E-Paper
Sugar rush: Chef Varun Inamdar's step-by-step chocolate tart recipe
It is hard to escape the irresistible and heady scent of chocolate. So why not indulge a little this weekend like our guest chef and reader did?
As kids, we dreamt of losing our way in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Some of us still do. Whether it is a crunchy chocolate cookie or a decadent brownie, chocolate is what fond memories are made of. Relive yours with these two mouth-watering recipes.
* Ristretto chocolate tart- Recipe by Chef Varun Inamdar, Chocolatier
Prep time: 60 minutes | Serves: Two
Ingredients:
* Refined flour: 150g
* Cocoa powder: 50g
* Chilled butter: 100g
* Castor sugar: 50g
* Milk: 30ml
* Salt: 1g
* Dark chocolate: 500g
* Cooking cream: 120ml
* Instant coffee powder: 3 tbsp
Chef Varun Inamdar
Method
For the tart
* In a bowl, whisk the flour with the salt.
* Crumble half the butter into cream. Add sugar to this mixture and beat until light and fluffy.
* Gradually add the milk.
* Add the flour mix all at once and knead until it turns into dough.
* Make small balls which can be flattened into small discs.
* Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.
* Lightly butter and sprinkle flour on an 8-9 inch tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom. Evenly pat the chilled pastry onto the bottom. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
* Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius and place a rack in the centre of the oven. Lightly prick the bottom of the pastry crust with the tines of a fork.
* Place the tart pan on a larger baking pan and bake the crust for five minutes. Reduce the temperature to 180 degree Celsius and continue to bake for 15 minutes or until dry and lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool before filling.
* Can be covered and stored for a few days.
For Ristretto Ganache
* In a bowl, chop chocolates into smaller bits and keep aside.
* Boil cream and pour over the chocolates. Stir till you form a shiny emulsion. Add in coffee powder. Let mixture remain warm.
* Pipe the ganache into the baked tarts.
BEST READER RECIPE
Double Chocolate Chip Muffin: Recipe by Aishwarya Raje
Prep time: 30 minutes | Serves: Two
Double Chocolate Chip Muffin
Ingredients
* All purpose flour: 2½ cups
* Baking powder: 1 tbsp
* Baking soda: 1tsp
* Salt:½ tsp
* Granulated sugar: 1 cup
* Eggs: 2
* Vanilla extract: 1 tbsp
* Milk: 1 cup
* Melted butter: ½cup
* Chocolate chips: 1½ cups
* Melted chocolate (optional): 2 tbsp
Method
* Preheat the oven to 210 degree Celsius.
* Mix all the dry ingredients, except the sugar, in a bowl.
* Whisk together milk, sugar, vanilla extract, melted butter, chocolate and eggs.
* Pour the wet ingredients in dry ingredients and mix until just combined.The batter shoud not be smooth.
* Pour the batter in the prepared muffin tins.
* Bake at 210 degree Celsius for the first five minutes. Then lower the temperature to 190 degree Celsius and bake for about 20 minutes.
* Remove from oven and leave to cool for some time.
Notes
* If using melted chocolate, reduce the quantity of chocolate chips to a cup.
* Make sure the chocolate chips are well-coated with flour, else they will sink.
Aishwarya Raje
(The writer tweets as @CultureCola)
