Every bite of truffle I slip into wild ecstasy and I turn into its humble slave…

I dedicate this post to all the chocolate lovers out there, that means to each and everyone living on this planet. Is there anyone who are bold enough to say NO if they are offered some chocolates? I truly guess none.

In the chocolate world, I love truffles the most. It’s heavenly, it’s enslaving and it’s therapeutic. I think of enjoying one truffle and end up having many in just one sitting. I’ve never quite thought of making truffles in my kitchen, every time I get the craving I know I could get it from the nearby chocolate stores. So why go through the trouble of making it at home, that’s what I thought all these days. But making truffle in my kitchen had been one of the things I wanted to accomplish and this wish was buried deep inside the corner of my mind.

Yesterday, I had gone to Barnes and Nobles (my favorite book store) with the sole intention of reading a book. How could I possibly read any other book if an aisle of cook books were lined in front of me. The whole time I surfed through those cook books. I flipped through the cookbooks with my eyes glued to the stunning pictures and soon my mouth turned into an ocean. And I stumbled upon the recipe for chocolate truffles in one of Martha Stewart’s cookbooks. Truffles made with just 3 main ingredients and in just 15 minutes, Voila this was the kind of recipe I had been looking for. Clicked a picture of the recipe and rushed to my kitchen without wasting a minute. I was so eager to make this and to take a bite of my homemade truffle.

The actual recipe called for brandy which I ignored.

Chocolate Truffles= simmer milk and butter+ pouring it over chocolate + constant whisking on an ice bath+rolling the chocolate over your favorite coatings+refrigerate to set= awesomeness…

Box these homemade truffles and wrap it with a ribbon, this will make a perfect gift for your dear ones.

Chocolate Truffles:

Makes: 8 truffles

• Milk- 1/4 cup
• Butter- 1tbsp
• Bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped- 5 ounces

For topping:

• Pistachios, coarsely ground- 2 ounces
• Almonds, coarsely chopped- 2 ounces
• Cocoa powder, unsweetened Dutch-Process- 3 tbsp
• Peanut brittle, finely chopped- 2 ounces

Preparation:

• Create the truffle work station: Place pistachios, almonds, cocoa powder and peanut brittle in separate bowls.

• Prepare an ice-water bath: Put 2 cups of ice on a large glass bowl and keep aside.
• Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and keep aside.
• Bring milk and butter to a simmer in a saucepan.

• Pour this over the chocolate and whisk until smooth.

• Place this bowl over the ice bath and constantly whisk it.

• Whisk, whisk and whisk until the mixture is thick enough to scoop with a spoon, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• At this point you might be skeptical about how this melted chocolate mixture would turn thick: Just keep on whisking over the ice bath and you’ll see the magic of liquid state transforming into a solid state.

• I know this whisking might hurt your hands, but your mind has already fallen into the yummy truffles you are going to devour soon, so you are not going to give up in the middle.
• When the mixture has turned thick, using a tea spoon or mini ice-cream scooper- form the mixture into mini balls.

• If you find it hard to make the balls with the spoon, go ahead let your hands do this.
• Drop the balls into your favorite topping and roll it to cover with the topping
• You could do the assortment, by coating with pistachios, almonds, cocoa powder and peanut brittle.

• Place the truffles on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate to 10- 15 minutes or until set.

• Just like me, you’ll be also checking the truffles a million times, the moment it sets it will be taken out of the refrigerator and gobbled up so fast beating the speed of light.
• These truffles will keep up to 1 week in the refrigerator, keep in a single layer in air tight container.

Tips:

• Whisk the chocolate mixture constantly over the ice bath, it takes 5- 10 minutes for the mixture to turn thick.
• You could use skim milk.
• You could use any one of these toppings or try all of these toppings.

