular. A combination of things including baking powder, milk powder and cornflour work to do the job of eggs in my recipe. The batter recipe is perfect and provided you follow all the rules (because making chocolate fondants, a.k.a Moelleux au Chocolat ain t a joke), they ll be crisp on the outside and gooey in the middle. Once baked for just 10 minutes, they need to be turned out and served immediately. If they re not, they ll carry on cooking and the middles will be light and fluffy rather than having the lava-like centre you really want. Mr Patel, this one s for you but not because it s Valentine s Day.

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4 Eggless Mint Chocolate Fondants & Fennel Seed Crème Fraîche (serves 6) Ingredients 200g sweetened condensed milk 100g sour cream 80g melted butter 200g melted mint chocolate (use one with at least 70% cocoa solids I like Green & Blacks) 2 tbsp milk powder 1 tsp cornflour 5 tbsp plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 bag Mint Aero Bubbles (these are great melters) For the Fennel Seed Crème Fraîche: 200g crème fraîche 1 tsp toasted fennel seeds, ground Method 1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C. 2. Grease 6 dariole moulds and place a disc of greaseproof paper in the base of each. 3. In a stand mixer, combine the sour cream, condensed milk, melted mint chocolate and melted butter until smooth and light. 4. Add in the milk powder and continue to whip until fluffy. 5. Next, add in the flour, cornflour, and baking powder. 6. Beat until just incorporated do not overmix. 7. Fill the moulds to just under half way. Pop in two (or three) Mint Aero Bubbles and cover with more batter. The moulds should be filled ¾ of the way up. Repeat for the next

5 5. 8. Place all of the fondants on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes exactly. 9. Remove from the oven and immediately turn out onto a plate. 10. For the Fennel Seed Crème Fraîche, whip 200g Crème Fraîche with 1 tsp freshly-ground fennel seeds. Serve alongside the fondants for a lovely, fresh balance against the rich chocolate + a hint of spice. The perfect way to round off any Indian meal. Love Sanjana Baked Pilaf Buttered Vegetable One of the many great pleasures in the kitchen comes from not only the dishes that can be prepared in a flash, but from those that have steps, processes and a beautiful end result. From lasagne to Kashmini Dum Aloo, and layer cakes to biryani, the meals that beg for a little more love and attention than your 10-minute post-work salad are sometimes what you need to appreciate truly great food. This pilaf is one of those recipes.

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7 takes 90 minutes to prepare, 35 minutes to bake and probably just 10 minutes to devour. Like any Indian rice dish, it requires a dash of spice and a whole load of TLC. The end result is a buttery platter of golden rice and crisp-tender vegetables that pair perfectly with any curry or simply with a bowl of lime and coriander yoghurt. The idea is to partially cook each component of the dish before arranging it in a buttered roasting tin, covering with damp greaseproof paper (cartouche) and foil, and then baking until the rice is steamed to fluffy perfection. It s a foolproof way to ensure your rice is spot on every time. The best bits the golden brown edges but don t tell anyone I told you that. I love to ribbon vegetables; whether they re for a salad, pasta or rice, they look so beautiful and are quick to cook. The ones I find work best are all used in this recipe carrots, courgettes and asparagus. However, you can use any veggies you like. I also added baby pearl potatoes, paneer (of course, don t you know me at all?), petit pois, cashews and echalions (banana shallots). Be experimental and add whatever you fancy.

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9 I ve intentionally kept the spicing mellow in this pilaf. There s nothing worse than killing the flavour of fresh vegetables and golden rice with OTT spicing. It happens all the time in restaurants and makes me sad. When cooking rice, you ve got to remember that it will take on every flavour you add and this is particularly important in things like baked rice and biryanis because of the slow cooking. It has lots of time to infuse with the spices so it s very easy to go overboard. Don t fall into this trap. I ve added black cumin and black cardamom for a smoky flavour, saffron and green cardamom. They are perfectly balanced against all the sweet, buttery vegetables. This recipe makes enough for eight hungry people because it was simply made for sharing. The leftovers are delicious the next day and even the day after that. Baked Buttered Vegetable Pilaf Serves 8

