In this festive time, here is your opportunity to impress friends and family by rolling out some handcrafted chocolates. Chef Mohammad Qureshi, Pastry Chef, The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi, has sent us some of his newest recipes to try out. The goodies are also available at the hotel’s patisserie, Daily Treats.
Handcrafted chocolate ginger truffle
Ingredients
200 ml fresh cream
600 gram chocolate (dark)
100 gram butter (diced)
100 gram ginger juice with crushed pulp
Method
Bring the cream to boil. Add the ginger juice. Let the liquid infuse for an hour. Bring the liquid back to boil. Pour this liquid over the very finely chopped chocolate. Let the chocolate mix cool. Add the chopped butter.
Pour this chocolate cream in a tray and refrigerate. When the chocolate is set hard, form small balls and dip in dark chocolate. Take the chocolate balls out and with a fork, let the excess chocolate run down. Put the chocolate balls on butter paper until the chocolate is set.
Handcrafted chocolate coconut praline
Ingredients
300 ml coconut milk
60 gram Triomline
40 gram glucose
1240 gram white chocolate
200 gram coconut pulp, blended
150 gram butter
Method
Make the white chocolate ganache by bringing the coconut cream and puree to heat. Add triomline and glucose to the ganache and bring the mixture to boil. Add to the white chocolate and mix till an emulsion is formed. When the mixture is at 32 degrees Celsius, add the butter pieces and use a hand blender to mix well.
Heat the yellow colour cocoa butter and scrape a vanilla bean and add to the mixture. Take a brush. Brush the moulds gently all the way up to the sides. Leave it to set for a few minutes. Add the red cocoa butter into a spray gun and spray the second coating into the mould.
Next, add the green cocoa butter and spray the third coating on. Leave it to set its side for 10 minutes. Scrape the excess cocoa butter from the mould and coat the mould with white tempered chocolate. Remove the excess by taping the mould on its side. Leave the mould to set overnight on its side at 20 degrees Celsius
The next day, pipe the white ganache into the mould till one third. Place some of the pineapple jam in the centre of the filling. Fill the rest with the white chocolate ganache. Leave it to set for one or two hours. Fill the top of the praline with white tempered chocolate. Scrape off the excess, leave it for a while. Add a second coat and scrape off the excess to achieve a smooth base.
