Coffee Pannacotta with Boozy Chocolate sauce

Its our 'Blogger of the week' time and this week features the founder of our group Kamalika Chakrabarty who blogs from Silence sings. Her theme for this week is Chef's Challenge and each member is supposed to make a dish inspired from their favourite chef. 

A little lost in the beginning, I found my answer in Nigella Lawson's Coffee pannacotta with chocolate sauce shown on Masterchef Australia. The moment I saw it, I knew I was making it. And thus I started with making a homemade version of Coffee liqueur (blogpost coming soon next). As usual, I modified the quantity and adjusted it to 2 servings. The original recipe has a more pouring consistency of the chocolate sauce but I have made mine a little thicker for my plating idea. I designed the plate with a little piece of crunch from a chocolate walnut disc and some chocolate rings. 

This dessert is rich, decadent, extremely delicious and a must try for coffee lovers.

Recipe source: Nigella Lawson 

Ingredients : Serves 2

• 1/2 cream (I used Amul cream)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp instant coffee powder 
• 2 tbsp water (for dissolving coffee)
• 3/4 tsp gelatin powder
• 1 tbsp cold water (for blooming gelatin)

Boozy Chocolate sauce:

• 50 gms dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 tbsp coffee liqueur

Procedure : 

Coffee Pannacotta:

Take 1 tbsp cold water in a small bowl and add gelatin powder to it. Mix well and let it bloom for 5 minutes. The gelatin will become spongy. 

Heat 2 tbsp water in a pan and add the coffee powder. Add sugar and stir till it dissolves. 

On low heat, stir in cream. Add salt. Mix well.

Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin. Mix well so that the gelatin dissolves. 

Sieve the mixture to attain a smooth texture and allow it to cool. 

Pour the mixture in desired bowls and refrigerate for 3-4 hrs or till set. 

Boozy Chocolate sauce :

Take coffee liqueur in a pan and boil it. Add chopped chocolate to it and stir well. Remove to a bowl and allow to cool.

Garnish : 

Chocolate rings : Melt dark chocolate over a double boiler and spread a spoonful on a sheet of acetate with a spatula. Use a pastry comb to make lines through the chocolate. Roll the acetate sheet gently and secure ends with some cello tape. Allow to cool completely. Remove the cello tape gently and take out the curls carefully. 

Chocolate coated coffee beans : Melt some dark chocolate and dip whole coffee beans in it. Remove on a piece of parchment paper and allow to set.

Chocolate walnut disc : Melt some dark chocolate and spread like a circle on a piece of parchment paper. Roughly crush a walnut and sprinkle on the chocolate. Take a small circular cutter and make an impression on the half set chocolate. Allow to cool completely. Remove carefully to get the chocolate disc.

Plating : 

Take a spoonful of the boozy chocolate sauce and spread it on the plate with the help of a spoon.

Dip the pannacotta mould in little hot water for few seconds and gently remove the pannacotta. Place it on the plate. 

Insert the chocolate walnut disc and the chocolate rings on the pannacotta. 

Place the chocolate coated coffee beans on the plate.

Note : 

• You can make a chocolate sauce without the liqueur by substituting it with cream. 
• Taste the pannacotta before setting in the mould for sweetness and add more sugar if required.

This recipe is part of Kolkata Food Bloggers  ongoing event Chef's Challenge where Kamalika Chakrabarty is the featured blogger of the week who blogs from Silence sings

Happy relishing

Amrita

Chocolate Salami

Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi has been a fairly simple festival in my house while I was growing. Being Sikhs, we have adapted a lot of our customs from Hinduism and therefore we celebrate a simplified version of it which means no tilak and Pooja. I remember seeing my Aunt perform the morning fast before tying the sacred thread on my Father and Uncle's wrist but as children we never had to do that. As children, I would tease my younger brother that being a girl is so lucky as you get 2 gifts in a year, one on birthday and another on Rakhi. At home, Mom would make some bread rolls for breakfast and thus our Rakhi would be over with some sweets. 

This year, Vaanya, my daughter will get to tie a Rakhi on my nephew. I see a part of my childhood in her and am looking forward to see her enjoy the day with her little brother. She is naturally too small to understand the importance of Rakhi but I am sure with time she will cherish these moments just like me. 

This year I wanted to try a rather very simple sweet. Something which does not require much work and is done in a jiffy. Therefore I decided to play with these Chocolate Salami where there is no definite recipe and you can add just about anything that you want. 

Chocolate Salami or Salame di cioccolata or Salame de chocolate is a traditional Italian and Portuguese dessert which is made from dark chocolate, broken bits of biscuits or cookies, butter, eggs and alcohol like rum or port wine.

A misleading name, Chocolate Salami is named because of its appearance where the dessert is shaped like a log and is cut in roundels while serving.

I skipped the eggs and got an intensely rich, rum laden chocolatey goodness in this dessert. For a children's version I used milk chocolate and skipped the nuts and fruits. Instead I added some cake pieces, biscuits of my daughter's choice and some almond powder. 

This dessert has endless variations. Go ahead and enjoy making and relishing it this festive season.

Ingredients : Makes around 7-8 slices of the chocolate salami

• 200 gms dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup cream(I used Amul)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3-4 pieces of Marie biscuits or any digestive biscuits
• 1/2 cup of assorted nuts and dried fruits(I used almonds, walnuts, cashews, pista and cranberries)
• 2-3 tbsp rum (optional, may be substituted with orange juice)

Procedure : 

Dry roast the nuts and chop them fine. Mix with the chopped cranberries and keep aside.

Roughly break the biscuits in medium sized chunks and keep aside.

Heat cream in a pan. Be careful not to burn it.

Remove from heat and add the chopped chocolate to it. Mix it well so that the chocolate melts.

Now add the butter and mix. 

Throw in the nuts and biscuits and give it a stir. 

Allow this mixture to cool and thicken for around 4-5 minutes, or more if required.

Put this, now thickened mixture, onto a cling wrap and give it a log shape. Twist both the ends to secure it.

Pop it in the refrigerator for 3-4 hrs. 

In between take it out and roll it to maintain the shape.

Slice it and serve.

Note : For a children's version I used milk chocolate instead of dark one and added digestive biscuits, chocolate biscuits, cake pieces. I also added 1 tbsp of almond powder instead of the chopped nuts. And yes, the rum has been omitted there. 

Happy Raksha Bandhan

Amrita