I make lime pies often, how can I not make this as this is my hubby’s favorite dessert…

For this month’s food meetup, I had made lemon pie for dessert and this turned out to be a huge hit. Usually, I make this with ready-made pie crust, so I just have to make the filling which could be made in just a matter of seconds. After just 15 minutes of baking, lime pie comes out of the oven most deliciously. Isn’t this the one dessert you could make even on days of extreme laziness? May be not during extreme laziness, but of course on days with mild laziness and extreme sweet craving.

I am so lucky that this dessert is my hubby’s favorite and he didn’t fall for anything which called for hours and hours of mixing and baking.

Couple of days before the meetup, I had searched for desserts that I could make easily and at the same time that would impress my foodie friends. And I stumbled upon a recipe for lime pie at Martha Stewart’s website. The moment I read the recipe I made up my mind to make that with few atlerations. I used lemons instead of limes. The crust was made with ground pistachios and Graham-Cracker crumbs. I loved the addition of pistachios while making the crust and the light green color the crust had made this a perfect dessert for St. Paddy’s day themed meetup.

I’ve made few alterations to the original recipe.

Lemon pie with Pistachio Graham-Cracker crust

Ingredients

For making the crust:

• Pistachios, shelled- 2/3 cup
• Graham-Cracker crumbs- 1 cup
• Butter, unsalted, melted, cooled- 4 tbsp (1/2 stick)
• Sugar- 1/4 cup
• Lemon zest, grated- 1 tbsp

For Filling:

• Egg yolks- 3
• Condensed milk, sweetened- 1 can (14 ounces) + 1/2 can (7 ounces)
• Lemon juice, freshly squeezed- 1/4 cup

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush an 8-inch square baking dish with 1 tbsp melted butter.
• Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.

Making the crust:

• In a grinder, ground the pistachios and keep aside.

• In a large bowl combine the ground pistachios, Graham-cracker crumbs, sugar and lemon zest.
• Using a hand mixer, blend the melted butter to the crumbs and combine well.

• Press the mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up sides on the baking dish.

• Bake until lightly browned, 8-12 minutes and cool the crust for 30 minutes.

• You could even make the crust in a food processor.

Making the filling:

• In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and condensed milk.

• Add freshly squeezed lemon juice and combine until smooth.

• Pour filling into the cooled crust and spread evenly.

• Bake until set, about 15 minutes.
• Let cool down and chill it in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.

• While serving, cut into squares or any shape of your choice.

• For an extra flavor, you could even serve lemon pie topped with whipped cream.

Tips:

• You could make this with limes, use lime zest and lime juice.
• Use freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice for the best taste.
• If you like to have your pie with strong lime or lemon flavor, then go ahead and add 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice.
• Health freaks: use fat-free condensed milk and low-fat Graham-cracker crumbs.

There’s nothing more refreshing than fresh fruits. Fruits never demands any extra touch ups, its perfect the way it is. Just imagine how the fruits would taste when it’s given a little fancy makeover before you serve it to your valuable guests or for precious self. A little fancy makeover would double the joy and entertainment for sure.

My new hobby is collecting recipes from almost anywhere. It could be the recipes from the back of cans, boxes, bottles and jars, or from any food magazines found in the grocery stores or from a total stranger or even from a restaurant chef (if he’s willing to reveal his recipes). I will never let go anything which could provide me with free recipes and food ideas. I may or may not try these dishes in my kitchen, but I feel happy while collecting these and that’s what matters, right?

This is one such recipe from my collection, it’s a free recipe that I got from a grocery store near to my house. This morning I woke up with zero intention to make a heavy breakfast. When I opened the refrigerator for milk, my eyes met with the huge bag of oranges that has been sitting idle for the past few days. Suddenly, I recalled the recipe I had collected from the store which called for oranges. I looked at the recipe and voila, I had everything to make a refreshing orange salad. This recipe also matched well with my criteria of easy breezy preparation. If I come across any kind of quick recipes, I sure will try that in my kitchen without any hesitation. I didn’t have to make a heavy breakfast to jump start my Sunday, with an easy fancy orange salad I was uplifted

