Chocolate-Orange-Rum Truffles

 To make these Delicious, flavorful, yummy truffles

all you need are some simple ingredients available in any chocolate lover's home. And don't worry 

about the method, it's equally simple too! This is how you go-

1.   First of all you have to make the Ganache, so bring 150 ml heavy cream to the boil,

2.  Take 150gm semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces and, 100gm of Cadbury's milk-chocolate 

broken into pieces, in a stainless-steel bowl and pour the boiling-hot cream over it.     

                               

Cover with a lid and set aside for 2 minutes.

3.   After two minutes, the cream would've warmed the chocolate pieces so remove the lid and stir the

cream and chocolate nicely to get a smooth and shiny mixture. 

Now add 1 to 2 tbsp. of powdered sugar and 2 tbsp. of rum, and mix 

nicely.

 

4.   Once the sugar and Rum are fully incorporated and the mixture is warm, i.e., no longer hot, add the zest of one orange along with the juice of one small lemon mixed with enough orange juice to make 50ml.

5.   Once all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and you get a smooth paste, pour it in a shallow container

and refrigerate for 4 to 5 hrs.or overnight so that the Ganache is firmly set. In summertime Jhansi,the ganache/truffles have to be kept in the freezer at every step, as I had to do. Now, all you have to do is take

spoonfuls of the set Ganache, roll in your hands and set on the tray lined with butter paper/plastic wrap, till all the mixture is used-up. This work is a bit messy so you may have to wash your hands once or twice.Don't worry about shape and size; they are not supposed to be perfect rounds! Put them in the fridge ( or in the freezer in hot weather) for one to two hrs.to firm-up.

 

6.   Now comes the last step i. e., coating the truffles. You can either roll them in desiccated coconut, or

in the cocoa powder or you can dip them in a  chocolate glaze which will give a nice crunchy crust to bite  

into.To make the chocolate glaze, chop 90gm.semi-sweet chocolate and 60gm. Cadbury"s or any other good

milk chocolate and melt in a double boiler or, microwave for 1 minute, stir nicely,add 1tsp. powdered sugar

while still hot and then mix-in 1tsp. 'Desi ghee' (clarified butter). Your dip is ready! Dip the ganache balls in it one by one, take out with the help of a fork and put on the butter paper-lined tray. Put in the fridge/freezer for the glaze to set.

 They will be gone even before you are able to count them!

A note of caution - In a place like Jhansi (UP; India) where the May-June temperature

 hovers around 47- 48 degrees c, it is not advisable to keep truffles out side for more than a few minutes.

They have to be kept refrigerated.

Enjoy!

Home-made Mascarpone

Mascarpone

At last I've been able to make mascarpone at home. And is it delicious!

It's not difficult to make; the secret lies in heating

the cream to the correct temperature. Try making

it yourself, using this very easy recipe -

You will need-

1. 500 gms. double cream, 2. 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (a little extra may be required),

3. A large piece of cotton cloth, for straining the cheese, 4. A clean bowl, 5. A strainer, and

6. A double boiler or a set of two vessels; one for boiling the water

and the other that can sit over its mouth, without touching the

water; like this-

To proceed-

1. First of all, fill the lower container one-third with water and bring it to a full boil.

2. Next, pour the cream in the sauce-pan, put it on the mouth of the lower

container, lower the flame to medium-high, stir occasionally and heat the

cream till scalding ( do not let it boil).It may take up to 10 minutes or more.

3. At this point add the lemon juice and mix nicely. The cream will start to thicken slightly.

4. Keep stirring,maintaining the same temperature for a further 10

minutes, or maybe more, till the cream thickens. You will be able to feel the difference in cream-thickness if you are stirring constantly. If you feel that the cream is not thickening, add half a teaspoon more of the lime juice

and cook some more. When you notice that it is like thick custard and the ladle is leaving clear streaks, you should know it is done.
Another clear indication is, when you drop a spoonful of the thickened cream back, it does not mingle with the rest but remains in a clear 'bump-and-splash' as in the picture below-

 You will not see any curdling effect as the cream is

not heated to the point where it may curdle.This step is the main trick in the whole procedure. Turn the heat off and let the cream cool down,for half

an hour or so. This is how it looks-

5. When the cream is slightly cool, pour it in a clean bowl, cover with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for at least 12 hrs. The cream sets into cheese as it cools in the fridge.

Leaving it outside encourages bacteria which may spoil the cheese before time.

As it is, it takes a long time to make and has a short shelf-life.

6. After 12 hrs. you will find that the cheese has thickened nicely. Now fold the

cotton-cloth into two, line the strainer with it, put the strainer on the rim of a bowl and pour the cheese into it, like this-

You will find that it resembles 'creme fraiche'. Fold the cloth over the cheese, cover with a lid, cover the whole thing in a plastic wrap or a large polythene bag and put in the fridge for the next 24 hrs., to drain the whey.

7. After 24 hrs., when you open it, you'll see that there isn't much whey in the bowl but the cheese is nicely set and matured.

Your mascarpone cheese is now ready to be used in a 'Tiramisu'or, it can be whipped with a little powdered sugar and vanilla

essence and, used to make fruit-cream! Dellllllicious!!

If you like drier mascarpone, let it keep draining for a few more hours but I

think 24 hrs. is about perfect to give a finished product looking like this-

It's sufficiently dry, has a little moisture, is not crumbly and is very very versatile! Happy eating!

Beautiful Nature-1

These pictures of hills and trees sure soothe your eyes, specially
during summer months.
Here is a picture of the beautiful Bhutan Hillside-

The Indian hillside is no less beautiful.Here is a picture, taken

in the month of Feb. '10, on the way from Dalhousie to Khajjiar.

The snow-covered crop- fields creat a beautiful effect.

And this picture gives an awsome view of Mt. Kailash-

The following three pictures show, first of all, a glimpse of Mt. Kailash

framed by beautiful pine trees, 

 the next one is Khajjiar, a beautiful Vally,







                                         and this is the way to Khajjiar

Now let's take a trip to the Jim Corbett Game sanctuary.
Look at the effect of sun-light!

The next picture shows the beautiful play of light on the dust unsettled by a vehicle that just passed-by-

And last but not the least, a garden full of blooming flowers is some thing that can be enjoyed just sitting at home only!