10 Ingredients 550g golden Sela rice 500g baby pearl potatoes, parboiled 400g carrots, peeled and ribboned 150g asparagus, ribboned 450g courgette, ribboned 225g paneer, cut into rectangles and grilled 5 banana shallots, peeled and sliced in half root trimmed but left on 100g cashew nuts 150g petits pois Hot water to boil the rice Salt, to taste 100g butter 2 tbsp oil 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed 1 black cardamom pod, whole 2 inch cinnamon stick 2 whole cloves 1 tsp black cumin 1 tbsp grated ginger 2 whole green chillies 150ml water Large pinch saffron Fresh coriander, to garnish Method 1. Wash the rice and soak the rice in cold water for an hour. 2. In a large pan, melt the butter and add the oil. Add cardamom pods, black cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, black ginger, cashews and chillies. Saute for a few moments adding the potatoes. Allow the sizzle on a low heat minutes. in the cumin, before for 5

11 3. Add the shallots and paneer and keep on a low heat, trying not to break the shallots. Once everything s lightly golden, season with salt, add the saffron and 150ml water, then switch off the heat and set aside. 4. Drain the soaking liquid from the rice. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the rice. Boil it until it s 50% cooked, just as you would boil pasta. Drain and set aside. 5. Grease a large roasting tray with butter and add the drained rice. Pile on the potato mixture, plus all of the ribboned vegetables and give it a very gentle mix. Try not to break up the vegetables. 6. Take a piece of greaseproof paper and scrunch it up under the tap, squeezing out any excess water. Place this directly on top of the rice and vegetables. Cover the tray with foil, leaving room for it to rise up as the rice steams. 7. Bake in a pre-heated oven t 180C for 35 minutes. 8. Remove from the oven and allow to sit, covered for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and paper and fluff up the rice with a fork. Arrange on a platter or into bowls. Garnish with fresh coriander.

12 Serve with your favourite curries or like I have it with plain Greek yoghurt and nothing more. Love Sanjana Sesame Salted Caramel Bars My name is Sanjana and I m a caramelholic. Rich, luxurious caramel with a pinch of sea salt reminds me of the gooey-centered masterpieces I overindulged on in my favourite Parisian chocolateries some years ago. These days, whenever I hear the words salted caramel, my ears prick up like a meerkat on predator watch. And because it s become so popular, this happens often. In this recipe, I ve paired salted caramel with toasted sesame

13 seeds, dark chocolate and a touch of coconut oil. Trust me when I say this flavour combo will take you straight to heaven. Nutty sesame seeds are ground and added into the biscuit base before being topped with a ridiculously-generous amount of salted caramel blended with coconut oil. The caramel is then set and crowned with sesame oil-spiked dark chocolate. Be sure to line your tin with plenty of greaseproof paper and groundnut oil to make sure they don t stick. Try to chill overnight and cut with a super-sharp and hot knife. The deep, nutty flavours make these bars the perfect afterdinner treat with a shot of espresso. Just be sure to cut them into small cubes. I love them as an afternoon pick-me-up with a glass of cold milk. If you love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, you need to try the marriage that is sesame and chocolate. Forget Reese s Cups and plain old Millionaire s Shortbread. These will blow your mind.

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15 Salted Sesame Caramel Bars Serves 16 Adapted from Donna Hay Ingredients For the biscuit base: 200g plain flour 30g toasted sesame seeds, ground 150g unsalted butter 100g light brown sugar For the caramel filling: 2x 397g tins sweetened condensed milk 130g golden syrup 125g coconut oil 1 tsp sea salt For the chocolate layer: 200g dark chocolate 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil Toasted sesame seeds, to sprinkle (optional) Method 1. Combine the flour, ground sesame seeds, brown sugar and melted butter. Press into a greased and lined 6-inch by 9inch tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 20 minutes. 2. While the biscuit base cooks, make the caramel. Combine the condensed milk, golden syrup and coconut oil. Cook until very lightly-golden and slightly thickened. Add the sea salt and set aside. 3. Remove the biscuit base from the oven and pour over the caramel. Allow to set at room temperature until cool. Place in the fridge for 2 hours or until the caramel has set. 4. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler and stir in the toasted sesame oil. Allow to cool slightly and pour over the

16 set caramel. You can sprinkle over some toasted sesame seeds if you like but I love a smooth, shiny top. Return to the fridge to set for 4 hours or overnight. 5. Slice into bars or pieces as large as you can handle. The recipe makes approx. 16 squares.

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18 Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days if they last that long. Love Sanjana