Start your day with this refreshing Orange salad or just have this whenever your body and mind needs some refreshment…

Orange Salad

• Serves: 4
• Preparation time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• Oranges- 2 large
• Granulated Sugar- 1/4 cup
• Whole cloves- 2
• Cinnamon stick- 1
• Fresh mint, finely chopped- 1tbsp
• Toasted shelled pistachios- 1/4 cup
• Fresh Raspberries- 1/4 cup
• Orange peel grated- 1 tbsp

Preparation:

• Using a grater, grate the orange peel and keep aside.
• In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup water, sugar, cloves, cinnamon; bring to boiling and reduce heat, simmer until sugar dissolves.
• Stir in mint, remove from the heat and let cool.

• Remove the skin of the oranges and the white pith from it.
• Slice the oranges crosswise into rounds 1/4-inch thick.

• Place 3 to 4 orange slices on each of 4 plates, top with pistachios and raspberries.
• Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the syrup and sprinkle with grated orange peel.
• Serve immediately.

Chocolatezzz, is there any taste buds that wouldn’t surrender to this???

The thought of chocolate itself is enough to tantalize my taste buds. Everyone, irrespective of age loves it, adores it and never will be able to resist it even if it is miles away from them.

This weekend being the Valentine’s day weekend, there will be high demand for chocolates all over the world. Obviously, chocolate has been the most selling gift in any store for valentine’s day and other special occasions. Without a box of chocolate, any gift for our dear ones would be incomplete. It’s the perfect gift to express your love.

Lately, I have been thinking what makes it so absolutely perfect gift for someone we love. While doing some internet research about chocolates, I read these interesting facts about chocolate.

Chocolate contains phenylethylamine-the same chemical that is released in our brain when we fall in love which then leads to the increase in the pounding of heart and the sudden gush of excitement, which is also called as the ‘love chemical’. The sweetness from the chocolate also triggers the production of endorphins, which gives the blissful feeling after a wonderful session of love making.

In the fruit world, strawberry with the shape of a real heart and being an aphrodisiac has been considered as the fruit which symbolizes love.

After knowing these, for this valentine’s day I decided to combine the two symbols of love: Chocolates and Strawberries. For an extra flavor, I even added pistachios.

Chocolate Pistachios covered Strawberries make the perfect dessert to end your romantic candle light dinner or just a platter of this on the table would make the whole setting even more elegant. This could be made in just a matter of seconds.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Chocolate Pistachios Covered Strawberry

Ingredients:

• Fresh strawberries- 1 box

• Semi-sweet chocolate chips – 1 1/2 cups

• Coarsely ground pistachios- 1 cup

Preparation

• Coarsely ground the pistachios and keep aside in a bowl.

Melting chocolate  in a double boiler:

• Fill bottom of a double boiler with water and place on low heat.
• Place the chocolate chips in the top of the double boiler over hot water ( not boiling water) and let the chocolate melt.

• Do not cover the pot.
• Stir constantly until the chocolate melts and is smooth.

• Remove the top of the boiler from the hot water.

If you don’t have double boiler:

• Fill the saucepan half full with water and place on low heat.
• Put the chocolate chips on a glass bowl and place the bowl on the hot water in the saucepan.
• Stir constantly and let the chocolate melt.
• Carefully remove from the glass bowl from the saucepan, it will be hot.

Dipping the strawberries:

• Take one of the strawberries, first dip it in the melted chocolate.

• Then dip it in the pistachios.

• Place the chocolate pistachio covered strawberries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to harden.

• Repeat the same with other strawberries.
• It will take around 20-30 minutes for the chocolate to harden.

Tips:

• If you don’t like pistachios you could avoid this, dip just in the chocolates.
• You could do this with other fruits or nuts like cherries, apples, cashew nuts, walnuts etc

Seeing marshmallows in my pantry, I got creative and made these: