Cottage Cheese (paneer) Chocolate Bar

Usually the chocolate - nuts or chocolate - dry fruit combo’s are quite popular. But, I wanted to try chocolate, nuts and cheese combination. I tried to eat different kind of cheese cubes along with chocolate and found our paneer is the perfect combination. 

After a couple of tries, I could make a perfect choco cheese nut combo and I’m glad to share. Trust me; Cottage Cheese (paneer) Chocolate Bar won’t disappoint you.  It can be served as a dessert or snack. 

Ingredient – 150 gms of dark chocolate (70 % coco) melted      ;      1 cup of crumbed Indian cottage cheese (paneer)    ;      2 tbsp of sugar      ;     1 tbsp of butter ;     ¼ cup of chopped nuts (walnut, almond & cashew)

Place the fry pan on a medium flame and add cottage cheese, butter, sugar stir it till cheese become yellowish then add nuts fry till cottage cheese become caramelized. Turn off the flame and allow it to cool.

Melt chocolate by double boiler or in microwave oven then pour chocolate in rectangular pan, which is linen it with parchment paper. Then sprinkle evenly the caramelized cottage cheese and nut mixture. Transfer the pan into refrigerator to set.

Walnut Caramel Ice Cream

Most of the so called ice cream manufactures are selling Frozen Dessert under the Ice cream label. Yes, it’s a Chilling Truth!  

According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, (even FDA also claims almost the same definition) the definition of an ice cream means that the product is obtained by freezing a pasteurized mix, prepared from milk and /or other products derived from milk with or without the addition of nutritive sweetening agents, fruit and fruit products, eggs, etc. 

You name any brand, and read the ingredients label. You will find these chemicals in it for sure.      // Water, sugar, milk solids, edible vegetable oil, liquid glucose, vegetable protein, emulsifier - 471, stabilizers - 410, 412, 407 Acidity regulator - 330. Contains permitted synthetic food colors and added flavors. Nature identical and artificial milk and strawberry flavoring substances//

Why they need to use so much of so called edible chemicals? Just to keep the price low and for creamy texture.  One liter of heavy or whipped cream and two litters of “ice cream” are priced almost at the same price. How is that possible?  Two litters of  frozen dessert (labeled as “ice cream”) contains a less than 100 ml of heavy or whipped cream as milk solids rest is vegetable oil and edible chemicals.

Here, I am posting a REAL Ice Cream as per the standards. Since, we are not using any edible chemicals and stabilizers; it cannot be served or consumed directly from freezer. It needs to be kept out (at room temperature) for about ten minutes before you serve to get the same creamy texture of Frozen Dessert.

Ingredient  :   1 ½  cup of heavy cream      ;      1 /2 cup of full fat milk      ;     1/2 cup of dark brown sugar       ;        60 gms of butter       ;    2 tbsp of cream    ;     a pinch of salt     ;     1/2 cup of  chopped walnut        ;      1 tsp of vanilla essence  

First let’s caramelize the brown sugar.  Heat the brown sugar and butter in a heavy pan over medium heat, stirring with a spoon once sugar starts to dissolve, Add 2 tbsp of cream and stir further until the sugar completely dissolved. (if require add few tbsp of cream) Remove the pan from the heat and add chopped walnuts, salt and vanilla Transfer to a bowl and stir in salt and vanilla. Cool the caramel mixture in to room temperature.

In a separate bowl the boil the cream and milk and pour it into caramel mixture and whisk to combine. Transfer it to frozen canister and spin until it become thick and creamy consistency. (You may use hand mixer as well) 

Transfer the frozen canister (with closed lid) into the freezer.

Chocolate Bread

As you may know, I’m found of doing fusion with basic bread recipes. Since, this month’s we knead to bake 35 challenge was “bread of y(our)  choice” so, I thought to bake a bread with my all-time favorite ingredient “Chocolate”. 

In fact, I tried one with my own recipe but, it turned out pretty close to a cake like taste. So, I go with   Mr.David, (French Chef, whom I regularly follow and read) recipe. I must say this will satisfy both the Chocolate lovers as well the bread.

Ingredient  –   ¾ cup of full fat milk      ;      2 tsp of instant yeast      ;     6 tbsp of sugar     ;     55 gms of Butter     ;      85 gms of bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped        ;         1 ½ tsp of instant coffee powder        ;         1 egg         ;         1/2 tsp of vanilla essence       ;       ¾ tsp salt       ;       2 cups bread Flour       ;       ¼ cup of coco powder        ;            90 gms of chocolate chips          ;        1/2 cup of chopped almond & walnuts

In a bowl add yeast, milk and sugar and kept aside for about 10 – 15 min to activate the yeast.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter to get smooth mixture.

Add the instant coffee, the egg, vanilla, sea salt to the Yeast mixture.

Stir the flour and cocoa powder, then add the butter-chocolate mixture and stir well until well-incorporated. Add the yeast mixture and mix vigorously with a flexible spatula until the dough should be quite moist and like sticky brownie batter. Cover the bowl with damp cloth and leave it for about 2hrs to rise.

Meanwhile, mix the chocolate chips and nuts and keep aside.

After 2 hrs, deflate the dough and add the nuts – choco-chips mixture, using the spatula, fold the dough well and transfer the dough into 9’’ (23 cm) greased loaf pan and cover again with damp cloth for about 1 hour.

After the second rise of the dough, transfer the loaf pan into 180ºC pre heated oven for about 30 – 40 min or until sounds hollow when it tapped. 

Yeasted Banana Sandwich Bread

 

Thanks to Aparna for introducing this pretty simple, wonderfully flavored, slightly sweet sandwich bred for this month challenge at We Knead To Bake #31. The original recipe adopted from kingarthurflour. 

Ingredients:   2 cups of whole wheat flour     ;     1 cup of bread flour   ;     3/4 cup of lukewarm milk     ;       25 gms of soft butter    ;     2 tsp of instant yeast      ;      1 tsp of salt       ;     1 tbsp of honey     ;     2 med- sized banana chopped ( about 1 ½ cups )      ;    1/4 tsp of powdered cardamom     ;     1/8 cup of chopped walnuts 

Method:   Add all the ingredients except the milk, in a large bowl and gentle whisk for a while and add 3/4 cup of milk and knead until to get shaggy dough. Add more milk to get right dough consistency.

Knead further by hand until to get a soft, smooth and elastic dough but, not sticky. Shape it into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl and cover with damp cloth for about 1 1/2 hours or 2 hours or till it become double in volume.

Gently deflate the dough and shape the dough into a greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf tin and cover the loaf with damp cloth for about an hour or it raise almost at the edges of your loaf tin.

Brush the dough with  little milk and sprinkle with little oats and Bake at 180°C pre-heated oven for about  40 to 50 minutes or till the bread is nice brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped. 

Allow it to cool completely before slicing it. The aroma of bread with cardamom and banana is divine.